FoundItGuide - Walton, Keeping it Local

Walton – the name is believed to be Anglo-Saxon in origin and means ‘farm of the Britons’ or ‘Saxon settlement’ depending on which history book you come to first.

There does seem to be agreement that long before the arrival of the Romans or the Saxons, there was a Celtic settlement on the spot where the town now stands. Walton – or Waletona – appears in the Domesday survey of 1089 AD where it is described as having a fishery, two mills and a church. Those early residents would get a shock if they could see the way the town has expanded in the modern day.

The church mentioned in the Domesday book is St Mary’s Parish Church which stands on the highest point of the town. Mainly Saxon in origin, the church as it is today has parts dating back as far as the 12th century. The square bell tower contains six bells with the oldest bearing an inscription that dates it at 1606 AD. Another famous landmark is the Old Manor House in the aptly-named Manor Road. The timber-framed building with wings at either end was first built in the 14th century and was once occupied, so legend has it, by the man responsible for decreeing that King Charles I should part company with his head. The place had seen its fair share of ups and downs since then but it still stands as a tribute to its designers and builders.

The 19th century saw a tremendous growth in land acquisition around the peripheries of London by wealthy merchants and members of the upper classes who wanted a base away from the smells and crowds of the city.

In 1836, the fifth Earl of Tankerville decided to build himself a new house on the site of Mount Felix – the area of land on the southern side of the Thames on the approaches to Walton Bridge. The estate flourished until 1914 when it was bought by a syndicate who wanted to turn it into a country club. However, before they got the chance to realise their dreams, the first world war broke out and Mount Felix was taken over by the War Office. It was used as a hospital for recuperating New Zealand troops wounded during the fighting in France. The hospital was still in use until the early 1920s. The original house was finally demolished in 1966 after it was badly damaged by fire. The only memorials to the hospital’s fine work that now remain are the street named New Zealand Avenue and the Wellington pub which was formerly called the Kiwi.

There are a few notables who called Walton home during the years. William Lilly, a famous astrologer, resided in the village in the 17th century and the Apps Court estate to the east of the village was once owned by Robert Gill, who with George Stevenson helped to build the Manchester to Leeds railway. But we must also spare a thought for Edward ‘Lumpy’ Stevens, a well-known cricketer of his day who died in 1821. It is recorded that it was ‘Lumpy’s’ bowling style which led to the introduction of the third stump. Monty Panesar, eat your heart out…

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