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ON-LINE GUIDE TO SURREY
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This brief guide provides
summary information on towns, villages and places to visit
in Surrey as well as some interesting facts and
anecdotes on the local area. To find a specific place either
scroll down the page or use the find facility on your
browser. Much more information can be found in our
TRAVEL GUIDES -
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for details.
Our
DATABASE OF PLACES
covers over 5,000 entries in Great Britain and Ireland.
If you are looking for
Places to Stay, Places to
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Retail Outlets, Places of Interest or
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in Surrey please click the relevant link above:
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Although the northern part of Surrey, which once ran all the way up to the south bank of
the River Thames through the capital, has
seemingly been engulfed by Greater London, this is an
area rich in stately homes, notably the most magnificent royal palace of all - Hampton Court.
In among this prosperous commuter land there are also several excellent racecourses,
including Epsom, home of The Derby and The Oaks.
The influence of London is soon lost as the countryside to the south and west gives way
to leafy lanes, green fields and two famous
natural features - the Hog's Back and the Devil's
Punch Bowl.
Guildford, the county town of Surrey, is home to one of only two Anglican
cathedrals built in England since the Reformation -
the other is in Liverpool. While many travel
through the county on their way to the south coast, it
is well worth pausing here and taking in the quintessentially English villages, such
as Chiddingfold, the old Georgian market towns of Godalming and Farnham, and the
genteel
Victorian towns such as Haslemere that developed with the arrival of the railway.
Weybridge
A surprisingly old settlement on the River Wey, this town
once possessed a palace, Oatlands Park, where, in 1540, Henry
VIII married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard. In 1907, the
world's first purpose-built motor racing track was constructed on the
nearby Brooklands estate and, although racing on this world-famous
banked circuit came to an end with the outbreak of World War I, the
old Edwardian clubhouse still stands, home to the
Brooklands Museum.
Just to the southwest lies the remarkable Whiteley
Village, a 200-acre model village founded on the instructions of the owner of
a famous Bayswater department store who in 1907 left money in his
will to house his retired staff.
Around Weybridge
Richmond
9 miles NE of Weybridge on the A316
Situated on a sweeping bend on the River Thames, the older part
of this charming town is centred on Richmond Green, a genuine
village green. Handsome 17th and 18th century houses flank the
southern edges of the green, while the southwestern side was the site
of 12th century Richmond Palace, where Elizabeth I died in 1603.
Richmond Hill leads upwards from the town centre
and commands breathtaking views that both Turner and Reynolds
have
captured. A little further up the hill is an entrance to
Richmond Park some 2,400 acres of open land
on which deer roam.
On the banks of the Thames, south of Richmond, is
Ham House, one of the best examples of a Stuart stately home in
the country.
Kingston upon Thames
7 miles NE of Weybridge on the A308
Kingston was a thriving medieval market town and ancient
and modern can be found side by side; close to the functional
1930s Guildhall is the Coronation Stone, which is said to have been used
in the crowning of at least six Saxon kings.
A couple of miles southwest of Kingston lies one of the
most magnificent royal residences, Hampton
Court, which was built in 1516 by Cardinal Wolsey,
Henry VIII's Lord Chancellor. After Wolsey's fall from power, the
palace came into royal possession and the buildings and magnificent
gardens seen today are the work of Henry VIII, Charles II and William
III. The most famous feature in the 60 acres of grounds is
undoubtedly the Maze, first planted in 1713.
Esher
4½ miles E of Weybridge off the A3
The town has an excellent racecourse, Sandown
Park, and is also home to the beautiful Claremont Landscape
Garden, begun in 1715 and believed to be one of the earliest
surviving
examples of an English landscape garden. Over the years, some
of the greatest names in garden history were involved in
its creation, including Capability Brown, John Vanbrugh and
Charles Bridgeman.
Cobham
4 miles SE of Weybridge on the A245
A busy residential town, Cobham has a Bus Museum with the
largest collection anywhere of London buses. To the north lies
19th century Foxwarren Park, a bizarre house with eerie gables and
multi-coloured bricks, while to the west is Painshill
Park, a white 18th century house with particularly
fine grounds. Just beyond Painshill, on Chatley Heath, is a
unique Semaphore Tower that was once part of the Royal Navy's
signalling system for relaying messages between Portsmouth and
the Admiralty in London.
Woking
6 miles SW of Weybridge on the A320
Amidst the largely Victorian buildings in this commuter town
is the Shah Jehan Mosque, the first purpose built mosque in Britain.
To the east of Woking is the Royal Horticultural
Society's internationally renowned Wisley
Garden; to the west Brookwood cemetery, the largest in the
country (it once even had its own railway station) and the final resting
place of John Singer Sargent, Dame Rebecca West and the
murderess Edith Thompson.
Lightwater
9½ miles SW of Weybridge on the A322
For many Londoners, Lightwater represents the
first taste of countryside from the metropolis.
The visitor centre at Lightwater Country
Park has a fascinating collection of exhibits about
the history and natural history of this area of heath and woodland.
Virginia Water
6 miles NW of Weybridge on the B389
The water referred to here is a large artificial lake that is set
within the mature woodland at the southern end of
Windsor Great Park. The picturesque ruins on
the lakeside are the genuine remains of a Roman temple that once stood
at Leptis Magna in Libya and the Valley Gardens contain an
unusual 100 feet totem pole that was erected here in 1958 to mark
the centenary of British Columbia. Just to the west of this
selected residential community is the famous Wentworth Golf
Course, while to the north are the historic fields
of Runnymede where King John sealed the Magna Carta in 1215.
