Arts, Culture & Heritage

The Lightbox gallery and museum in Woking is one of the most exciting cultural spaces in the South East. Three stunning galleries host a huge range of exhibitions, changing regularly. The Lightbox has received many awards in recognition of its work, including winning the Art Fund Prize in 2008. 

The Lightbox was designed in 2007 by Marks Barfield architects who also built the London Eye, the treetop walkway at Kew Gardens, and recently completed a new ground-breaking attraction, the Brighton i360 observation tower.

In 2008 The Lightbox won a RIBA National Award in recognition of its innovative design. The judges were particularly impressed with the architect’s commitment to energy conservation. All the major gallery spaces have been engineered for assisted natural ventilation and humidity control.

In 2016 the gallery and museum was awarded a Green Silver Tourism Award in recognition of its sustainable energy practices.

The New Victoria Theatre opened in 1992 and established itself as one of the foremost theatres in the South East. Boasting state of the art facilities, excellent acoustics and clear sight lines it has hosted first class theatre from the likes of the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre and the Peter Hall Company.

Part of the Ambassador Theatre Group, the largest theatre group in the United Kingdom, The Ambassadors complex comprises the 1,300 seat New Victoria Theatre, Rhoda McGaw Theatre (230 seats) and a six screen cinema complex (varying in size from 80 – 400 seats), as well as stunning bars and foyers offering a unique, glamorous and adaptable venue suitable for all occasions.

The theatre has a strong record of building mutually beneficial corporate partnerships that raise brand awareness, provide PR opportunities and offer local companies a chance to strengthen their company name and grow their business by promoting them to the 270,000 customers who visit us annually.

Following a complete refurbishment, Nova Cinema now has seven stylish screens, including one luxury screen, a brand-new premium bar and a cutting-edge media suite for community and business hire.

The best in cinematic technology has been installed with state-of-the-art laser projection and top of the range sound throughout including Dolby ATMOS in Screen One for extra immersion. Plus, the foyers have been completely revamped to create even more space to safely relax and grab a bite before or after the film.

The Nova Cinema has a range of exceptional spaces available for hire. Whether you’re looking to host a business meeting, community event or simply celebrate a special occasion, we’ve got something to suit everyone.

Nova Cinema is located on Level 1 of the Peacocks Shopping Centre. Parking is available in the Red, Blue and Yellow Shoppers Car Park. For those travelling by train, Woking Train Station is a short walk away.

Brookwood Cemetery is a beautiful Grade I listed Historic Park and Garden located in the heart of Surrey. We are the largest cemetery in the UK and have been serving the community since 1854. With 220 acres, our grounds provide both a picturesque and tranquil setting for visitors 365 days of the year.

Brookwood Cemetery was conceived by the London Necropolis Company (LNC) in 1849 to house London’s deceased, at a time when the capital was finding it difficult to accommodate its increasing population, of living and dead.

In 1852 an Act of Parliament was passed which allowed them to purchase 2268 acres of heathland near Woking from Lord Onslow for the purpose of providing a cemetery.

Work began immediately on an area of 350 acres at Brookwood on the western extremity of the parish. There was no settlement at that time in the area, and it was not until the 1880s that the village of Brookwood was developed.

The original Woking Muslim Military Cemetery was opened in 1917 by the British Government to counteract German propaganda that Muslim Indian soldiers from the army of Undivided India were not being buried according to their religious rites. 19 Muslim Indian soldiers connected with WW1 were buried there and a further 8 connected with WW2.

In 1921 the Commonwealth War Graves Commission took over the maintenance. Because of vandalism the CWGC decided to exhume the bodies and re-interred them in Brookwood Military Cemetery in early 1969. It was listed in 1984 by English Heritage as a Grade 2 structure. In the 1990’s HCPS cleared the vegetation, stabilised the walls and made unsuccessful attempts to find funding for restoration.

In 2011 Woking Borough Council, in conjunction with HCPS, searched for restoration funding and received an 80% grant from English Heritage with WBC contributing the remainder.