Villages in Guildford

The borough of Guildford has so much to offer, not only the bustling county town of Guildford but the numerous quirky and beautiful villages and hamlets with rich history surrounding it. 

North West Villages

Wanborough
This ancient rural village on the northern slopes of the Hog's Back first mentioned in 8000bc. 

Worplesdon
The village and its small green sit along the west slopes of Guildford Borough. 

South West Villages

Moving to the South West of Guildford the area is mostly woodland with a few hamlets. 

Puttenham 
With a pub, a church and pretty cottages, Eashing now famous as the home of the channels 4's 'Supervet' and Compton.  

Compton
Features two pubs (one being The Withies Inn, the oldest building in the village) a range of small shops, a Little Theatre, allotments, and village hall. The village even has a phone box with its own Instagram page!

South East Villages

To the South East of Guildford, loosely following the River Tillingbourne, there are a series of very pretty villages.

Shalford 
The village sits on the banks of the River Wey and benefits from a railway station. There is cricket on the green, fishing on the Wey (a popular pastime along the banks of the river managed by landowners, usually though officially sanctioned clubs - please check), Shalford Mill operated by the National Trust and an annual village fete.  

Chilworth
With 3 churches, a railway station and a lovely pub, the village is within the boundaries of the Surrey Hills AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). It has a rich industrial past having been the location of a wire mill, paper mill and gunpowder factory. The Chilworth gun powder works were established in 1625 by the East India Company and finally closed in 1920. It was an important supplier of gunpowder to the Government. A significant number of buildings belonging to gunpowder factory can still be found.  

Albury
Well-served by a post office, pubs, churches, a recreation ground and a busy village hall. The surrounding countryside offers many walking routes and bridle ways, and the ponds within the Albury Estate Fisheries club offer many fishing.

Shere
Widely considered to be one of the most quintessentially English villages in Surrey. 

North East Villages

Clandon
Is home to two National Trust Hatchlands with huge expanses of woodland and Clandon a Palladian mansion which is undergoing huge changes after its devastating fire in 2015. Legend has is that a dragon once blocked the route to West Clandon. A soldier killed the dragon with the help of his dog in return for being pardoned for desertion. The modern village sign depicts the battle between the dog and the dragon.
 
Horsley's - East and West
A notable feature is Horsley Towers, now a hotel was the main residence of Lord and Lady Ada Lovelace in 1845 onwards. There are many examples of the Lovelace estate around the villages with the distinctive red brick and flint design being a trademark. Lord Lovelace built a warren of 15 bridges to enable him to traverse his land. 10 of these still exist and form a trail called the lovelace bridges of Horsley. The village church dates back to the 13th Century with later additions from Lord Lovelace. West Horsley Place is Grade I listed building in West Horsley with 300 acres of open land perfect to explore. There are eight further Grade II buildings on the estate. The house dates back to the 15th century and was built out of the red brick drum design echoes the beautiful brickwork of the manor house and the 18th-century garden walls. 

Ripley
Located on the A3 as a coaching stop between Portsmouth and London. 

Enjoy exploring the borough, it's clear to see there is something for everyone!

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This project is part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit UK Shared Prosperity Fund Prospectus.