Local Area
Woking Town centre is approximately a 25 min walk from Saint Columba’s House. Local taxis are reliable and take just 5 minutes to get to the mainline station and town centre. There are pleasant walks along the Basingstoke Canal with good pub stops. Shopping is provided in the The Peacocks and Wolsey Place.
The Surrey History Centre is located in Goldsworth Road, while The Lightbox hosts local history displays and renowned artists’ exhibitions. The beautiful Shah Jahan Mosque (Britain’s oldest mosque built in 1889 - 01483 760679 - a 10 minute walk) hosts the Mela in July for the wider community. Woking One World celebrates the local varied cultures throughout the year. Stagger down to the Woking Beer Festival (CAMRA) in November.
The New Victoria Theatre is the largest theatre in the region and hosts internationally renowned opera companies, musical shows, and family shows. Included in the complex is a 6 screen cinema. The Rhoda McGaw Theatre hosts locally developed amateur productions.
Just 10 mins drive, through Old Woking village you will find Woking Palace, the former Tudor Manor House of Woking (a Scheduled Ancient Monument) and restored gardens. The Friends of Woking Palace organise annual open days for the public.
Horsell Common, which is said to have inspired HG Wells’ as the place where the Martians landed in his sci-fi novel 'The War of the Worlds', is a very popular walking site (20 mins walk).
Local Churches - the newly built St Dunstan's Roman Catholic Church and St Paul's Church of England Parish Church are both just about 5 minutes walk away.
The Wider Region
Woking has good access to London Heathrow Airport through the National Express Rail Air Service (25 mins to Terminal 5). The mainline station has very good access to London Waterloo (The Southbank, Westminster, The Guildhall, Tate Modern, The Globe and other Theatres) with a 10 minute train service throughout the day taking as little as 22 minutes. On the same line there is direct access to Kempton Park Racecourse (Esher), Wimbledon, and via Clapham Common to Twickenham.
Travelling the other way, there are regular services to Portsmouth and the south coast, and to Exeter and the southwest.
The historic town of Guildford is only 6 miles away and the 1950s Cathedral of The Holy Spirit (30 mins drive - 6 milesaway) overlooks the A3 and is adjacent to the University of Surrey.
The Newlands Corner (20 min drive) and the Surrey Hills, an area of outstanding natural beauty, can be accessed by car or by cycling the Surrey Cycle Link, which runs past our main entrance.
