Surrey () is a

ceremonial county Ceremonial counties, formally known as ''counties for the purposes of the lieutenancies'', are areas of England to which lord-lieutenant, lord-lieutenants are appointed. A lord-lieutenant is the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarch's repres ...

South East England South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, regions of England that are in the ITL 1 statistical regions of England, top level category for Statistics, statistical purposes. It consists of the nine counties of england, ...

. It is bordered by

Greater London Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...

to the northeast,

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

to the east,

East East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...

and

West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...

to the south, and

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

and

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

to the west. The largest settlement is

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in north-west Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'', and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settleme ...

. The county has an area of and a population of 1,214,540. Much of the north of the county forms part of the

Greater London Built-up Area The Greater London Built-up Area, or Greater London Urban Area, is a conurbation in south-east England that constitutes the continuous urban sprawl of London, and includes surrounding adjacent urban towns as defined by the Office for National Sta ...

, which includes the

suburbs A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

within the

M25 motorway The M25 or London Orbital Motorway is a major ring road encircling most of Greater London. The motorway is one of the most important roads in the UK and one of the busiest. Margaret Thatcher opened the final section in 1986, making the M25 th ...

as well as Woking (103,900),

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...

(77,057), and

Leatherhead Leatherhead is a town in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England, about south of Central London. The settlement grew up beside a ford on the River Mole, from which its name is thought to derive. During the late Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon ...

(32,522). The west of the county contains part of

built-up area Buildup may refer to: * Atomic buildup In atomic physics and quantum chemistry, the Aufbau principle (, from ), also called the Aufbau rule, states that in the ground state of an atom or ion, electrons first fill Electron shell#Subshells, sub ...

which includes

Camberley Camberley is a town in north-west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. It is in the Surrey Heath, Borough of Surrey Heath and is close to the county boundaries with Hampshire and Berkshire. Known originally as "Cambridge Tow ...

Farnham Farnham is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a tributary of the ...

, and

Frimley Frimley is a town in the Borough of Surrey Heath, in Surrey, England. It lies approximately south-west of central London. The town is of Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Saxon origin, although it is not listed in Domesday Book of 1086. Hi ...

and which extends into Hampshire and Berkshire. The south of the county is rural, and its largest settlements are Horley (22,693) and

Godalming Godalming ( ) is a market town and civil parish in southwest Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, at the confluence of the Rivers Wey and Ock. The civil parish covers and includes the settl ...

(22,689). For

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

purposes Surrey is a

non-metropolitan county A non-metropolitan county, or colloquially, shire county, is a subdivision of England used for local government. The non-metropolitan counties were originally created in 1974 as part of a reform of local government in England and Wales, and ...

with eleven districts. The county historically included much of south-west Greater London but excluded what is now the

borough of Spelthorne Spelthorne is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Staines-upon-Thames; other settlements in the area include Ashford, Surrey, ...

, which was part of

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

. It is one of the home counties. The defining geographical feature of the county is the

North Downs The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. Much of the North Downs comprises two Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Areas of Outstanding Natural Be ...

, a chalk escarpment which runs from the south-west to north-east and divides the densely populated north from the more rural south; it is pierced by the rivers Wey and Mole, both tributaries of the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...

. The north of the county is a lowland, part of the Thames basin. The south-east is part of the

Weald The Weald () is an area of South East England between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It crosses the counties of Hampshire, Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex, and Kent. It has three parts, the sandstone "High W ...

, and the south-west contains the Surrey Hills and Thursley, Hankley and Frensham Commons, an extensive area of

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

. The county has the densest woodland cover in England, at 22.4 per cent.

Geography

Surrey is divided in two by the chalk ridge of the

, running east–west. The ridge is pierced by the rivers Wey and Mole, tributaries of the Thames, which formed the northern border of the county before modern redrawing of county boundaries, which has left part of its north bank within the county. To the north of the Downs the land is mostly flat, forming part of the basin of the Thames. The geology of this area is dominated by

London Clay The London Clay Formation is a Sediment#Shores and shallow seas, marine formation (geology), geological formation of Ypresian (early Eocene Epoch, c. 54-50 million years ago) age which outcrop, crops out in the southeast of England. The London C ...

in the east, Bagshot Sands in the west and

alluvial Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...

deposits along the rivers. To the south of the Downs in the western part of the county are the sandstone Surrey Hills, while further east is the plain of the Low

, rising in the extreme southeast to the edge of the hills of the High Weald. The Downs and the area to the south form part of a concentric pattern of geological deposits which also extends across southern Kent and most of Sussex, predominantly composed of Wealden Clay, Lower Greensand and the chalk of the Downs. Much of Surrey is in the

Metropolitan Green Belt The Metropolitan Green Belt is a statutory green belt around London, England. It comprises parts of Greater London, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey, parts of two of the three districts of Bedfordshire and a s ...

. It contains valued reserves of mature

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...

(reflected in the official logo of Surrey County Council, a pair of interlocking oak leaves). Among its many notable beauty spots are Box Hill,

Leith Hill Leith Hill in southern England is the highest summit of the Greensand Ridge, approximately southwest of Dorking, Surrey and southwest of central London. It reaches above sea level, and is the second highest point in southeast England, aft ...

, Frensham Ponds, Newlands Corner and Puttenham & Crooksbury Commons. Surrey is the most wooded county in England, with 22.4% coverage compared to a national average of 11.8% and as such is one of the few counties not to recommend new woodlands in the subordinate planning authorities' plans. In 2020 the

Surrey Heath Surrey Heath is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district with borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Camberley. Much of the area is within the Metropolitan Green Belt. The ...

district had the highest proportion of tree cover in England at 41%. Surrey also contains England's principal concentration of lowland

, on sandy soils in the west of the county. Leith hill tower

Agriculture not being intensive, there are many

commons The commons is the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water, and a habitable Earth. These resources are held in common even when owned privately or publicly. Commons ...

and access lands, together with an extensive network of footpaths and bridleways including the

North Downs Way The North Downs Way National Trail is a long-distance path in South East England, opened in 1978. It runs from Farnham in Surrey to Dover in Kent, past Guildford, Dorking, Merstham, Otford and Rochester, through the Surrey Hills National Lan ...

, a scenic long-distance path. Accordingly, Surrey provides many rural and semi-rural leisure activities, with a large horse population in modern terms. The highest elevation in Surrey is

near

Dorking Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England about south-west of London. It is in Mole Valley, Mole Valley District and the non-metropolitan district, council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs ro ...

. It is above sea level and is the second highest point in southeastern England after Walbury Hill in

West Berkshire West Berkshire is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England. It is administered from Newbury by West Berkshire Council. History The district of Newbury was formed on 1 April 1974, as a merger of the borough of Newbur ...

which is .

Surrey rivers

The longest river to enter Surrey is the

, which historically formed the boundary between the county and

. As a result of the 1965 boundary changes, many of the Surrey boroughs on the south bank of the river were transferred to

, shortening the length associated with the county. The Thames now forms the Surrey–

border between

Runnymede Runnymede is a water-meadow alongside the River Thames in the English county of Surrey, bordering Berkshire and just over west of central London. It is notable for its association with the sealing of Magna Carta, and as a consequence is, with ...

and

Staines-upon-Thames Staines-upon-Thames, also known simply as Staines, is a market town in northwest Surrey, England, around west of central London. It is in the Borough of Spelthorne, at the confluence of the River Thames and River Colne, Hertfordshire, Colne. ...

, before flowing wholly within Surrey to Sunbury, from which point it marks the Surrey–Greater London border as far as

Surbiton Surbiton is a suburban neighbourhood in South West London, within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (RBK). It is next to the River Thames, southwest of Charing Cross. Surbiton was in the Historic counties of England, historic county of ...

. The

River Wey The River Wey is a main tributary of the River Thames in south east England. Its two branches, one of which rises near Alton, Hampshire, Alton in Hampshire and the other in West Sussex to the south of Haslemere, join at Tilford in Surrey. Onc ...

is the longest

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the Thames above London. Other tributaries of the Thames with their courses partially in Surrey include the Mole, the Addlestone branch and Chertsey branch of the River Bourne (which merge shortly before joining the Thames), and the Hogsmill River, which drains

Epsom Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain ...

and

Ewell Ewell ( , ) is a town in Surrey, England, south of Centre of London, central London and northeast of Epsom. At the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 Census, it had a population of 34,872. The majority (73%) was in the NRS social grade, ABC1 ...

. The upper reaches of the River Eden, a tributary of the

Medway Medway is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in the ceremonial county of Kent in South East England. It was formed in 1998 by merging the boroughs of City of Roche ...

, are in

Tandridge District Tandridge is a local government district in east Surrey, England. Its council is based in Oxted, although the largest settlement is Caterham; other notable settlements include Warlingham, Godstone and Lingfield. In mid-2019, the district had a ...

, in east Surrey. The River Colne and its

anabranch An anabranch is a section of a river or stream that diverts from the main channel or stem of the watercourse and rejoins the main stem downstream. Local anabranches can be the result of small islands in the watercourse. In larger anabranches, ...

, the Wraysbury River, make a brief appearance in the north of the county to join the Thames at Staines.