Guildford
The ancient county town of Surrey, where Henry II built a Castle
on high ground, is the home of one of only two new Anglican
cathedrals to have been built since the Reformation (the other
is Liverpool); the impressive Guildford
Cathedral was consecrated in 1961. A few
years later, in 1968, the University of Surrey was relocated from
London to Guildford and, on its pleasant, leafy hillside site, the
campus contains a number of striking buildings.
Back in the city centre, Guildford
Museum has an exhibition devoted to Lewis
Carroll, who died here in 1898, and at the foot of the castle is the
famous Yvonne Arnaud Theatre.
Just east of Guildford lies Clandon Park, a magnificent
18th century country mansion renowned for its superb marble
hall, sumptuous decorations and fine plasterwork. Further on lies
the distinctive brick house of Hatchlands
Park, which was designed in the mid-18th
century for Admiral Boscawen after his famous victory at the Battle
of Louisburg.
To the west of Guildford lies a ridge, known as the
Hog's Back, which dominates the surrounding landscape; the main road
following the ridge offers fantastic views.
Around Guildford
Godalming
4 miles SW of Guildford on the A3100
A market town since the early 14th century, Godalming later became
a centre for the local textile industry before becoming an
important staging post between London and Portsmouth in the 18th century.
The town's most interesting building is arguably the
Pepperpot, the former early-19th century
town hall that used to house an interesting Museum of
Local History, which has since found new premises in Wealden
House opposite. However, the town is best known for
Charterhouse, the famous public school that
moved from London to a hillside site north of the town in 1872. Among
its most striking features are the 150 feet Founder's Tower and
the chapel designed by Giles Gilbert Scott as a memorial to the
First World War dead.
To the southeast of Godalming lies the renowned
Winkworth Arboretum, a wooded hillside that contains a magnificent collection
of rare trees and shrubs.
Haslemere
12 miles SW of Guildford on the A286
This genteel town owes much of its development to the arrival of
the railway in 1859 that saw it become a comfortable residential place
for well-to-do commuters. However, some notable
pre-Victorian buildings still exist, among them
the Town Hall of 1814 and the Tolle House
Almshouses.
The Haslemere Educational Museum was founded in 1888
by local surgeon and Quaker, Sir James Hutchinson.
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Elstead
6½ miles SW of Guildford on the B3001
An attractive village on the River Wey, Elstead is home to an
18th century watermill - Elstead Mill, standing four storeys high
and topped with a Palladian cupola. To the northeast of Elstead one of
the best collections of Surrey farm buildings can be seen at
Peper Harrow Farm where a large early 17th century granary standing
on 25 wooden pillars is a striking sight.
Farnham
10 miles W of Guildford on the A31
After the Norman Conquest, the Bishop of Winchester built
himself a castle on a rise above the town centre. An impressive
building, Farnham Castle remained in the hands of the Bishops
of Winchester until 1927.
Other historic buildings here include a row of 17th
century gabled almshouses and Willmer House, a handsome
Georgian building that is now home to the Farnham
Museum. The writer William Cobbett, best known
for his Rural Rides, was the son of a Farnham labourer and is
buried beside his father in St Andrew's churchyard.
Just to the southeast are the atmospheric ruins of 12th
century Waverley Abbey, the first Cistercian abbey to be built
in England. Close by, near the attractive village of
Tilford, is the Rural Life Centre and Old
Kiln Museum, a museum of rural life covering the years from 1750
to
1960.
Reigate
Once an important outpost for the de Warenne family, the
assertive Norman rulers whose sphere of influence stretched from the
south coast to the North Downs, Reigate retains an attractive mix
of Victorian, Georgian and older buildings, despite its rapid
postwar expansion.
Just to the northwest lies Reigate Heath, a narrow area
of open heathland that is home to the unique Windmill
Church, the only church in the world to be
situated in a windmill.
Around Reigate
Limpsfield
9 miles E of Reigate off the A25
In the churchyard here lies the grave of the composer
Frederick Delius, who died in France in 1934 but had wished to be buried in
an English country graveyard. Sir Thomas Beecham, a great
admirer of Delius, read the funeral oration and conducted an orchestra
playing works by Delius. Sir Thomas died in 1961 and was originally buried
at Brookwood Cemetery near Woking. In 1991 his body was transferred
to Limpsfield, where he was buried close to Delius. Also lying here
are the conductor Norman del Mar and the pianist Eileen Joyce.
Detillens, a rare 15th century hall house, contains collections of
period furniture, china and militaria.
Lingfield
9½ miles SE of Reigate on the B2028
`Leafy' Lingfield's Church of St Peter and St Paul has
been enlarged down the years to create what has become known as
the `Westminster Abbey of Surrey'. Features include a rare double
nave and an exceptional collection of monumental brasses. Near
the village of Outwood, the Post
Mill, built in 1665, is recognised as the country's oldest working windmill.
Dorking
5½ miles W of Reigate on the A25
An ancient settlement that stands at the intersection of Stane Street
and the Pilgrims' Way, Dorking owes much of its character to
the Victorians.
Just to the north of the town lies Box
Hill, whose 563 feet summit rises sharply from the
valley floor.
To the northwest of Dorking is Polesden
Lacey, a Regency villa that was extensively modified
by
the Edwardian hostess Mrs Ronald Greville. Four miles southwest
of Dorking, Leith Hill is the highest point in the southeast of
England, at 965 feet above sea level. On the southern slopes of the hill is
a lovely rhododendron wood planted by Josiah Wedgwood, grandson
of the illustrious potter.
Epsom
7 miles NW of Reigate on the A24
The old market town of Epsom is known throughout the world as
the home of the Derby. Racing was formalised in 1779 when a party
of aristocratic sportsmen, led by Lord Derby, established a race for
three-year-old fillies that was named after the family home at Banstead -
The Oaks. This was followed a year later by a race for all
three-year-olds, The Derby, which was named after the founder himself.
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