Woking is a town and borough located in north-west Surrey, England, situated approximately 23 miles (36 km) from central London. The area shows evidence of human activity dating back to the Palaeolithic period, though its sandy local soils were historically low in fertility. In the Domesday Book of 1086, the town was recorded as Wochinges, a name likely derived from a Saxon landowner.
The development of the modern town began in the mid-1860s when the London Necropolis Company sold surplus land surrounding the railway station for residential and commercial use. Prior to this period, the area saw significant infrastructure growth between the mid-17th and mid-19th centuries with the construction of the Wey Navigation, the Basingstoke Canal, and the London to Southampton railway line.