Climate

Like the rest of the

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

, Surrey has a

maritime climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring ...

with warm summers and cool winters. The Met Office weather station at Wisley, about to the north-east of Guildford, has recorded temperatures between (August 2003) and (January 1982). From 2006 until 2015, the Wisley weather station held the UK July record high of .

Settlements

file:Woking town centre from the west.jpg, The skyline of

, the most populous settlement in Surrey, as seen from the western approach by railway, alt=multiple rail tracks leading away between tall buildings under a blue-grey sky Surrey has a population of approximately 1.1 million people. Its largest town is

with a population of 105,367, followed by

with 77,057, and

Walton-on-Thames Walton-on-Thames, known locally as Walton, is a market town on the bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames, Thames in northwest Surrey, England. It is in the Borough of Elmbridge, about southwest of central London. Walton forms part ...

with 66,566. Towns of between 30,000 and 50,000 inhabitants include

, and

. Much of the north of the county, extending to Guildford, is within the

. This is an area of continuous

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted ...

linked without significant interruption of rural area to Greater London. In the west, there is a developing

conurbation A conurbation is a region consisting of a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ...

straddling the Hampshire/Surrey border, including the Surrey towns of

and

. Guildford is often regarded as the historic

county town In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in ...

, although the county administration was moved to Newington in 1791 and to

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames, colloquially known as Kingston, is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is situated on the River Thames, south-west of Charing Cross. It is an ancient market town, notable as ...

in 1893. The county council's headquarters were outside the county's boundaries from 1 April 1965, when Kingston and other areas were included within

by the

London Government Act 1963 The London Government Act 1963 (c. 33) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which created Greater London and a new local government structure within it. The Act significantly reduced the number of local government districts in the ...

, until the administration moved to Reigate at the start of 2021.

History

Ancient British and Roman periods

Before Roman times the area today known as Surrey was probably largely occupied by the

Atrebates The Atrebates (Gaulish: *''Atrebatis'', 'dwellers, land-owners, possessors of the soil') were a Belgic tribe of the Iron Age and the Roman period, originally dwelling in the Artois region. After the tribes of Gallia Belgica were defeated by Ca ...

tribe, centred at Calleva Atrebatum ( Silchester), in the modern county of

, but eastern parts of it may have been held by the

Cantiaci The Cantiaci or Cantii were an Iron Age Celtic people living in Britain before the Roman conquest of Britain, Roman conquest, and gave their name to a ''civitas'' of Roman Britain. They lived in the area now called Kent, in south-eastern Englan ...

, based largely in

. The Atrebates are known to have controlled the southern bank of the Thames from Roman texts describing the tribal relations between them and the powerful

Catuvellauni The Catuvellauni (Common Brittonic: *''Catu-wellaunī'', "war-chiefs") were a Celtic tribe or state of southeastern Britain before the Roman conquest, attested by inscriptions into the 4th century. The fortunes of the Catuvellauni and thei ...

on the north bank. In about AD 42 King

Cunobelinus Cunobeline or Cunobelin (Common Brittonic: *''Cunobelinos'', "Dog-Strong"), also known by his name's Latin form , was a king in pre-Roman Britain from about to about Malcolm Todd (2004)"Cunobelinus Cynfelin ap Tegfan) of the Catuvellauni died and war broke out between his sons and King Verica">Cunobelin">Cynfelin ap Tegfan) of the Catuvellauni died and war broke out between his sons and King Verica of the Atrebates. The Atrebates were defeated, their capital captured and their lands made subject to Togodumnus, king of the Catuvellauni, ruling from Camulodunum (Colchester). Verica fled to Gaul and appealed for Roman aid. The Atrebates were allied with Rome during the invasion of Britain in AD 43. During the Roman era, the only important settlement within the historic area of Surrey was the London suburb of

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

(now part of

), but there were small towns at Staines,

Croydon Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...

and

.Remains of Roman rural temples have been excavated on Farley Heath and near Wanborough and Titsey, and possible temple sites at

Chiddingfold Chiddingfold is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Weald in the Waverley, Surrey, Waverley district of Surrey, England. It lies on the A283 road between Milford, Surrey, Milford and Petworth. The parish includes the h ...

Betchworth Betchworth is a village and civil parish in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England. The village centre is on the north bank of the River Mole and south of the A25 road, almost east of Dorking and west of Reigate. London is north of the ...

and

Godstone Godstone is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Tandridge District of Surrey, England. It is east of Reigate, west of Oxted, east of Guildford and south of London. Close to the North Downs, both the North Downs Way ...

. The area was traversed by Stane Street and other Roman roads.

Formation of Surrey

During the 5th and 6th centuries Surrey was conquered and settled by

Saxons The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

. The names of possible tribes inhabiting the area have been conjectured on the basis of place names. These include the (around

) and (between

and

Wokingham Wokingham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It is the main administrative centre of the wider Borough of Wokingham. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 38,284 and the wider built-up area had a populati ...

in Berkshire). It has also been speculated that the entries for the and peoples in the

Tribal Hidage Image:Tribal Hidage 2.svg, 400px, alt=insert description of map here, The tribes of the Tribal Hidage. Where an appropriate article exists, it can be found by clicking on the name. rect 275 75 375 100 w:Elmet rect 375 100 450 150 w:Hatfield Ch ...

may refer to two groups living in the vicinity of Surrey. Together their lands were assessed at a total of 7,000 hides, equal to the assessment for

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

. Surrey may have formed part of a larger Middle Saxon kingdom or confederacy, also including areas north of the Thames. The name Surrey is derived from (or ), meaning "southern region" (while

Bede Bede (; ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, Bede of Jarrow, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most f ...

refers to it as ) and this may originate in its status as the southern portion of the Middle Saxon territory. If it ever existed, the Middle Saxon kingdom had disappeared by the 7th century, and Surrey became a frontier area disputed between the kingdoms of

, Essex, Sussex,

Wessex The Kingdom of the West Saxons, also known as the Kingdom of Wessex, was an Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy, kingdom in the south of Great Britain, from around 519 until Alfred the Great declared himself as King of the Anglo-Saxons in 886. The Anglo-Sa ...

and

Mercia Mercia (, was one of the principal kingdoms founded at the end of Sub-Roman Britain; the area was settled by Anglo-Saxons in an era called the Heptarchy. It was centred on the River Trent and its tributaries, in a region now known as the Midlan ...

, until its permanent absorption by Wessex in 825. Despite this fluctuating situation it retained its identity as an enduring territorial unit. During the 7th century Surrey became Christian and initially formed part of the East Saxon

diocese of London The Diocese of London forms part of the Church of England's Province of Canterbury in England. It lies directly north of the Thames, covering and all or part of 17 London boroughs. This corresponds almost exactly to the historic county of ...

, indicating that it was under East Saxon rule at that time, but was later transferred to the West Saxon diocese of Winchester. Its most important religious institution throughout the

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

period and beyond was Chertsey Abbey, founded in 666. At this point Surrey was evidently under Kentish domination, as the abbey was founded under the patronage of King Ecgberht of Kent. However, a few years later at least part of it was subject to Mercia, since in 673–675 further lands were given to Chertsey Abbey by Frithuwald, a local sub-king () ruling under the sovereignty of

Wulfhere of Mercia Wulfhere or Wulfar (died 675) was King of Mercia from 658 until 675 AD. He was the first Christian king of all of Mercia, though it is not known when or how he converted from Anglo-Saxon paganism. His accession marked the end of Oswiu of North ...

. A decade later Surrey passed into the hands of King Caedwalla of Wessex, who also conquered Kent and Sussex, and founded a monastery at

in 686. The region remained under the control of Caedwalla's successor Ine in the early 8th century. Its political history for most of the 8th century is unclear, although West Saxon control may have broken down around 722, but by 784–785 it had passed into the hands of King Offa of Mercia. Mercian rule continued until 825, when following his victory over the Mercians at the Battle of Ellandun, King Egbert of Wessex seized control of Surrey, along with Sussex, Kent and Essex. It was incorporated into Wessex as a

shire Shire () is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries. It is generally synonymous with county (such as Cheshire and Worcestershire). British counties are among the oldes ...

and continued thereafter under the rule of the West Saxon kings, who eventually became kings of all of England.

Identified sub-kings of Surrey

* Frithuwald () *Frithuric? ()

West Saxon and English shire

In the 9th century England was afflicted, along with the rest of northwestern Europe, by the attacks of Scandinavian

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

. Surrey's inland position shielded it from coastal raiding, so that it was not normally troubled except by the largest and most ambitious Scandinavian armies. In 851 an exceptionally large invasion force of

Danes Danes (, ), or Danish people, are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. History Early history Denmark ...

arrived at the mouth of the Thames in a fleet of about 350 ships, which would have carried over 15,000 men. Having sacked

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

and London and defeated King Beorhtwulf of Mercia in battle, the Danes crossed the Thames into Surrey, but were slaughtered by a West Saxon army led by

King Æthelwulf King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

in the Battle of Aclea, bringing the invasion to an end. Two years later the men of Surrey marched into Kent to help their Kentish neighbours fight a raiding force at Thanet, but suffered heavy losses including their

ealdorman Ealdorman ( , )"ealdorman"
''Collins English Dictionary''. was an office in the Government ...

