page_title: West Byfleet
section_title: Amenities
hierarchical_section_title: West Byfleet / Amenities
caption_attribution_description: English: Basingstoke Canal Looking westwards from the junction with the Wey Navigation. Lock No 1 is in the distance.
context_page_description: West Byfleet is a village in Surrey which grew up around its relatively minor stop on the London & South Western Railway: the station, originally Byfleet and Woodham, opened in 1887. More than 1 mile from the medieval village of Byfleet, the initial concentration of a new development soon established its own economy apart from that of a dependent London commuter village and spread in most directions to its borders including to the border of the old settlement, divided by the shielded M25 motorway today. The first place of worship was dedicated in 1912, the parish of West Byfleet associated with it was established in 1917. The village is bounded to the north by the Basingstoke Canal and to the east by the M25 and the Wey Navigation Canal. Forming part of the contiguous development centred on London and its stockbroker belt just outside the M25 motorway, it is 18 miles from London Heathrow and equidistant between the business parks of Woking and Brooklands. In local government it forms a ward on the same basis as its parish in the Borough of Woking.
context_section_description: The Waitrose food supermarket, built in 1989, lies at the centre of the village. Some 70 shops now trade offering a variety of goods as well as services such as hairdressing, beauty treatments, estate and employment agents. All the joint stock banks are represented.
  This retail offering has made it for such services a focal point for other neighbouring settlements of: Pyrford, New Haw, Woodham, Byfleet and Ripley and an alternative to Woking. In the 2010s fashion and style shops have complimented the stores offered (e.g. Carmel Snow and Blush).  An art gallery and vintage gift emporium have also established a West Byfleet focus.
  West Byfleet has a large number of restaurants for its size. Three coffee shops, an Italian, London House fine dining, a North Indian, a South Indian, a Chinese restaurant and a Chinese takeaway, a pizza takeaway, a wine bar and a Subway are all contained in the small village centre.  Although there is a small amount of turnover, the number tends to remain the same down the years.
  The retail centre of a high street-style network of roads declined in breadth at the end of the 20th century losing traditional size outlets such as hardware, electrical goods and greengrocery.  In 2010 Aviva as landlord of the former Woolworths store re-let approximately half to Costa Coffee and the other half to a Lloyds Pharmacy The Lloyds Pharmacy closed in the summer of 2019.
  The Basingstoke Canal with its tree-lined path to Woking, the Aldershot Urban Area and Basingstoke passes straight forming the north-west border of the village of West Byfleet. An old lady told there was a story of Ghost seen at Woodham Lock on the Basingstoke Canal.
  The town has one main football club, West Byfleet Albion (not to be confused with West Bromwich Albion) who play in the Guildford and Woking Alliance League.
caption: Basingstoke Canal, West Byfleet
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