Virginia Water, United Kingdom
Virginia Water is a town of 2,999 people in England, United Kingdom.
Why visit Virginia Water
Townapedia lists 9 museums and landmarks, 14 parks and trails, 20 places to eat, 2 places to stay and 5 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Staines Bridge, Staines Railway Bridge, Air Forces Memorial and Ankerwycke Priory.
Weather in Virginia Water
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Virginia Water
Virginia Water is a commuter village in the Borough of Runnymede in Surrey, England. It is home to the Wentworth Estate and the Wentworth Club. The area has much woodland and occupies a large minority of the Runnymede district. Its name is shared with the lake on its western boundary within Windsor Great Park.
From the Wikipedia article Virginia Water (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photos of Virginia Water
Things to do5
Staines Bridge
Bridge · 3.0 mi
Bridge over the Thames in Runnymede, Surrey, England, UK
Staines Railway Bridge
Bridge · 3.0 mi
Bridge over the Thames in the United Kingdom
Thorpe Park
Monument and historic site · 2.3 mi
Amusement park in Thorpe, Surrey, England
Museums and landmarks9
Air Forces Memorial
Monument and historic site · 2.4 mi
Memorial in Englefield Green, Surrey, England, UK
Ankerwycke Priory
Monument and historic site · 2.8 mi
Benedictine nunnery with associated moat and fishponds
Kennedy Memorial
Monument and historic site · 2.9 mi
Memorial to John F. Kennedy in Runnymede, England, United Kingdom
Sunningdale Barrows
Monument and historic site · 3.0 mi
Barrows in Sunningdale, Berkshire, England, UK
Parks, trails and playgrounds14
Silwood Park
Park · 3.2 mi
Rural campus of Imperial College London, United Kingdom
Windsor Great Park
Park · 3.3 mi
Royal Park near the town of Windsor, England
2 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes20
La Piazzetta
Restaurant · Italian
17 Station Parade, Virginia Water
Mo-Th 12:00-14:00, 18:00-21:30; Fr-Sa 12:00-14:00, 18:00-22:00
Pearls Bubble Tea
Cafe · Coffee Shop, Bubble Tea · 1.5 mi
Inside of the Hub, take the stairs to the basement.
Egham Hill, Egham
Mo-Sa 11:00-20:00; Su 12:00-20:00
The spice
Restaurant · Indian
20 Station Parade, Virginia Water
Mo-Th, Sa-Su 12:00-14:00, 17:00-22:00; Fr 17:00-22:00
Costa
Cafe · Coffee Shop
1 Station Parade, Virginia Water
Mo-Fr 05:30-18:00; Sa-Su 07:00-17:00
Pitch and Chip
Restaurant · Chinese · 0.4 mi
10 The Parade, Virginia Water
Social Bite Café
Cafe · 1.5 mi
Egham Hill, Egham
Mo-Th 08:00-19:00; Fr 08:00-17:00; Sa-Su 10:00-16:00
8 more on the map.
History
The area is believed to have been traversed by the Devil's Highway, a Roman road running from London to Silchester in Hampshire. According to a 1983 article by Nicholas Fuentes, the defeat of Boudica’s revolt by the Romans in AD 60/61 may have occurred in Virginia Water. He argued that the topography between Callow Hill and Knowle Hill corresponds with descriptions by Tacitus, with the battlefield situated near the site of the present-day railway station.
Christ Church Virginia Water was completed in 1838 and established as a parish the same year.
In 1805, a mansion was constructed for Edward Pakenham, the brother-in-law of the Duke of Wellington, which now forms the club house of the Wentworth Club. Ramón Cabrera, 1st Duke of Maestrazgo, an exiled Carlist general, purchased the house in 1850.
To the east of the lake is the Clockcase tower, a Grade I listed, triangular belvedere built in the Great Park during the 1750s. It is three-storey Gothic style construction. George III made it into an observatory and Queen Victoria occasionally had tea there. The building is inaccessible to the public, lying within a private part of the park, and remains under the ownership of the Royal Estate.
Read more of the history
Virginia Park is a gated housing development occupying the site of the former Holloway Sanatorium, a mental asylum constructed in 1885 to the design of William Henry Crossland. This was a private institution where patients paid for their own treatment. In 1948, it was taken over by the newly established National Health Service, and closed in the early 1980s, experiencing frequent vandalism in the aftermath.
In 2000, the building and grounds were converted into private-sector housing by a developer, Octagon. Octagon produced 23 residences in the main building and built 190 new houses and apartments on the grounds. Properties are expensive and typically reach beyond the £1 million mark.