, Huda. In 892 Surrey was the scene of another major battle when a large Danish army, variously reported at 200, 250 and 350 ship-loads, moved west from its encampment in Kent and raided in Hampshire and Berkshire. Withdrawing with their loot, the Danes were intercepted and defeated at Farnham by an army led by

Alfred the Great Alfred the Great ( ; – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who both died when Alfr ...

's son Edward, the future King Edward the Elder, and fled across the Thames towards Essex. Surrey remained safe from attack for over a century thereafter, due to its location and to the growing power of the West Saxon, later English, kingdom. Kingston was the scene for the coronations of

Æthelstan Æthelstan or Athelstan (; ; ; ; – 27 October 939) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927 and King of the English from 927 to his death in 939. He was the son of King Edward the Elder and his first wife, Ecgwynn. Modern histori ...

in 924 and of

Æthelred the Unready Æthelred II (,Different spellings of this king's name most commonly found in modern texts are "Ethelred" and "Æthelred" (or "Aethelred"), the latter being closer to the original Old English form . Compare the modern dialect word . ; ; 966 � ...

in 978, and, according to later tradition, also of other 10th-century Kings of England. The renewed Danish attacks during the disastrous reign of Æthelred led to the devastation of Surrey by the army of Thorkell the Tall, which ravaged all of southeastern England in 1009–1011. The climax of this wave of attacks came in 1016, which saw prolonged fighting between the forces of King Edmund Ironside and the Danish king

Cnut Cnut ( ; ; – 12 November 1035), also known as Canute and with the epithet the Great, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norway from 1028 until his death in 1035. The three kingdoms united under Cnut's rul ...

, including an English victory over the Danes somewhere in northeastern Surrey, but ended with the conquest of England by Cnut. Cnut's death in 1035 was followed by a period of political uncertainty, as the succession was disputed between his sons. In 1036 Alfred, son of King Æthelred, returned from

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

, where he had been taken for safety as a child at the time of Cnut's conquest of England. It is uncertain what his intentions were, but after landing with a small retinue in Sussex he was met by

Godwin, Earl of Wessex Godwin of Wessex (; died 15 April 1053) was an Anglo-Saxon nobleman who became one of the most powerful earls in England under the Danish king Cnut the Great (King of England from 1016 to 1035) and his successors. Cnut made Godwin the first ...

, who escorted him in apparently friendly fashion to

. Having taken lodgings there, Alfred's men were attacked as they slept and killed, mutilated or enslaved by Godwin's followers, while the prince himself was blinded and imprisoned, dying shortly afterwards. This must have contributed to the antipathy between Godwin and Alfred's brother

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was King of England from 1042 until his death in 1066. He was the last reigning monarch of the House of Wessex. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He succeede ...

, who came to the throne in 1042. This hostility peaked in 1051, when Godwin and his sons were driven into exile; returning the following year, the men of Surrey rose to support them, along with those of Sussex, Kent, Essex and elsewhere, helping them secure their reinstatement and the banishment of the king's Norman entourage. The repercussions of this antagonism helped bring about the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

of England in 1066. The

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

records that the largest landowners in Surrey (then ''Sudrie'') at the end of Edward's reign were Chertsey Abbey and Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex and later king, followed by the estates of King Edward himself. Apart from the abbey, most of whose lands were within the shire, Surrey was not the principal focus of any major landowner's holdings, a tendency which was to persist in later periods. Given the vast and widespread landed interests and the national and international preoccupations of the monarchy and the earldom of Wessex, the Abbot of Chertsey was therefore probably the most important figure in the local elite. The Anglo-Saxon period saw the emergence of the shire's internal division into 14 hundreds, which continued until Victorian times. These were the hundreds of Blackheath,

Brixton Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...

, Copthorne, Effingham Half-Hundred, Elmbridge,

, Godley, Kingston,

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'', and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The ea ...

, Tandridge, Wallington,

and Wotton.

Identified '' ealdormen'' of Surrey

*Wulfheard () *Huda (?–853) *Æðelweard (late 10th century) *Æðelmær (?–1016)

Later Medieval Surrey

After the

Battle of Hastings The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. It took place appr ...

, the Norman army advanced through Kent into Surrey, where they defeated an English force which attacked them at

and then burned that suburb. Rather than try to attack London across the river, the Normans continued west through Surrey, crossed the Thames at Wallingford in Berkshire and descended on London from the north-west. As was the case across England, the native ruling class of Surrey was virtually eliminated by Norman seizure of land. Only one significant English landowner, the brother of the last English Abbot of Chertsey, remained by the time the Domesday survey was conducted in 1086. At that time the largest landholding in Surrey, as in many other parts of the country, was the expanded royal estate, while the next largest holding belonged to Richard fitz Gilbert, founder of the

de Clare The House of Clare was a prominent Anglo-Norman noble house that ruled the Earldoms of Pembroke, Hertford and Gloucester in England and Wales throughout its history, playing a prominent role in the Norman invasion of Ireland. They were desce ...

family.

In 1088, King William II granted William de Warenne the title of Earl of Surrey as a reward for Warenne's loyalty during the rebellion that followed the death of William I. When the male line of the Warennes became extinct in the 14th century, the earldom was inherited by the Fitzalan Earls of Arundel. The Fitzalan line of Earls of Surrey died out in 1415, but after other short-lived revivals in the 15th century the title was conferred in 1483 on the

Howard family The Howard family is an English noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has of ...

, who still hold it. However, Surrey was not a major focus of any of these families' interests. Guildford castle 1

Guildford Castle, one of many fortresses originally established by the Normans to help them subdue the country, was rebuilt in stone and developed as a royal palace in the 12th century. Farnham Castle was built during the 12th century as a residence for the

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' the offic ...

, while other stone castles were constructed in the same period at Bletchingley by the de Clares and at

by the Warennes. During King John's struggle with the barons,

Magna Carta (Medieval Latin for "Great Charter"), sometimes spelled Magna Charta, is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardin ...

was issued in June 1215 at

near

Egham Egham ( ) is a town in the Borough of Runnymede in Surrey, England, approximately west of central London. First settled in the Bronze Age, the town was under the control of Chertsey Abbey for much of the Middle Ages. In 1215, Magna Carta was ...

. John's efforts to reverse this concession reignited the war, and in 1216 the barons invited Prince Louis of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

to take the throne. Having landed in Kent and been welcomed in London, he advanced across Surrey to attack John, then at

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

, occupying Reigate and Guildford castles along the way. Guildford Castle later became one of the favourite residences of King Henry III, who considerably expanded the palace there. During the baronial revolt against Henry, in 1264 the rebel army of Simon de Montfort passed southwards through Surrey on their way to the

Battle of Lewes The Battle of Lewes was one of two main battles of the conflict known as the Second Barons' War. It took place at Lewes in Sussex, on 14 May 1264. It marked the high point of the career of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, and made ...

in Sussex. Although the rebels were victorious, soon after the battle royal forces captured and destroyed Bletchingley Castle, whose owner Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Hertford and Gloucester, was de Montfort's most powerful ally. By the 14th century, castles were of dwindling military importance, but remained a mark of social prestige, leading to the construction of castles at Starborough near

Lingfield Lingfield can refer to: * Lingfield, County Durham, England, a village * Lingfield, Surrey, England, a village ** Lingfield Park Racecourse ** Lingfield Cricket Club, prominent in the 18th century ** Lingfield railway station, serving the villag ...

by Lord Cobham, and at

by John Fitzalan, whose father had recently inherited the Earldom of Surrey. Though Reigate and Bletchingley remained modest settlements, the role of their castles as local centres for the two leading aristocratic interests in Surrey had enabled them to gain

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

status by the early 13th century. As a result, they gained representation in

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

when it became established towards the end of that century, alongside the more substantial urban settlements of Guildford and Southwark. Surrey's third sizeable town, Kingston, despite its size, borough status and historical association with the monarchy, did not gain parliamentary representation until 1832. Surrey had little political or economic significance in the Middle Ages. Its agricultural wealth was limited by the infertility of most of its soils, and it was not the main power-base of any important aristocratic family, nor the seat of a bishopric. The London suburb of Southwark was a major urban settlement, and the proximity of the capital boosted the wealth and population of the surrounding area, but urban development elsewhere was sapped by the overshadowing predominance of London and by the lack of direct access to the sea. Population pressure in the 12th and 13th centuries initiated the gradual clearing of the

, the forest spanning the borders of Surrey, Sussex and Kent, which had hitherto been left undeveloped due to the difficulty of farming on its heavy clay soil. Surrey's most significant source of prosperity in the later Middle Ages was the production of woollen cloth, which emerged during that period as England's main export industry. The county was an early centre of English textile manufacturing, benefiting from the presence of deposits of

fuller's earth Fuller's earth is a term for various clays used as an absorbent, filter, or bleaching agent. Products labeled fuller's earth typically consist of palygorskite (also known as attapulgite) or bentonite. Primary modern uses include as absorbents ...

