Today
The retail centre has declined in diversity over the last 30 years losing many true shops such as hardware, wine merchants, electrical stores and greengrocer. The Waitrose supermarket has revitalised the village's retail attraction. The village retail shops are now replaced with service businesses including restaurants, estate agents and hairdressers. All the major banks are represented. The village has become a focal point for other neighbouring villages such as Pyrford, New Haw, Woodham, Byfleet and Ripley; an alternative to Woking. In 2010 Aviva, the landlord, repossessed the former Woolworths store and relet approximately half the space to Costa Coffee and the other half to Lloyd Pharmacy. Recently there has been a small renaissance of fashion and style shops with the arrival of ladies wear C'est Si Bon and Blush as well as art gallery and vintage gift emporium Carmel Snow.
Old Avenue is one of the most desirable residential areas in the district. This prosperous road has been designated a Conservation Area and has an arcadian environment supporting detached family homes with spacious gardens. Easy of access by foot or car to West Byfleet Station has encouraged many Central London workers to move into the road and enjoy the frequent and rapid service to and from Waterloo.
Most secondary school students attend Fulbrook School, St John the Baptist School or Bishop David Brown School. The local independent school is St George's College. For younger students there is the West Byfleet Junior School or the Marist School. There is the Anglican St John's Church, originally part of the Byfleet parish until West Byfleet was established as a separate parish in 1917. There is also the Roman Catholic Our Lady Help of Christians Church located on Madeira Road. Additionally there is St Mary's Church on Church Road and a Methodist church on Rectory Lane. The West Byfleet Golf Club is located on Sheerwater Road, providing a Golf Pro Shop, whilst also offering catering, society and open golf events. In 1949 a Supermarine Spitfire crashed and exploded in flames beside West Byfleet Golf Course after a mid-air collision with another Spitfire over Woking.
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“As yesterday and the historical ages are past, as the work of today is present, so some flitting perspectives and demi-experiences of the life that is in nature are in time veritably future, or rather outside of time, perennial, young, divine, in the wind and rain which never die.”
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