Albury ~ Guildford Borough ~ villages to the south     4 miles east of Guildford on the A248

Location for a home ~ Comment:  Highly Recommended

Present Day Aspect and Character

ituated in the gentle rolling scenery of the Tillingbourne valley, the character of present day Albury is that of a very picturesque informal estate village of the 1850s constructed in the fanciful new-Gothic style. The great chimneys in the village seem almost out of proportion and Albury is famous for them.   The main village street runs in parallel with the Tillingbourne river, the haunt of fishermen, which gives the village a lush marshy northern border. St Peter and St Paul church is one of the few really attractive churches in Surrey thought to be of Saxon origins. It is situated away from the narrow through street up Church Lane which thins into a bridlepath onto some of the most glorious riding country in the area. A piece of trivia for you is that the rector here from 1610 to 1660, William Oughtred, invented the multiplication sign X! 

The house in Albury Park, which was originally Tudor and half timbered, was almost rebuilt by members of the famous Evelyn family first for the Duke of Norfolk in the 17th century.  It is extraordinary in its collection of chimneys, all sixty-three of them.  The mansion has now been converted into flats and the estate gardens are open to visitors. Pretty cottages are scattered throughout the village which migrated down the Tillingbourne valley from the great house.  The Albury Park estate still exists and has an entrance off the main street that snakes and twists next to the Tillingbourne River.  Bordering The Street are properties of great character including houses, a few shops and the local pub.

Local Pubs and Temporary Accommodation
The Drummond Arms Inn, The Street  The previous pub on the same site was called the Running Horse and The Drummond Arms Inn forms part of the Albury Estate that is owned by the Duke of Northumberland.  The pleasant gardens are split by the River Tillingbourne in this pretty spot.  Close to the local beauty spot Newlands Corner with magnificent views there are 7 letting rooms available.  Tel: 01483 202039 
 

Albury's village street

Village History
The village of Albury drifted away from its original site near the now disused Catholic Apostolic Church in the early 19th century to a hamlet ½ mile to the west then called Weston Street.  The church is still easily seen on the northern approach to the village standing alone in a field where Shetland ponies graze!  The church was built in 1840 at a cost of £16,000 for Edward Irving, who came south from Scotland.  He started the Irvingite Sect which so captivated Henry Drummond, banker and politician, who owned Albury Park and was finally responsible for the old village moving from the park and being established on its new site.   

Augustus Pugin was the creator of Albury's chimneys and he meant them to be eye-catching.  He built them in the middle of the 19th century at the same time that he was engaged in the rebuilding of the Houses of Parliament after the major fire there is 1834.   

 

Wider Surroundings
On the road out of Albury towards Chilworth is a right turning onto Guildford Lane which is a back road leading towards Guildford.   This lane is one of Surrey's most picturesque taking the traveller across some marvellous countryside on the eastern outskirts of the county town.  It is a precious spot and not to be attempted in a hurry.   Some car parks along this road are the closest place to leave a car for a walk up to St Martha's church.  A spot not to be missed. On Farley Heath to the south is the overgrown site of a rare 1st century Romano-Celtic temple. The King William IV pub is in the tranquil hamlet of Little London, Albury Heath a very old country pub that dates back to the 16th century in glorious Surrey countryside.  Tel: 01483 202865. To the north of the village between the Downs and the main road is the Silent Pool, a deep clear pond overhung by trees, made famous by Martin Tupper's romance Stephan Langton (see Friday Street, Mole Valley District). 
Newlands Corner on the crest of the Downs to the northwest has one of the finest views in England with the South Downs as a backdrop seen beyond the Greensand hills of St Marthas, Hascombe, Hindhead and Blackdown.