, the rare mineral composite important in the process of finishing cloth, around Reigate and Nutfield. The industry in Surrey was focused on Guildford, which gave its name to a variety of cloth, ''gilforte'', which was exported widely across Europe and the Middle East and imitated by manufacturers elsewhere in Europe. However, as the English cloth industry expanded, Surrey was outstripped by other growing regions of production. Waverleyabbeydormitory

Though Surrey was not the scene of serious fighting in the various rebellions and civil wars of the period, armies from Kent heading for London via Southwark passed through what were then the extreme north-eastern fringes of Surrey during the

Peasants' Revolt The Peasants' Revolt, also named Wat Tyler's Rebellion or the Great Rising, was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. The revolt had various causes, including the socio-economic and political tensions generated by the Black ...

of 1381 and Cade's Rebellion in 1450, and at various stages of the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...

in 1460, 1469 and 1471. The upheaval of 1381 also involved widespread local unrest in Surrey, as was the case all across south-eastern England, and some recruits from Surrey joined the Kentish rebel army. In 1082 a

Cluniac Cluny Abbey (; , formerly also ''Cluni'' or ''Clugny''; ) is a former Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to Saint Peter, Saints Peter and Saint Paul, Paul. The abbey was constructed ...

abbey was founded at

Bermondsey Bermondsey ( ) is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham, ...

by Alwine, a wealthy English citizen of London. Waverley Abbey near Farnham, founded in 1128, was the first

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

monastery in England. Over the next quarter-century monks spread out from here to found new houses, creating a network of twelve monasteries descended from Waverley across southern and central England. The 12th and early 13th centuries also saw the establishment of Augustinian priories at Merton, Newark, Tandridge,

and Reigate. A Dominican friary was established at

by Henry III's widow

Eleanor of Provence Eleanor of Provence ( 1223 – 24/25 June 1291) was a Provence, Provençal noblewoman who became List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the wife of King Henry III of England, Henry III from 1236 until his death in 1272. She served ...

, in memory of her grandson who had died at Guildford in 1274. In the 15th century a

Carthusian The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians (), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its own rule, called th ...

priory was founded by King Henry V at Sheen. These would all perish, along with the still important

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

abbey of

Chertsey Chertsey is a town in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, southwest of central London. It grew up around Chertsey Abbey, founded in AD 666 by Earconwald, St Erkenwald, and gained a municipal charter, market charter from Henry I of Engla ...

, in the 16th-century Dissolution of the Monasteries. Now fallen into disuse, some English counties had nicknames for those raised there such as a 'tyke' from Yorkshire, or a 'yellowbelly' from

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

. In the case of Surrey, the term was a 'Surrey capon', from Surrey's role in the later Middle Ages as the county where chickens were fattened up for the London meat markets.

Early Modern Surrey

Under the early Tudor kings, magnificent royal palaces were constructed in northeastern Surrey, conveniently close to London. At Richmond an existing royal residence was rebuilt on a grand scale under King Henry VII, who also founded a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

friary A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may ...

nearby in 1499. The still more spectacular palace of Nonsuch was later built for

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

near Ewell. The palace at Guildford Castle had fallen out of use long before, but a royal hunting lodge existed outside the town. All these have since been demolished. During the Cornish Rebellion of 1497, the rebels heading for London briefly occupied Guildford and fought a skirmish with a government detachment on Guildown outside the town, before marching on to defeat at Blackheath in Kent. The forces of Wyatt's Rebellion in 1554 passed through what was then northeastern Surrey on their way from Kent to London, briefly occupying Southwark and then crossing the Thames at Kingston after failing to storm London Bridge. Cantium southsexia surria meddlesexia Atlas

Cantium southsexia surria meddlesexia Atlas

Surrey's cloth industry declined in the 16th century and collapsed in the 17th, harmed by falling standards and competition from more effective producers in other parts of England. The iron industry in the Weald, whose rich deposits had been exploited since prehistoric times, expanded and spread from its base in Sussex into Kent and Surrey after 1550. New furnace technology stimulated further growth in the early 17th century, but this hastened the extinction of the business as the mines were worked out. However, this period also saw the emergence of important new industries, centred on the valley of the Tillingbourne, south-east of Guildford, which often adapted watermills originally built for the now moribund cloth industry. The production of brass goods and wire in this area was relatively short-lived, falling victim to competitors in

the Midlands The Midlands is the central region of England, to the south of Northern England, to the north of southern England, to the east of Wales, and to the west of the North Sea. The Midlands comprises the ceremonial counties of Derbyshire, Herefords ...

in the mid-17th century, but the manufacture of paper and

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

proved more enduring. For a time in the mid-17th century the Surrey mills were the main producers of gunpowder in England. A glass industry also developed in the mid-16th century on the southwestern borders of Surrey, but had collapsed by 1630, as the wood-fired Surrey glassworks were surpassed by emerging coal-fired works elsewhere in England. The Wey Navigation, opened in 1653, was one of England's first canal systems. George Abbot from NPG cropped

George Abbot, the son of a Guildford clothworker, served as

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

in 1611–1633. In 1619 he founded Abbot's Hospital, an

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the Middle Ages. They were often built for the poor of a locality, for those who had held ce ...

in Guildford, which is still operating. He also made unsuccessful efforts to revitalise the local cloth industry. One of his brothers,

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

, became

Bishop of Salisbury The Bishop of Salisbury is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The Episcopal see, see is in the Salisbur ...

, while another, Maurice, was a founding shareholder of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

who became the company's Governor and later

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...

. Southwark expanded rapidly in this period, and by 1600, if considered as a separate entity, it was the second-largest urban area in England, behind only London itself. Parts of it were outside the jurisdiction of the government of the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

, and as a result the area of Bankside became London's principal entertainment district, since the social control exercised there by the local authorities of Surrey was less effective and restrictive than that of the City authorities. Bankside was the scene of the golden age of Elizabethan and Jacobean theatre, with the work of playwrights including

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe ( ; Baptism, baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), also known as Kit Marlowe, was an English playwright, poet, and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the English Renaissance theatre, Eli ...

Ben Jonson Benjamin Jonson ( 11 June 1572 – ) was an English playwright, poet and actor. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence on English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for the satire, satirical ...

and John Webster performed in its playhouses. The leading actor and impresario Edward Alleyn founded the

College of God's Gift The College of God's Gift, often referred to as the Old (Dulwich) College, was a historic Foundation (charity), charity founded in 1619 by the Elizabethan actor and businessman Edward Alleyn who endowed it with the ancient Manor of Dulwich in so ...

Dulwich Dulwich (; ) is an area in south London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half of H ...

with an endowment including an art collection, which was later expanded and opened to the public in 1817, becoming Britain's first public art gallery. Hollar Long View detail

Surrey almost entirely escaped the direct impact of fighting during the main phase of the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

in 1642–1646. The local Parliamentarian gentry led by Sir Richard Onslow were able to secure the county without difficulty on the outbreak of war. Farnham Castle was briefly occupied by the advancing Royalists in late 1642, but was easily stormed by the Parliamentarians under Sir William Waller. A new Royalist offensive in late 1643 saw skirmishing around Farnham between Waller's forces and Ralph Hopton's Royalists, but these brief incursions into the western fringes of Surrey marked the limits of Royalist advances on the county. At the end of 1643 Surrey combined with Kent, Sussex and Hampshire to form the South-Eastern Association, a military federation modelled on Parliament's existing Eastern Association. In the uneasy peace that followed the Royalists' defeat, a political crisis in summer 1647 saw

Sir Thomas Fairfax Sir Thomas Fairfax (17 January 1612 – 12 November 1671) was an English army officer and politician who commanded the New Model Army from 1645 to 1650 during the English Civil War. Because of his dark hair, he was known as "Black Tom" to his l ...

New Model Army The New Model Army or New Modelled Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 t ...

pass through Surrey on their way to occupy London, and subsequent billeting of troops in the county caused considerable discontent. During the brief Second Civil War of 1648, the Earl of Holland entered Surrey in July, hoping to ignite a Royalist revolt. He raised his standard at Kingston and advanced south, but found little support. After confused manoeuvres between Reigate and

as Parliamentary troops closed in, his force of 500 men fled northwards and was overtaken and routed at Kingston. Surrey had a central role in the history of the radical political movements unleashed by the civil war. In October 1647 the first manifesto of the movement that became known as the

Levellers The Levellers were a political movement active during the English Civil War who were committed to popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance. The hallmark of Leveller thought was its populism, as sh ...

, '' The Case of the Armie Truly Stated'', was drafted at Guildford by the elected representatives of army regiments and civilian radicals from London. This document combined specific grievances with wider demands for constitutional change on the basis of

popular sovereignty Popular sovereignty is the principle that the leaders of a state and its government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associativ ...

. It formed the template for the more systematic and radical ''

Agreement of the People '' An Agreement of the People'' was a series of manifestos, published between 1647 and 1649, for constitutional changes to the English state. Several versions of the ''Agreement'' were published, each adapted to address not only broad concerns b ...

'', drafted by the same men later that month. It also led to the

Putney Debates The Putney Debates, which took place from 28 October to 8 November 1647, were a series of discussions over the political settlement that should follow Parliament's victory over Charles I in the First English Civil War. The main participants wer ...

shortly afterwards, in which its signatories met with

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

and other senior officers in the Surrey village of

Putney Putney () is an affluent district in southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ...

