Surrey Places (10) : Bagshot

Bagshot is a village at the north western edge of the county. The first mention of the village (as Bagsheta) date to 1165 though there has been settlement in the area from before the Romans. Bagshot was located in a royal forest, a royal hunting lodge now the site of Bagshot Park, the residence of Prince Edward.

During the Elizabethan age was on the main stage coach route from London to the West Country and had a number of staging inns. The village gained a railway station in 1878, it's parish church dedicated to St Anne was built in 1884. Being close to Aldershot, much of the land around the village is owned by the Ministry of Defence.

Surrey Places (9) : Haslemere

Haselmere is a town on the south west edge of the county close to the borders with Hampshire and West Sussex. There has been detected settlement in the area since the Neolithic, a Roman cemetery has also been found in the area. Haselmere is not mentioned in the Domesday Book, it's first possible mention dates from 1180. Haselmere was large enough to be granted a town charter in 1221 which indicates it probably had existed for some time beforehand.

Haselmere was granted permission to hold an annual fair in 1397, the town has no less than five watermills for corn and wool production. In the 16th century Haselmere became known for iron making, a mill also providing power in this case. Textile production was also a major employer in the town into the late 19th century.

Haselmere railway station, a stop on the line between London and Portsmouth, opened in 1859. The town expanded westwards after the arrival of the railways, this included the consecration of the church of St Christopher in 1903.

Haselmere signal box

Station forecourt

St Christopher

Another view of the church

Surrey Places (8) : Shalford

Shalford is a village near the centre of the county, south east of Guildford. The village appears in the Domesday Book as Scaldefor and was listed as having three mills. The village prospered during the reign of King John when it gained a charter for a great fair which covered a wide area. The village was also a centre for gunpowder production

The village had a number of fine houses and may have been a country retreat for wealthy people from Guildford. Shalford gained a railway station in 1849 but in 1944 was the scene of a major rail disaster when two goods trains, one carrying aviation spirit, collided.

Surrey Places (7) : Farnham

Farnham is a market town on the western edge of the county close to the border with Hampshire. There has been human activity in the area since the Neolithic at least, Farnham has Saxon origins and the name probably means Fern Meadow (Fearnhamme). The first mention of Farnham dates from 688. At the start of the 9th century, Farnham was recorded as being under the control of the bishops of Winchester. Farnham castle was later built (in 1138) as a residence for the bishop as Farnham was half way between London and Winchester and thus the perfect place to rest at night on the bishops' frequent "commutes". King Henry VIII spent part of his teenage years at the castle.

Cloth making, especially kersey, was the major trade of the town in medieval times. Farnham gained a market charter in 1249, and was said at one time to have the largest corn market outside of London. The arrival of the railway in 1848 with it's link to London led to London businessmen taking houses in Farnham. 

Surrey Places (6) : Godalming

The market town of Godalming is in the South West of Surrey near to Guildford.

The town has Saxon origins, the first mention as Godelmingum dates from about 900CE. By the time of the Domesday Book it was known as Godelminge. The name probably refers to the Godheim family in Old English.

The town gained a market charter in 1300 and also gained the right to hold a yearly fair. The production of woollen cloth was the major industry in the town until the 17th century. Other fabric production and leatherwork also became important to the town as did the production of paper.

On the route between London and Portsmouth, Godalming was also a popular stop off for travellers. The town was affluent enough by the 19th century for it to be larger than Guildford. In 1881 Godalming became the first town in the world to have a public electricity supply though the town had to revert back to gas lighting in 1884 until electricity returned in 1903.

The town is now an affluent commuter town, located on the London to Portsmouth railway line, the railway station opened in 1859. The parish church dedicated to St Peter and St Paul dates from the 12th century, and was built on the site of an earlier Saxon church.

Surrey Places (5) : Dorking

Dorking is a market town in the centre of the county. The town has Saxon origins, though there has been discovered evidence of human inhabitation in the area from Mesolithic, Palaeolithic and Roman times. In 1086 the town was known as Dorchinges and has origins from at least the eighth century.

After the Norman Conquest, Dorking was held by William the Conqueror. Dorking was granted to the first Earl of Surrey by William II and the town remained under the control of the Lord of the Manor during the Middle Ages. 

The parish church of St Martin dates from the 12th century, built on the site of an earlier Saxon church. The town is served by Dorking, Dorking West and Dorking Deepdene railway stations, the railways reaching the town in 1849.

Surrey Places (4) : Guildford

The town of Guildford in West Surrey has Saxon roots (Guldeford), traces of Bronze Age and Roman settlements have also been found in the area. Guildford was an important town in late Saxon times, being the location of the Royal Mint until early Norman times. The Normans built a castle which still overlooks the town. The church of St Mary dates from late Saxon times.

As with many places, new transport links helped the town prosper. The Wey Navigation was opened in 1653 which gave Guildford waterborne access to the Thames (and therefore London). Guildford railway station opened in 1845, the station is now on the lines between London and Portsmouth and Reading and Redhill.

Nowadays the town is an affluent commuter and university town, one of the most expensive places to buy a home outside of London!

Surrey Places (3) : Milford

Milford is a village in the South West of Surrey near to Godalming. Milford remained a small hamlet during the medieval period but like many places across the country the arrival of transport links (in Milford's case the railway line between London and Portsmouth in the mid-19th century) helped Milford grow.

Milford was a hamlet of nearby Witley but Milford became a parish in it's own right in 1844. Milford railway station however, is in Witley!

Surrey Places (2) : Ash

The village of Ash lies on the Surrey-Hampshire border and is close to Aldershot (and is included in the Aldershot urban area) and Farnborough. Ash has Saxon roots, it was known as Esche in the 7th century, in Norman times known as Assche. In the 12th century the parish church of St Peter's was built on the site of an earlier Saxon church.

Ash was granted to Chertsey Abbey by Azor, a nobleman and one of the guards of Edward the Confessor, at the time of the Norman Conquest. It remained the property of the abbey until being granted to Henry VIII in 1537. It was later granted to Winchester College.

Ash is served by Ash railway station with Ash Vale and North Camp also close by. The Basingstoke Canal runs through the parish.

Surrey Places (1) : Oxted

Oxted is a town at the foot of the North Downs in the East of the county. The town has Saxon origins and was listed in the Domesday Book as Acstede. Oxted remained a small village throughout the Middle Ages and beyond. Like many settlements, it boomed in terms of wealth and populations after the arrival of the railways in 1884. It is now a commuter town with city workers taking trains from Oxted station to London. The town was listed as the twentieth richest town in Britain by the Daily Telegraph in 2011!

Oxted's parish church is St Mary's which has Norman origins though most of the current church dates from later centuries, the tower with it's "battlements" (see below) is Norman.