Surrey

• 1. Chalk And Clay Divisions

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  The North Downs cut across Surrey like a geological spine, running from the south-west to the north-east. This chalk escarpment divides the county into two distinct zones of land and life. To the north lies the flat Thames basin, dominated by London Clay in the east and Bagshot Sands in the west. The rivers Wey and Mole pierce this ridge, creating natural gaps that have guided movement through the landscape for millennia.

  South of the Downs, the terrain shifts dramatically. The western part features sandstone hills known as the Surrey Hills, while the eastern side opens into the Low Weald plain. This area rises toward the High Weald in the extreme southeast. The geology here forms a concentric pattern extending into Kent and Sussex, composed mainly of Wealden Clay and Lower Greensand.

  Surrey holds the distinction of having the densest woodland cover in England at 22.4 per cent. This figure dwarfs the national average of 11.8 per cent. In 2020, the Surrey Heath district recorded tree cover reaching 41 per cent, the highest proportion in the entire country. The official logo of Surrey County Council reflects this reality with interlocking oak leaves.

  Much of the county falls within the Metropolitan Green Belt, protecting its rural character despite urban pressure. Extensive heathlands exist on sandy soils in the west, including Thursley, Hankley, and Frensham Commons. These areas support rare wildlife and provide open spaces for public access. Leith Hill near Dorking stands as the highest point in the county at 295 metres above sea level.

• 2. Tribes And Roman Roads

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  Before Roman times, the land now called Surrey was likely occupied by the Atrebates tribe, centered at Calleva Atrebatum in modern Hampshire. Eastern parts may have been held by the Cantiaci, based largely in Kent. Roman texts describe tribal conflicts between these groups and the powerful Catuvellauni on the north bank of the Thames.

  In about AD 42, King Cunobelinus of the Catuvellauni died, sparking war 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. Verica fled to Gaul and appealed for Roman aid. The Atrebates became allies with Rome during the invasion of Britain in AD 43.

  During the Roman era, Southwark was the only important settlement within historic Surrey, though small towns existed at Staines, Ewell, Dorking, Croydon, and Kingston upon Thames. Remains of rural temples have been excavated on Farley Heath and near Wanborough and Titsey. A Roman villa was discovered in 1892 on Broad Street Common by a local farmer, with traces of a second villa found nearby.

  The area was traversed by Stane Street and other Roman roads. These routes facilitated trade and military movement across the county. By the 5th and 6th centuries, Saxons conquered and settled the region. Possible tribes included groups around Godalming and others between Woking and Wokingham in Berkshire.

• 3. Norman Castles And Monks

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  After the Battle of Hastings, the Norman army advanced through Kent into Surrey, defeating an English force at Southwark before burning that suburb. Rather than attacking London directly, they crossed the Thames at Wallingford in Berkshire and descended on the capital from the north-west. Native ruling classes were virtually eliminated by Norman land seizures.

  In 1088, King William II granted William de Warenne the title of Earl of Surrey as reward for loyalty during rebellions following William I's death. When the Warenne male line became extinct in the 14th century, the earldom passed to the Fitzalan Earls of Arundel. The Fitzalan line died out in 1415, but the title was conferred in 1483 on the Howard family who still hold it today.

  Guildford Castle was rebuilt in stone and developed as a royal palace during the 12th century. Farnham Castle was constructed as a residence for the Bishop of Winchester, while other fortifications appeared at Bletchingley by the de Clares and Reigate by the Warennes. These castles served both military and social prestige functions throughout the medieval period.

  Waverley Abbey near Farnham, founded in 1128, became England's first Cistercian monastery. Over the next quarter-century, monks spread out from here to establish twelve new houses across southern and central England. Augustinian priories emerged at Merton, Newark, Tandridge, Southwark, and Reigate during the 12th and early 13th centuries.

• 4. Railways And Commuter Growth

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  Surrey remained relatively sparsely populated until the late 19th century when railways transformed its character. The arrival of rapid transport enabled prosperous London workers to settle across the county and commute daily to work in the capital. This phenomenon brought explosive growth to population and wealth, tying Surrey's economy inextricably to London.

  Existing towns like Guildford, Farnham, and most spectacularly Croydon expanded rapidly. New settlements such as Woking and Redhill emerged beside railway lines. The transformation of rural farming communities into a commuter belt contributed to decline in traditional local culture, including the gradual demise of the distinctive Surrey dialect which survived among the Surrey Men into the late 19th century before extinction.

  London itself spread swiftly across north-eastern Surrey. In 1800 it extended only to Vauxhall; a century later the city reached Putney and Streatham. This expansion led to creation of the County of London in 1889, detaching areas from Surrey. Further contraction occurred in 1965 with Greater London's creation under the London Government Act 1963.