, where the army had established its headquarters, to argue over the future political constitution of England. In 1649 the

Diggers The Diggers were a group of religious and political dissidents in England, associated with a political ideology and programme resembling what would later be called agrarian socialism.; ; ; Gerrard Winstanley and William Everard (Digger), Will ...

, led by

Gerrard Winstanley Gerrard Winstanley (baptised 19 October 1609 – 10 September 1676) was an English Protestant religious reformer, political philosopher, and activist during the period of the Commonwealth of England. Winstanley was the leader and one of the fo ...

, established their communal settlement at St. George's Hill near

Weybridge Weybridge () is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge, Elmbridge district in Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. The settlement is recorded as ''Waigebrugge'' and ''Weibrugge'' in the 7th century and the name derives from a cro ...

to implement egalitarian ideals of common ownership, but were eventually driven out by the local landowners through violence and litigation. A smaller Digger commune was then established near Cobham, but suffered the same fate in 1650.

Modern history

Prior to the

Reform Act 1832 The Representation of the People Act 1832 (also known as the Reform Act 1832, Great Reform Act or First Reform Act) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (indexed as 2 & 3 Will. 4. c. 45), enacted by the Whig government of Pri ...

, Surrey returned fourteen Members of Parliament (MPs), two representing the county and two each from the six boroughs of Bletchingley, Gatton, Guildford,

Haslemere The town of Haslemere () and the villages of Shottermill and Grayswood are in south-west Surrey, England, around south-west of London. Together with the settlements of Hindhead and Beacon Hill (Hindhead, Surrey), Beacon Hill, they comprise ...

, Reigate and Southwark. For two centuries before the Reform Act, the dominant political network in Surrey was that of the Onslows of Clandon Park, a gentry family established in the county from the early 17th century, who were raised to the

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks. Peerages include: A ...

in 1716. Members of the family won at least one of Surrey's two county seats in all but three of the 30 general elections between 1628 and 1768, while they took one or both of the seats for their local borough of Guildford in every election from 1660 to 1830, usually representing the Whig Party after its emergence in the late 1670s. Successive heads of the family held the post of Lord Lieutenant of Surrey continuously from 1716 to 1814. One of the principal residences of the British monarchy in the 18th century was Kew Palace in north Surrey, leased by Queen Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach in 1728 and inhabited by her son

Frederick, Prince of Wales Frederick, Prince of Wales (Frederick Louis, German: ''Friedrich Ludwig''; 31 January 1707 – 31 March 1751) was the eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and Queen C ...

, and later by King

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

and Queen

Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was List of British royal consorts, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until her ...

. After the latter's death at the palace in 1818 it was sold. The White House was demolished about this time, but the Dutch House survives and is now a museum. In 1765 the Richmond Theatre was built in Surrey under the supervision of

David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1716 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, Actor-manager, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil a ...

. It was modelled after the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...

and served as one of Surrey's main theatre's until it was demolished in 1884. Until the modern era Surrey, apart from its northeastern corner, was quite sparsely populated in comparison with many parts of southern England, and remained somewhat rustic despite its proximity to the capital. Communications began to improve, and the influence of London to increase, with the development of turnpike roads and a

stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

system in the 18th century. A far more profound transformation followed with the arrival of the railways, beginning in the late 1830s. The availability of rapid transport enabled prosperous London workers to settle all across Surrey and travel daily to work in the capital. This phenomenon of commuting brought explosive growth to Surrey's population and wealth, and tied its economy and society inextricably to London. There was rapid expansion in existing towns like Guildford, Farnham, and most spectacularly

, while new towns such as Woking and Redhill emerged beside the railway lines. The huge numbers of incomers to the county and the transformation of rural, farming communities into a " commuter belt" contributed to a decline in the traditional local culture, including the gradual demise of the distinctive Surrey dialect. This may have survived among the "Surrey Men" into the late 19th century, but is now extinct. Woking Crematorium - geograph

Meanwhile, London itself spread swiftly across north-eastern Surrey. In 1800 it extended only to

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( , ) is an area of South London, within the London Borough of Lambeth. Named after a medieval manor called Fox Hall, it became well known for the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. From the Victorian period until the mid-20th century, Va ...

; a century later the city's growth had reached as far as

and

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

. This expansion was reflected in the creation of the

County of London The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...

in 1889, detaching the areas subsumed by the city from Surrey. The expansion of London continued in the 20th century, engulfing Croydon, Kingston and many smaller settlements. This led to a further contraction of Surrey in 1965 with the creation of

, under the

; however, Staines and

Sunbury-on-Thames Sunbury-on-Thames, known locally as Sunbury, is a town on the north bank of the River Thames in the Borough of Spelthorne, Surrey, England, southwest of central London. Historically part of the county of Middlesex, in 1965 Sunbury and other su ...

, previously in Middlesex, were transferred to Surrey, extending the county across the Thames. Surrey's boundaries were altered again in 1974 when

Gatwick Airport Gatwick Airport , also known as London Gatwick Airport (), is the Airports of London, secondary international airport serving London, West Sussex and Surrey. It is located near Crawley in West Sussex, south of Central London. In 2024, Gatwic ...

was transferred to

. In 1849

Brookwood Cemetery Brookwood Cemetery, also known as the London Necropolis, is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. It is the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe. The cemetery is listed a Grade I site in the Regist ...

was established near Woking to serve the population of London, connected to the capital by its own railway service. It soon developed into the largest burial ground in the world. Woking was also the site of Britain's first crematorium, which opened in 1878, and its first mosque, founded in 1889. In 1881 Godalming became the first town in the world with a public electricity supply. The eastern part of Surrey was transferred from the Diocese of Winchester to that of Rochester in 1877. In 1905 this area was separated to form a new Diocese of Southwark. The rest of the county, together with part of eastern Hampshire, was separated from Winchester in 1927 to become the

Diocese of Guildford __NOTOC__ The Diocese of Guildford is a Church of England diocese covering eight and half of the eleven districts in Surrey, much of north-east Hampshire and a parish in Greater London. The cathedral is Guildford Cathedral and the bishop is the ...

, whose

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

was consecrated in 1961. During the later 19th century Surrey became important in the development of architecture in Britain and the wider world. Its traditional building forms made a significant contribution to the vernacular revival architecture associated with the

Arts and Crafts Movement The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America. Initiat ...

, and would exert a lasting influence. The prominence of Surrey peaked in the 1890s, when it was the focus for globally important developments in domestic architecture, in particular the early work of

Edwin Lutyens Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens ( ; 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944) was an English architect known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era. He designed many English country houses, war memorials ...

, who grew up in the county and was greatly influenced by its traditional styles and materials. DennisSabre

The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the demise of Surrey's long-standing industries manufacturing paper and gunpowder. Most of the county's paper mills closed in the years after 1870, and the last survivor shut in 1928. Gunpowder production fell victim to the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, which brought about a huge expansion of the British munitions industry, followed by sharp contraction and consolidation when the war ended, leading to the closure of the Surrey powder mills. New industrial developments included the establishment of the vehicle manufacturers Dennis Brothers in Guildford in 1895. Beginning as a maker of bicycles and then of cars, the firm soon shifted into the production of commercial and utility vehicles, becoming internationally important as a manufacturer of fire engines and buses. Though much reduced in size and despite multiple changes of ownership, this business continues to operate in Guildford. Kingston and nearby Ham became a centre of aircraft manufacturing, with the establishment in 1912 of the Sopwith Aviation Company and in 1920 of its successor H.G. Hawker Engineering, which later became Hawker Aviation and then

Hawker Siddeley Hawker Siddeley was a group of British manufacturing companies engaged in list of aircraft manufacturers, aircraft production. Hawker Siddeley combined the legacies of several British aircraft manufacturers, emerging through a series of mergers ...

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

a section of the GHQ Stop Line, a system of pillboxes, gun emplacements, anti-tank obstacles and other fortifications, was constructed along the North Downs. This line, running from

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

to Yorkshire, was intended as the principal fixed defence of London and the industrial core of England against the threat of invasion. German invasion plans envisaged that the main thrust of their advance inland would cross the North Downs at the gap in the ridge formed by the Wey valley, thus colliding with the defence line around Guildford. Between the wars Croydon Airport, opened in 1920, served as the main airport for London, but it was superseded after the Second World War by Heathrow, and closed in 1959.

, where commercial flights began in 1933, expanded greatly in the 1950s and 1960s, but the area occupied by the airport was transferred from Surrey to

in 1974. In June 1972, British European Airways Flight 548 crashed near Staines just after taking off from Heathrow Airport. This remains the worst air accident in the UK.

