Woking children get a taste for history
Residents in Woking will soon be living in Liquorice Lane thanks to a group of school kids who delved into the wide assortment of local history. Children from Westfield Primary School took part in a competition to name the roads at the new Kingsmoor Park development. They drew inspiration from learning about Liquorice production in the Westfield area in times gone by.
They named another road Oaklands Close in tribute to the native tree species found in Westfield Common and the name of a horticultural nursery that had formerly existed at the site. The rest of the streets are to be named after fallen World War One veterans from Westfield.
The competition was the idea of Barry Malki, Community Investment Manager at Thames Valley Housing (TVH). TVH, in partnership with Kier and Woking Borough Council, are building 224 homes for social rent at the development. Barry said: “Working closely with the community is important to us, and particularly engaging with young people. Thanks to the help of local experts such as historian, Iain Wakeford, the children were offered a real insight into the place where they live.”
Mayor of Woking, Cllr Anne Roberts who attended the school and handed certificates to the children said, “The event was one of the highlights of my mayoral year. The pupils can now tell their children and grandchildren that they chose the names of the local roads. A real piece of history!”
The final list of road names is Liquorice Lane, Oaklands Close, Jelley Way, Reed Street, Bullock Crescent, Inwood Close and Hoad Crescent.
Kingsmoor Park is a development of mainly 2, 3 & 4 bedroom houses, and a small number of 1 & 2 bedroom apartments. The homes are being built over a three year period and will include 8houses for wheelchair use.
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