Surrey featured prominently in the Rural Rides of the journalist and social reformer William Cobbett, who was born and buried in Farnham and journeyed on horseback around south-east England in the 1820s, to see for himself the effects of industrialisation on life in a fast-changing countryside.
One day, in 1825, a ride of 12 miles or so took him from Northchapel in West Sussex to the village of Chiddingfold, three miles from Witley, which, he pointed out, ‘is in the Weald of Surrey, that is to say, the country of oak-timber’.
‘This Chiddingfold is a very pretty place,’ sighed Cobbett, as he dismounted to stretch his legs before continuing on his way.
Today, the village is as pretty as ever – with its picturesque village green, pond, 12th-century St Mary’s Church and ancient The Crown Inn – but it has many beautiful homes that Cobbett would never have seen.
The oaks he referred to were chosen by Arts-and-Crafts architects of the late 19th and early 20th centuries as their building material of choice; and the Wealden clay which had historically made farming difficult was a delight for garden designers, who discovered that it was perfect for growing spectacular rhododendrons, azaleas and all kinds of exotic flowering shrubs. No wonder Chiddingfold is among the most sought-after villages in Surrey.
One of the village’s finest homes has come to the market via Nigel Mitchell of Knight Frank: the gorgeous, Grade II-listed Glebe House, which stands in about five acres of ‘phenomenal’ gardens and grounds at the heart of the village.
Offers over £6.5 million are sought for a home that is the former country retreat of the Bishops of Winchester, beautifully refurbished by its current owners, whose family home it has been for 25 years.
Although quintessentially Georgian in style, its listing reveals that the grand, 11,255sq ft house is built around a traditional timber-framed core, encased and extended in the early 19th century, with subsequent, early-20th-century additions. It also comes with a recently renovated, period two-bedroom cottage, with its own walled garden and views over the village pond.
The main house has five/six reception rooms – including an impressive, double-aspect drawing room and a splendid dining room with trompe-l’oeil panelling – seven bedrooms and five bathrooms.
Glebe House is one of few genuinely unspoilt, Georgian houses in this prime commuter area that can boast a secluded, country-house setting at the centre of an idyllic village location, the agents say.
With the gardens seen to their best advantage and a beautiful pool area, tennis court and croquet lawn in which to while away the hours, summers here are something to be savoured, say the owners, who, apart from their wonderful house, will miss ‘the sweet scent of wood smoke drifting across from The Crown, the occasional uplifting peal of the church bells and, incredibly, the song of the nightingale!’.
Surrey is synonymous with Arts-and-Crafts houses, of which Chiddingfold offers a perfect example in the shape of Grade II-listed Mesylls – an equestrian dream set in some 10 acres of formal gardens and paddocks amid prime Chiddingfold country-side – which is for sale at £2.75 million.
Mesylls was built at the beginning of the 20th century by Maurice Pocock, an architect known in his day as ‘the complete Arts-and-Craftsman’ and renowned for his meticulous attention to detail. Using the best designs from his substantial repertoire, Pocock built the house for his own occupation, of brick, with part tile-hung elevations and three substantial gables.
Described, on its completion, as ‘wooden, tile-hung and red russet Queen Anne’, Mesylls has, unusually for these parts, never been extended and remains little changed.
The house offers some 4,400sq ft of accommodation including a reception hall, three reception rooms, a kitchen/breakfast room, a study/studio, seven bedrooms and four bath/shower rooms.
It comes with numerous outbuildings, stabling, fenced paddocks and access to privately owned woodland full of bluebells in season, all part of the surrounding AONB.
Glebe House is on the market for offers over £6.5 million – see more pictures and details.
Mesylls is for sale at £2.75 million – see more pictures and details.
The 50 best places to live near London
Where are the best villages, towns and small cities which are a pleasure to live in, but still offer a
The best places to live near London: Surrey
There are seven villages and towns in Surrey which made the list of our best places to live near London
The best places to live for commuters: West Sussex
Two villages in West Sussex have been selected for our list of the best places to live near London for
A sprawling and beautifully-restored country house with woodland in the heart of Surrey
Tucked away near Farnham in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty you'll find Sentry Hill, a gorgeous country
A manor house under £1m that’s close to London, near a great school and boasts a fabulous history
A property of incredible British historical significance has come up for sale in Buckinghamshire.
-
Pack up your jumpers: Is Scandinavia the new Mediterranean?Climate change means increasingly unbearable heat and dangerous wildfires across swathes of Europe — so what is the alternative? Words and photographs by Emma Lavelle.
-
How many Oscars did the 1997 film 'Titanic' win? Country Life's Quiz of the Day, August 19, 2025Test you general knowledge with Tuesday's Quiz of the Day.
-
A 17th century farmhouse in Surrey with one of Britain's oldest squash courtsFords Farm is on the market for the first time in over half a century.
-
The 15 best-value commuter towns for people working in London, according to new research from one of Britain's top estate agentsSavills have released their list of the best-value commuter towns in Britain. But do the sums add up? Toby Keel takes a look.
-
What everyone is talking about this week: Where are the new Cotswolds?The appearance of American Vice President J. D. Vance in the Cotswolds is a sure sign that they're saturated, but where else can you escape to that has the same charm?
-
19 outstanding country homes, from £450,000 to £20 million, as seen in Country LifeA spectacular country house in Yorkshire and an enormously impressive Channel Islands retreat are among the stand-out homes on the market this week.
-
Three homes down by the Thames, perfect for those who love messing about on boatsThis summer’s scorching temperatures will no doubt have endorsed the perennial appeal of Thames-side houses with frontage and private access to the river. Penny Churchill and Toby Keel pick out some prime examples.
-
A pavilion, pool and pleasure gardens at this Devon country house 'with not another building in sight'Ebberly House is a majestic country house in Devon built by one of John Soane's pupils — and as it comes to the market, it's a place Penny Churchill knows well.
-
Take over the world or throw a great big party on this private fort for sale in PembrokeThorne Island, dubbed the British Alcatraz, has been a £2 million labour of love. Now it could be yours.
-
The perfect summer house? A country home, beach house and rural escape rolled into one in a prime spot in SussexIf there's a finer house than Grangewood House in which to enjoy the summer, we'd love to see it. Penny Churchill takes a look.