Historic architecture and monuments

Few traces of the ancient British and Roman periods survive in Surrey. There are a number of round barrows and bell barrows in various locations, mostly dating to the Bronze Age. Remains of Iron Age hillforts exist at Holmbury Hill, Hascombe Hill, Capel, Surrey#Anstiebury, Anstiebury (near Capel, Surrey, Capel), Dry Hill (Surrey), Dry Hill (near

), St. Ann's Hill, Chertsey, St Ann's Hill (Chertsey) and St George's Hill (

). Most of these sites were created in the 1st century BC and many were re-occupied during the middle of the 1st century AD. Only fragments of Stane Street and Ermine Street, the Roman roads which crossed the county, remain. Anglo-Saxon elements survive in a number of Surrey churches, notably at Guildford (St Mary's Church, Guildford, St Mary), Godalming (Church of St. Peter & St. Paul, Godalming, St Peter & St Paul), Stoke D'Abernon (St Mary's Church, Stoke d'Abernon, St Mary), Thursley, Witley, Compton, Guildford, Compton and Albury, Surrey, Albury (in ''Old Albury''). Numerous medieval churches exist in Surrey, but the county's parish churches are typically relatively small and simple, and experienced particularly widespread destruction and remodelling of their form in the course of Victorian restoration. Important medieval church interiors survive at Chaldon,

, Stoke D'Abernon, Compton, Guildford, Compton and Dunsfold. Large monastic churches fell into ruin after their institutions were dissolved, although fragments of Waverley Abbey and Newark Priory survive. Southwark Priory, no longer in Surrey has survived, though much altered, and is now Southwark Cathedral. Farnham Castle largely retains its medieval structure, while the keep and fragments of the curtain walls and palace buildings survive at Guildford Castle. Very little non-military secular architecture survives in Surrey from earlier than the 15th century. Wholly or partially surviving houses and barns from that century, with considerable later modifications, include those at Wanborough Manor, Bletchingley, Littleton, Spelthorne, Littleton, East Horsley, Ewhurst, Surrey, Ewhurst, Dockenfield,

, Limpsfield, Oxted, Crowhurst Place,

and Old Surrey Hall. Abbotshospital

Major examples of Tudor period, 16th-century architecture include the grand mid-century country houses of Loseley Park and Sutton Place, Surrey, Sutton Place and the old building of the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, founded in 1509. A considerable number of smaller houses and public houses of the 16th century are also still standing. From the 17th century the number of surviving buildings proliferates further. Abbot's Hospital, founded in 1619, is a grand edifice built in the Tudor architecture, Tudor style, despite its date. More characteristic examples of major 17th-century building include West Horsley Place, Slyfield Manor, and the Guildford Guildhall, Guildhall in Guildford.

Local government

History

The Local Government Act 1888 reorganised county-level local government throughout England and Wales. Accordingly, the administrative county of Surrey was formed in 1889 when the Provisional Surrey County Council first met, consisting of 19 aldermen and 57 councillors. The county council assumed the administrative responsibilities previously exercised by the county's justice of the peace, justices in quarter sessions. The county had revised boundaries, with the north east of the historic county bordering the

becoming part of a new

. These areas now form the London Boroughs of London Borough of Lambeth, Lambeth, London Borough of Southwark, Southwark and London Borough of Wandsworth, Wandsworth, and the Penge Urban District, Penge area of the London Borough of Bromley. At the same time, the County Borough of Croydon, borough of Croydon became a county borough, outside the jurisdiction of the county council. For purposes other than local government the administrative county of Surrey and county borough of Croydon continued to form a "county of Surrey" to which a Lord Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum of Surrey, Custos Rotulorum (chief magistrate) and a High Sheriff of Surrey, High Sheriff were appointed. Surrey had been administered from Newington since the 1790s, and the county council was initially based in the sessions house there. As Newington was included in the County of London, it lay outside the area administered by the council, and a site for a new county hall within the administrative county was sought. By 1890 six towns were being considered: Epsom, Guildford, Kingston, Redhill,

and Wimbledon. In 1891 it was decided to build the new County Hall, Kingston upon Thames, County Hall at Kingston, and the building opened in 1893, but this site was also overtaken by the growing London conurbation, and by the 1930s most of the north of the county had been built over, becoming Outer London, outer suburbs of London, although continuing to form part of Surrey administratively. Flag of Surrey in Guildford

In 1960 the report of the Herbert Commission recommended that much of north Surrey (including Kingston and Croydon) be included in a new "

". These recommendations were enacted in highly modified form in 1965 by the

. The areas that now form the London Boroughs of London Borough of Croydon, Croydon, Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Kingston, London Borough of Merton, Merton, and London Borough of Sutton, Sutton and that part of London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Richmond south of the River Thames, were transferred from Surrey to Greater London. At the same time part of the county of

, which had been abolished by the legislation, was added to Surrey. This area now forms the borough of Spelthorne. Further local government reform under the Local Government Act 1972 took place in 1974. The 1972 Act abolished administrative counties and introduced non-metropolitan counties in their place. The boundaries of the non-metropolitan county of Surrey were similar to those of the administrative county with the exception of

and some surrounding land which was transferred to

. It was originally proposed that the parishes of Horley and Charlwood would become part of West Sussex; however this met fierce local opposition and it was reversed by the Charlwood and Horley Act 1974.

Today

Following the elections of May 2021 the County Councillors' party affiliations were as follows: As of 2 May 2019, the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative local councillors controlled 4 out of 11 councils in Surrey, the Liberal Democrats (UK), Liberal Democrats controlled Mole Valley, the Residents Associations of Epsom and Ewell controlled Epsom and Ewell, and the remaining 5 are in No Overall Control. Of the five No Overall Control councils, Elmbridge and Waverley were both run by coalitions of Residents and Liberal Democrats, Guildford was run by a Liberal Democrats minority administration, and Tandridge and Woking were both run by Conservative minority administrations. The Conservatives held all List of Parliamentary constituencies in Surrey, 11 Parliamentary constituencies within the county borders.

Economy

The average wage in Surrey is bolstered by the high proportion of residents who work in financial services. Surrey has more organisation and company headquarters than any other county in the UK. Electronics manufacturers Canon (company), Canon, Toshiba, Samsung and Philips are housed here, as are distributors Burlodge, Future Electronics, Kia Motors and Toyota UK, the medico-pharma companies Pfizer and Sanofi-Aventis and oil giant Esso. Some of the largest fast-moving consumer goods multinationals in the world have their UK and/or European headquarters here, including Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Superdrug, Nestlé, SC Johnson, Kimberly-Clark and Colgate-Palmolive. NGOs including World Wide Fund for Nature, WWF UK & Compassion in World Farming are also based here.

Transport

Road

Three major motorways pass through the county. These are: *M25 motorway, M25 (London Orbital) runs through the county, including a long cutting (transportation), cutting into the Reigate, Reigate Hill-Walton Down scarp of the

and has 8 junctions in the county.
It connects among others to the M1 motorway, M1, M11 motorway, M11, M20 motorway, M20, M26 motorway, M26, M4 motorway, M4 and M40 motorway, M40. The motorway runs close to Heathrow Airport and the motorway network can be used to access Gatwick, Stansted and Luton Airport, Luton Airports and the Channel Tunnel motor vehicle service. *M3 motorway (Great Britain), M3 crosses the north-west of the county. It connects London to Southampton and the South West of England having in Surrey the Sunbury-on-Thames, M25 interchange and the Lightwater and Bagshot junctions. *M23 motorway, M23 (north–south) in effect connects

to Brighton as the dualled A23 trunk road to the north and beyond Crawley. It has junction to a spur to

on the Surrey/Sussex border. It has a Surrey junction, the M25 Merstham interchange, close to the Reigate M25 junction. Other major roads include: *The A3 road, A3 trunk road from Portsmouth to London. The road now bypasses and historically assisted in the growth of

, Esher and Kingston upon Thames. The Hindhead Tunnel bypasses a former bottleneck at Hindhead and the Devil's Punchbowl. *The A24 road (England), A24 from London to Littlehampton and Worthing. In Surrey, it passes through or around

, Ashtead,

and

. It passes Box Hill, near Dorking. Unlike the A3, which is almost completely dual carriageway, the A24 is, apart from a central Surrey stretch, single carriageway; it bypasses

and Horsham. *The A31 road, A31 trunk road heads west from

to Bere Regis via

and is connected to the M3 near

and via the A331 near Aldershot. It is dual carriageway along the Hog's Back from the A3 to

. It is one of the ancient routes from London to

, see Pilgrims' Way. *The short A331 connects the A31 to the M3. It runs along the Surrey-Hampshire border, bypassing Aldershot,

and Farnborough, Hampshire, Farnborough.

Rail

Much of Surrey lies within the London commuter belt with regular services into Central London. South Western Railway (train operating company), South Western Railway is the sole train operator in Elmbridge, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Woking and Waverley, and the main train operator in the Borough of Guildford, running regular services into and regional services towards the south coast and South west. Southern (train operating company), Southern is the main train operator in Mole Valley, Epsom and Ewell and Reigate and Banstead and the sole train operator in Tandridge, providing services into and . There are many railway lines in the county, those of note include the Waterloo to Reading Line, South West Main Line, Portsmouth Direct Line, Sutton and Mole Valley Lines (from Horsham,

itself on the Arun Valley Line from Littlehampton) and the Brighton Main Line. The Waterloo to Reading Line calls at , , and in Surrey. The South West Main Line calls at and up to six other Surrey stops including . The Portsmouth Direct Line is significant in linking , and to the South West Main Line at Woking. The Sutton and Mole Valley Lines link , , , to Waterloo via or London Victoria via . The Brighton Main Line calls at and before reaching either London Bridge or London Victoria. is on the east–west North Downs Line. Consequently, the towns Staines,

and

and Reigate and Redhill, statistically the largest examples, are established rapid-transit commuter towns for Central London. The above routes have had a stimulative effect. The relative development of Surrey at the time of the Beeching cuts led to today's retention of numerous other commuter routes except the Cranleigh Line, all with direct services to London, including: # Chertsey Branch Line, Chertsey Line linking the first two of the above national routes via and # New Guildford Line via and from # Hampton Court Branch Line to via from Surbiton # Shepperton Branch Line, Branch Line via Sunbury railway station, Surrey, Sunbury # Ascot to Guildford Line via , , into Hampshire via Aldershot and back into Surrey to serve , and . # Alton Line calls at the far southwest Surrey town, . # Epsom Downs Branch from Sutton Common railway station, Sutton and then Belmont in Greater London to and . # Tattenham Corner Branch Line calls at , and . # Oxted Line calls at and . # Redhill to Tonbridge Line serves and . The only diesel route is the east–west North Downs Line, which runs from Reading via Guildford, , and Redhill. The major stations in the county are Guildford railway station (Surrey), Guildford (8.0 million passengers), Woking railway station, Woking (7.4 million passengers), Epsom railway station, Epsom (3.6 million passengers), Redhill railway station, Redhill (3.6 million passengers) and Staines railway station, Staines (2.9 million passengers).