  Staines and Sunbury-on-Thames were transferred from Middlesex to Surrey, extending the county across the Thames. Gatwick Airport was transferred to West Sussex in 1974. Today, towns like Staines, Woking, Guildford, Walton-on-Thames, Epsom, and Ewell function as established rapid-transit commuter towns for Central London.

• 5. Boundaries And Councils

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  The Local Government Act 1888 reorganized county-level administration throughout England and Wales. The administrative county of Surrey formed in 1889 when the Provisional Surrey County Council first met, consisting of 19 aldermen and 57 councillors. The council assumed responsibilities previously exercised by justices in quarter sessions.

  Surrey had revised boundaries with the north-east bordering the City of London becoming part of a new County of London. These areas now form the London Boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark, and Wandsworth, plus the Penge area of Bromley. Croydon became a county borough outside the council's jurisdiction at that time.

  In 1960, the Herbert Commission recommended including much of north Surrey in Greater London. These recommendations were enacted in modified form in 1965 through the London Government Act 1963. Areas forming Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Sutton, and Richmond south of the Thames transferred from Surrey to Greater London.

  Further reform under the Local Government Act 1972 took place in 1974, abolishing administrative counties and introducing non-metropolitan counties. Boundaries remained similar except for Gatwick Airport and surrounding land transferred to West Sussex. Horley and Charlwood parishes initially proposed for transfer but reversed by the Charlwood and Horley Act 1974 due to local opposition.

• 6. Heaths And Historic Sites

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  Significant landscapes include Box Hill just north of Dorking, the Devil's Punch Bowl at Hindhead, and Frensham Common. Leith Hill southwest of Dorking in the Greensand Ridge stands as the second highest point in southeast England after Walbury Hill in West Berkshire. Witley Common and Thursley Common are expansive ancient heathlands south of Godalming run by the National Trust and Ministry of Defence.

  The Surrey Hills constitute an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covering extensive tracts of countryside. More manicured landscapes appear at Claremont Landscape Garden south of Esher dating from 1715. Winkworth Arboretum exists southeast of Godalming while Windlesham Arboretum near Lightwater was created in the 20th century.

  Wisley hosts Royal Horticultural Society gardens featuring carefully maintained lawns and trees. Kew historically belonged to Surrey before becoming part of Greater London, yet still features the Royal Botanic Gardens and The National Archives for England & Wales. Eighty Surrey Wildlife Trust reserves exist with at least one in all eleven non-metropolitan districts.

  Runnymede at Egham marks the site where Magna Carta was sealed in 1215. Guildford Cathedral represents a 20th-century structure built from bricks made using clay from the hill upon which it stands. Brooklands Museum recognizes the motoring and aeronautical past of the county.

• 7. Cricket And Racing Heritage

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  Cricket makes its first historical appearance in Surrey through a reference to play at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford in the 16th century. Mitcham Cricket Club formed in 1685 as the oldest documented club in the game's history, remaining within Surrey borders until 1965. The Surrey County Cricket Club has been based at The Oval in Kennington since its foundation in 1845.

  The club uses Whitgift School in South Croydon and Woodbridge Road in Guildford for some games. It won the County Championship nineteen times outright plus once jointly, more than any other county except Yorkshire. Epsom Downs Racecourse hosts the Derby, the most prestigious event in British flat horse-racing held there most years since 1780.

  Surrey contains Lingfield, Kempton, and 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. McLaren Formula One team headquarters now sit at Woking where James Hunt born in Belmont in 1947 won the 1976 World Driver's Championship.

• 8. Authors And Literary Landscapes

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  Many important writers lived and worked in Surrey across centuries. Nicholas of Guildford appears multiple times in The Owl and the Nightingale, one of earliest Middle English poems. John Donne lived and worked briefly in Pyrford while Daniel Defoe received education in Dorking.

  William Cobbett born and raised in Farnham later lived in Wyke where he died and is buried. Thomas Love Peacock resided in Lower Halliford then part of Middlesex but now Surrey. Benjamin Disraeli wrote Coningsby while living in Dorking during his lifetime from 1804 to 1881.

  Alfred Tennyson spent his latter life in Haslemere before dying there in 1892. Charles Dickens wrote parts of The Pickwick Papers in Dorking and refers to the town within the novel itself. George Eliot composed most of Middlemarch while residing in Haslemere between 1819 and 1880.

  Lewis Carroll spent much time at his sister's home in Guildford writing Through the Looking-Glass before dying and being buried there. Arthur Conan Doyle lived and wrote many books in Hindhead serving as deputy lieutenant of Surrey. H.G. Wells wrote War of the Worlds while living in Woking with much northern Surrey laid waste in the story.