The main building is Grade I listed, the highest category of recognition and protection. The sanatorium chapel is Grade II* listed, meaning in a constrained mid-tier of the statutory scheme. The gated estate includes a spa, gymnasium, multi-purpose sports hall, and all-weather tennis court.
1,750 square kilometres (680 sq mi) of Virginia Water is owned by a members' trustee body, known as the Wentworth Estate. Founded in the 1920s, this estate comprises private sector houses, luxury apartments, woodland, several golf courses and a leisure club. It also includes part of the River Bourne, Chertsey.
The estate, due to its high walls and electric gates, has been compared to a "fortified suburb" found more commonly in South Africa and a place "where money disappears from view". Famous residents have included Elton John, Bruce Forsyth, Diana Dors and various professional golfers. Properties on the estate are regarded as "super prime" and have sold for as much as £50 million.
In 1998, the estate received significant media attention when former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was placed under house arrest in one of its properties, following his arrest in London and contested extradition.
From the History section of Virginia Water on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Virginia Water
Geography
The River Bourne runs from the artificial Virginia Water Lake through the long southern half of Virginia Water.
The 2011 census stated that the Virginia Water postcode district (post town) had the following dwellings, thus making up the relative proportions shown:
Government data in terms of sales of homes from Autumn 2014 to 2015 showed Virginia Water to be the most expensive post town nationally (i.e. excluding any part of London). The recent averaged sold price for its homes was just over £1.1m.
Education
Christ Church Infant School was built by the National Society in 1843. In 2020, due to loss of intake, Surrey County Council earmarked the school for closure, with attendees planned to move to consolidated Englefield Green Infant School by 2023.
St Ann's Heath Junior School is on Sandhills Lane. Trumps Green Infant School is on Crown Road.
From the Wikipedia article Virginia Water, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Virginia Water
- Nicholas BrooksBritish medieval historian and archaeologist
- Tania HealdBritish alpine skier
- Colin James Pennycuickzoologist (1933-2019)
Born in Virginia Water, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay2
Great Fosters
Motel and hotel · Regional · 1.3 mi
Stroude Road, Egham
Churches and places of worship8
Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, Englefield Green
Church · 1.8 mi
Shopping2
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries13
Christ Church CofE Aided Infant School, Virginia Water
School · 0.8 mi
Christchurch Road, Virginia Water
Healthcare2
Map of Virginia Water
76 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Heathrow Airport (LHR) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 7 miles away.
- Egham 2 mi north, about 3 min by car
- Chertsey 3 mi southeast, about 4 min by car
- Staines 3 mi northeast, about 5 min by car
- Ottershaw 3 mi southeast, about 5 min by car
- Addlestone 4 mi southeast, about 6 min by car
- Sunninghill 4 mi west, about 6 min by car
- Chobham 4 mi southwest, about 7 min by car
- Ascot 5 mi west, about 8 min by car
- Ashford 5 mi northeast, about 8 min by car
- Weybridge 5 mi southeast, about 8 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Virginia Water
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Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- VirginiaWater01, HenrikKbh, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Virginia Water War Memorial, Virginia Water, Surrey - April 2025, Mertbiol, CC0
- Side of the Virginia Water War Memorial Bench, Ethan Doyle White, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Virginia Water War Memorial Bench, Ethan Doyle White, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wreaths at the Virginia Water War Memorial, Ethan Doyle White, CC BY-SA 4.0
- StainesBridge01, Motmit, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Staines Railway Bridge Over The Thames, Jim Linwood, CC BY 2.0
- AirForcesMemorial, Wyrdlight, CC BY 3.0
- Ruins of Ankerwyke Priory, Andrew Gray, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kennedy Memorial at Runnymede, Chris j wood, CC BY-SA 3.0
- SilwoodParkSimonMortimer, Simon Mortimer, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Windsor Great Park, Smithr32, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Christ Church, Guildford Road, Ottershaw (NHLE Code 1260037) (June 2015) (2), User:Hassocks5489, CC0
- Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, Wilfridselsey, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Founder's Building, Royal Holloway, south quad, Rwendland, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leptis Magna, Virginia Water, Len Williams, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Virginia Water Totem Pole, Gavinevans, CC BY-SA 3.0
- VirginiaWater02, HenrikKbh, CC BY-SA 3.0
- VirginiaWater03, HenrikKbh, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Thorpe Park Resort, Smithr32, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Royal Holloway Picture Gallery, Founder's Building, Royal Holloway University of London, Surrey - September 2026, Mertbiol, CC0
- Street-level photo, ilmarinen946, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, essexboy, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ilmarinen946, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ilmarinen946, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.