Air

Both Heathrow (in the London Borough of Hillingdon) and Gatwick (in Crawley Borough Council, Crawley Borough, West Sussex) have a perimeter road in Surrey. First Berkshire & The Thames Valley operates a RailAir coach service from Guildford and Woking to Heathrow Airport and there are early-until-late buses to nearby Surrey towns. Fairoaks Airport on the edge of Chobham and Ottershaw is from Woking town centre and operates as a private airfield with two training schools and is home to other aviation businesses. Redhill Aerodrome is also in Surrey.

Education

The UK has a Comprehensive school, comprehensive, state-funded education system, accordingly Surrey has 37 state secondary schools, 17 Academy (English school), Academies, 7 sixth form colleges and 55 state primaries. The county has 41 independent schools, including Charterhouse School, Charterhouse (one of the nine independent schools mentioned in the Public Schools Act 1868) and the Royal Grammar School, Guildford. More than half the state secondary schools in Surrey have sixth forms. Brooklands (twinned with a site in Ashford, Surrey), Reigate, Esher, Egham, Woking and Waverley host sixth-form equivalent colleges each with technical specialisations and standard sixth-form study courses. Brooklands College offers aerospace and automotive design, engineering and allied study courses reflecting the aviation and motor industry leading UK research and maintenance hubs nearby.

Higher education

*The University of Surrey is based in

*The University for the Creative Arts (UCA) has campuses in

and

*Royal Holloway, University of London is based in

*The University of Law has a campus in Guildford *The Guildford School of Acting is located on the Surrey University campus

Emergency services

Surrey is served by the following emergency services: *Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex *Surrey Police *British Transport Police *South East Coast Ambulance Service *Surrey Fire & Rescue Service *SURSAR

Places of interest

Significant landscapes in Surrey include Box Hill just north of

; the Devil's Punch Bowl at Hindhead and Frensham Common.

southwest of

in the Greensand Ridge is the second highest point in southeast England. Witley Common and Thursley Common are expansive areas of ancient heathland south of

run by the National Trust and Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence. The Surrey Hills are an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB). Lawns at Wisley

More manicured landscapes can be seen at Claremont Landscape Garden, south of Esher (dating from 1715). There is also Winkworth Arboretum southeast of

and Windlesham Arboretum near Lightwater created in the 20th century. Wisley is home to the Royal Horticultural Society RHS Garden, Wisley, gardens. Kew, historically part of Surrey but now in Greater London, features the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, as well as The National Archives (United Kingdom), The National Archives for England & Wales. There are 80 Surrey Wildlife Trust reserves with at least one in all 11 non-metropolitan districts. Surrey's important country houses include the Tudor period, Tudor mansion of Loseley Park, built in the 1560s and Clandon House, an 18th-century Palladian mansion in West Clandon to the east of Guildford. Nearby Hatchlands Park in East Clandon, was built in 1758 with Robert Adam interiors and a collection of keyboard instruments. Polesden Lacey south of Great Bookham is a regency architecture, regency villa with extensive grounds. On a smaller scale, Oakhurst Cottage in Hambledon, Surrey, Hambledon near

is a restored 16th-century worker's home. Shalford Mill on the River Tillingbourne, is an 18th-century water-mill. A canal system, the Wey and Godalming Navigations is administered at Dapdune Wharf in

, where an exhibition commemorates the work of the canal system and is home to a restored Wey barge, the Reliance. The Wey and Arun Canal is being restored by volunteers with hopes of a future full reopening.

is the site of the sealing of

in 1215. Guildford Cathedral is a 20th-century cathedral built from bricks made from the clay of the hill on which it stands. Brooklands Museum recognises the motoring and aeronautical past of Surrey. The county is also home to the Thorpe Park theme park.

Sport

James Pollard - Epsom Races- The Race Over - Google Art Project

*Cricket makes its first appearance in history in Surrey, in a reference to the game being played at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford in the 16th century (see History of English cricket to 1696). Mitcham Cricket Club, formed in 1685 and the oldest documented club in the game's history, was within Surrey's borders until 1965. The Surrey County Cricket Club has been based at The Oval in Kennington, now part of

, since its foundation in 1845. The club also uses Whitgift School in South Croydon and Woodbridge Road in

for some games. It was one of the original participants in the County Championship and has won the competition 19 times outright and once jointly, more than any other county except Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Yorkshire. *Epsom Downs Racecourse is the venue for the most prestigious event in British flat horse-racing, the Epsom Derby, Derby, which has been held there most years since 1780. Surrey is also home to Lingfield Park Racecourse, Lingfield, Kempton Park Racecourse, Kempton and Sandown Park Racecourse, Sandown Park Racecourses, presenting an unusually high concentration in one county. *Brooklands between Woking and Weybridge was the world's first purpose-built motorsport race circuit, opened in 1907. The headquarters of the McLaren Formula One team are at Woking. James Hunt, the 1976 Formula 1 World Driver's Champion was born in Belmont, Sutton, then part of Surrey, in 1947. *The All England Lawn Tennis Club, venue for the Wimbledon Championships, and the headquarters of the Lawn Tennis Association were within Surrey until 1965. *Surrey's leading Rugby union, rugby club, Esher RFC, Esher, currently compete in the National League 1, the third tier of English rugby. Harlequins F.C. and Harlequins Women train at the Surrey Sports Park in Guildford. *Surrey is one of a handful of English counties with no teams in the top 92 Association football, football teams, the Football League. Its leading team is Woking F.C., Woking, currently playing in the fifth-tier National League (division), National League. *Surrey is home to the ice hockey team the Guildford Flames, who compete in the top-tier Elite Ice Hockey League. *The basketball team Surrey Scorchers, based in Guildford, play in the top tier of British basketball, the British Basketball League. *The netball team Surrey Storm, based in Guildford play in the Netball Superleague. They are the franchise for the Greater London area and the South East. *Golf has been played in the county since before 1900 most notably as international venue Wentworth Club, Wentworth; by 2013 a 142nd co-existing Surrey golf course was in planning consultation; 141 were recorded by ''The Daily Telegraph'' newspaper. *Rowing clubs include Molesey Boat Club, Molesey (with an elite development programme hosting several leading British Rowing crews), Walton Rowing Club, Walton, (one of the UK's top clubs in the junior category), Weybridge Rowing Club, Weybridge, Weybridge Ladies, Weybridge Mariners, Rowing on the River Thames, Burway, Staines Boat Club, Staines and Guildford whose top female quad boat won Henley Women's Regatta, Henley Women's in 2012. *Volleyball teams include British Airways, BA, Friends Provident and Guildford International Volleyball Club (whose elite men's team has won the Volleyball England, 1st of the 4 National Divisions), while twelve clubs in Surrey and three in south-west Greater London compete in the Surrey Volleyball League.

Surrey football clubs

The county has numerous football teams. In the Combined Counties League can be found the likes of Ash United, Badshot Lea F.C., Badshot Lea, Banstead Athletic, Camberley Town, Chessington & Hook United F.C., Chessington & Hook United, Cobham F.C., Cobham, Epsom & Ewell F.C., Epsom & Ewell, Epsom Athletic, Farleigh Rovers, Farnham Town, Frimley Green F.C., Frimley Green, Horley Town F.C., Horley Town, Knaphill F.C., Knaphill, Mole Valley SCR, Molesey F.C., Molesey, Sheerwater F.C., Sheerwater, Spelthorne Sports F.C., Spelthorne Sports and Westfield F.C. (Surrey), Westfield; Lingfield F.C., Lingfield play at the same level but in the Southern Combination; Ashford Town, Chertsey Town, Godalming Town and Guildford City play higher in the Southern Football League, Southern League; equally Leatherhead F.C., Leatherhead, Merstham F.C., Merstham, Redhill F.C., Redhill, South Park F.C., South Park, Staines Town, Walton Casuals and Walton and Hersham are in the Isthmian League, Isthmian; Dorking Wanderers and Woking F.C., Woking are currently the highest ranked Surrey based clubs, playing in the National League (division), National League. Chelsea F.C. practice at the Cobham Training Centre located in the village of Stoke d'Abernon near Cobham, Surrey. The training ground was built in 2004 and officially opened in 2007.

