Horsell
| Horsell | |
|---|---|
 Horsell High Street |
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 Horsell
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| Horsell shown within Surrey | |
| Population | 9,384 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WOKING |
| Postcode district | GU21 |
| Dialling code | 01483 |
| Police | Surrey |
| Fire | Surrey |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Horsell is a village in the borough of Woking in Surrey, England, located less than a mile north-west of Woking town centre. In November 2012, its population was 9,384.
Horsell has a close association with H. G. Wells' classic science fiction novel The War of the Worlds, the sand pits of Horsell Common being chosen as the site of the first Martian landing. Horsell Common has since been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Another landmark is the McLaren Technology Centre, built on the northern edge of the common in the early 2000s for the McLaren Group.
Horsell was first documented in the 13th century, although the parish church of St Mary the Virgin is believed to date from the middle of the 12th century. The name probably comes from the Anglo-Saxon horig scylf, meaning "muddy slope". This may refer to the hill now carrying the metalled track known as "Horsell Rise"; tricky for cars in winter conditions it is then very much enjoyed by local children who create toboggan slides down the centre of it.
Until the late 19th century, the village consisted of scattered cottages and farms, surrounded by fields, heathlands and nurseries. Suburban development eventually began in the 1880s, although the village remains largely rural in character.
One of Horsell's most significant locations is Horsell Common, which is notable for being the place where the Martians landed in War of the Worlds, as an ancient burial ground, and as a Muslim burial ground. The common includes a bomb crater from WW2, a large, seasonal pond with a sandpit (which is where the Martians ar e said to have landed) and an open field which extends to the grounds of the McLaren HQ. Many different species of plants and wildlife can be found there, which accounts for its status as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. There was a Home Guard base there, although it has long since disappeared.
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