Thorpe: Theme Park and Village History

Thorpe combines a theme park with a village history reflected in its buildings, memorial sites and former uses. The Church of St Mary adds an architectural accent; Monk’s Walk complements the village setting with a footpath through a wetland. This offers different focuses for planning your trip: the theme park, village history or landscape.

Thorpe Park Resort

Thorpe Park Resort opened to the public in 1979 and is located southeast of the village of Thorpe. It has more than 30 rides; the number may change. If the selection is important for your plans, check the latest information in advance. The opening year puts the resort’s history in context, while the changing number of rides describes its current offering.

Church and Memorial Sites

The Church of St Mary is listed as a Grade II* building. Its chancel arch dates from the 12th century. A chancel arch marks the transition between the nave and the chancel; this ties the age reference to a specific architectural feature. The listing describes the church’s heritage status, while the date refers to this part of the building. In chronological terms, the chancel arch predates the resort’s public opening in 1979 by a considerable margin.

In the churchyard, the lych gate provides access to the village cemetery and is associated with the remembrance of people from Thorpe who died in the First World War. The Thorpe War Memorial commemorates people from Thorpe who died in the First and Second World Wars. The distinction in the periods commemorated is important to the village’s history: the lych gate is associated with the First World War, while the War Memorial commemorates both world wars.

Earlier Village Life

The Old Pound Enclosure illustrates earlier village life through an everyday problem: stray animals were kept there so they would not damage crops. Forge Cottage is associated with its former use as the village forge, or smithy. The history of the inn at the site of the Red Lion Pub dates back at least to 1696. These places shed light on different aspects of earlier village life – protecting crops, the blacksmith’s trade and the history of an inn. In this way, the focus is not only on the buildings themselves, but also on their former everyday functions.

Monk’s Walk and the Wetland

Monk’s Walk is a local footpath that connects Thorpe with Chertsey at Abbey Mead. It runs along an embankment through the wetland and provides access through the surrounding area. The path thus links two practical points of reference: a named destination and a described landscape route. If you would rather focus on a route than a single building for your trip, Monk’s Walk offers a distinct point of interest.

Discover more destinations: Milford, Seale, Godalming, Sunbury-On-Thames, Virginia Water, Chertsey, Peasmarsh, Staines

For the broader travel guide: Surrey.