In popular culture

The county has also been used as a film location. In the 1976 film The Omen (1976 film), ''The Omen'', the scenes at the cathedral were filmed at Guildford Cathedral. The county is the setting of the fictional town of Little Whinging, where Harry Potter was raised in the Harry Potter book series by JK Rowling.

Notable people

Royal Family

*Lady Louise Windsor (born 2003), daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh and granddaughter of Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II, was born in Frimley Park Hospital. *James, Earl of Wessex (born 2007), son of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh and grandson of Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II, was born in Frimley Park Hospital.

Literature

Besides its role in Elizabethan and Jacobean theatre, many important writers have lived and worked in Surrey. *''The Owl and the Nightingale'', one of the earliest Middle English poems; Nicholas of Guildford is mentioned in it several times. *John Donne (1572–1631) lived and worked for a time in Pyrford. *John Evelyn (1620–1706) was born and spent much of his life in Wotton, Surrey, Wotton, and is buried there. *Daniel Defoe (1659/61–1731) was educated in Dorking. *William Cobbett (1763–1835) was born and raised in Farnham, later lived in Wyke, Surrey, Wyke, where he died, and is buried in Farnham; Surrey features prominently in his ''Rural Rides''. *Thomas Love Peacock (1785–1866) lived in Lower Halliford, then part of Middlesex, now in Surrey. *Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881) wrote ''Coningsby (novel), Coningsby'' while living in Dorking. *Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892) spent the latter part of his life, and died, in

. *Charles Dickens (1812–1870) wrote part of ''The Pickwick Papers'' in Dorking, and refers to the town in the novel. *Robert Browning (1812–1889) was born in Camberwell, then part of Surrey. *George Eliot (1819–1880) wrote most of ''Middlemarch'' while living in Haslemere. *Matthew Arnold (1822–1888) lived in Laleham, then part of Middlesex, now in Surrey. *George Meredith (1828–1909) lived at Box Hill. *Lewis Carroll (1832–1898) spent much of his time at his sisters' home in Guildford, where he wrote ''Through the Looking-Glass''; he died there and is buried in the town. *Isabella Beeton (1836–1865) lived for several years in Epsom, where her step-father was clerk of the racecourse. *George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) lived in Woking and later in Hindhead, where he wrote ''Caesar and Cleopatra (play), Caesar and Cleopatra''. *Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) lived and wrote many of his books in Hindhead and served as deputy lieutenant of Surrey; the county forms a setting for several of the Sherlock Holmes stories. *J. M. Barrie (1860–1937) lived in Tilford, and based ''The Boy Castaways'', which later evolved into ''Peter Pan'', in the nearby countryside. *H. G. Wells (1866–1946) wrote ''The War of the Worlds'' while living in Woking; much of northern Surrey is laid waste in the course of the story. *John Galsworthy (1867–1933) was born in Kingston and the ''Forsyte Saga'' is partly set in the area. *E. M. Forster (1879–1970) lived and wrote in

and Abinger Hammer. *P. G. Wodehouse (1881–1975) was born in Guildford and baptised there in St. Nicolas' Church, Guildford, St Nicolas' Church. *A. P. Herbert (1890–1971) was born in Ashtead. *Aldous Huxley (1894–1963) was born and raised in

and his ashes are interred at Compton; the end of ''Brave New World'' is set in Surrey. *Robert Graves (1895–1985) was born in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, then part of Surrey. *Rosemary Sutcliff (1920–1992) was born in East Clandon. *Clive King (1924–2018) was born in Richmond, London, Richmond, then part of Surrey. *John Osborne (1929–1994) grew up in Stoneleigh, Surrey, Stoneleigh. *Kazuo Ishiguro (born 1954) grew up in Guildford.

Arts and sciences

*William of Ockham (), scholasticism, scholastic philosopher, most famous for "Occam's Razor", came from Ockham, Surrey, Ockham. *Thomas Malthus (1766–1834), pioneer of demography, was born and raised in Westcott, Surrey, Westcott, and later lived in Albury. *Ada Lovelace (1815–1852), mathematician, lived at East Horsley. *Eadweard Muybridge (1830–1904), photographer, was born and raised in Kingston, then part of Surrey. *Gertrude Jekyll (1843–1932), garden designer, lived for much of her life at Munstead near Godalming, created significant gardens in Surrey and is buried in Busbridge. *Ethel Frances Chawner (1866-1943) Entomologist born in Surrey who lived there 1866-1888. *

(1869–1944), architect, grew up in Thursley; many of his early works were built in Surrey, including collaborations with Gertrude Jekyll. *Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958), composer, grew up at Leith Hill and later lived in Dorking. *Laurence Olivier (1907–1989), actor, was born in Dorking. *Peggy Ashcroft (1907–1991), actress, was born and raised in Croydon, then part of Surrey. *David Lean (1908–1991), film director, was born in Croydon. *Alan Turing (1912–1954), mathematician and pioneer of computer science, lived for much of his early life in Guildford. *Jimmy Perry (1923–2016), actor and screenwriter, was born in Barnes, London, Barnes, then part of Surrey. *Richard Briers (1934–2013), actor, was born in Raynes Park, then part of Surrey. *Roy Hudd (1936–2020), comedian and actor, was born and raised in Croydon. *Alex Kingston (born 1963), actress, was born and raised in

. *Tracey Emin (born 1963), artist, was born in Croydon. *Tom Holland (actor) (1996) came from Kingston Upon Thames

Military

*Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke (1705–1781), admiral, lived at

, then part of Middlesex, now in Surrey. *F. C. Ricardo (1852–1924), colonel, was born in

. *Francis Aylmer Maxwell (1871–1917), brigadier, was born in Guildford. *Alfred Carpenter (1881–1955), admiral, was born in Barnes, London, Barnes, then part of Surrey. *Martin Dunbar-Nasmith (1883–1965), admiral, was born in Barnes, then part of Surrey. *Bernard Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg (1889–1963), lieutenant-general, was born in Richmond, London, Richmond, then part of Surrey. *Alfred Victor Smith (1891–1915), lieutenant and Victoria Cross recipient, was born in Guildford. *Raymond Sandover (1910–1995), brigadier, was born in Richmond, then part of Surrey. *Gilbert White (British Army officer), Gilbert White (1912–1977), brigadier, was born in

. *Dominic Bruce (1915–2000), flight lieutenant and Colditz escapee, lived for most of his life after the Second World War in Sunbury-on-Thames. *John Cunningham (RAF officer), John Cunningham (1917–2002), air ace, was born in

, then part of Surrey.

Popular music

The "Surrey Delta" produced many of the musicians in 1960s British blues movements. The Rolling Stones developed their music at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond upon Thames, Richmond. *Roger Waters (born 1943) was born in Great Bookham, a village in Surrey. *Jimmy Page (born 1944) spent much of his early life in

. *Jeff Beck (1944–2023) was born in Wallington, London, Wallington, then part of Surrey. *Eric Clapton (born 1945) was born and grew up in Ripley, Surrey, Ripley. *Peter Gabriel (born 1950) was born in Chobham and grew up in Surrey. His band Genesis (band), Genesis was formed at the Charterhouse School in Godalming. *Paul Weller (born 1958) was born and grew up in

, which inspired the song "Town Called Malice" and formed The Jam at Sheerwater Secondary School in 1972. *The Stranglers were formed in

in 1974. *Sham 69 were formed in Hersham in 1975. *The Clash opened their White Riot Tour at the Guildford Civic Hall (now G Live) on 1 May 1977. *The Police recorded their first two albums - Outlandos d'Amour (1978) and Regatta de Blanc (1979) at Surrey Sound Studios in

. *Kirsty MacColl (1959–2000) was born in Croydon, then part of Surrey. *Norman Cook, also known as Fatboy Slim (born 1963), grew up in Reigate. *Georgia Buchanan, also known as Call Me Loop (born 1991), was born in Surrey. *Hard-Fi members Richard Archer, Ross Phillips and Kai Stephens are from Staines-upon-Thames. *Justin Hawkins, lead singer of rock band The Darkness (band), the Darkness, was born in Surrey. *Disclosure (band), Disclosure members Guy and Howard Lawrence are from Reigate. *Keith Relf (1943–1976) was born and grew up in Richmond, London, Richmond, then part of Surrey. *Jane Relf (born 1947) was born and grew up in Richmond, London, Richmond, then part of Surrey. *Henry Moodie (born 2004) was born in Guilford, Surrey.

Sport

*Max Hall (cricketer), Max Hall (born 1975), cricketer *Graham Thorpe (1969–2024), cricketer, was born in and played for Surrey. *Luke Shaw (born 1995), footballer, was born in

*Harvey Elliott (born 2003), footballer * Gregory Slade (born 2002), Wheelchair Tennis Player, was born in Redhill, Surrey

Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links

Surrey County CouncilSurrey Interactive Map

Exploring Surrey's PastSurrey Search & Rescue (SurSAR)

Surrey History CentreImages of Surrey
at the English Heritage Archive
Further historical information and sources on GENUKI
{{Authority control Surrey, Non-metropolitan counties South East England Home counties Counties of England established in antiquity

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