Walton appears in the Domesday Book as Waletona, a settlement of modest size on the banks of the Thames. The town grew slowly through the medieval period, its economy based on farming and the river trade. Walton Bridge, first built in 1750, became a notable Thames crossing and was painted by Canaletto in 1754, one of the few English subjects the Venetian artist chose to record.
The arrival of the railway in 1838 brought commuters and new housing. The Walton and Weybridge Urban District was formed in 1895, later absorbed into Elmbridge. The town has a connection to the early film industry: Cecil Hepworth built his film studio at Walton in 1899 and produced some of the earliest British narrative films here, including "Rescued by Rover" in 1905. The studio operated until 1961. The Elmbridge Museum, housed in a former library, tells the local story well.
