Albury, Surrey

Albury is a village and civil parish in the borough of Guildford in Surrey, England, about 4 mi south-east of Guildford town centre. The village is within Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and part of it forms the 63 acre Colyer's Hanger SSSI.

Geography and Economy
Albury civil parish spans the small village and three hamlets, which are Farley Green, Little London and adjacent Brook – spaced out by Albury Heath, Foxholes Wood, small fields and Albury Park. About a third of Blackheath Common is in the parish. Albury new village is at the point where the Sherborne flowing from near Newlands Corner via the Silent Pool joins the Tillingbourne that runs through the centre of the village and until the 20th century fed the flour mill at the Chilworth edge of the village, which has now given way to a small estate of houses. The old village lies within Albury Park, described in History. There is another brook leading into Chilworth called Law Brook which Brook is centred on.

The following is based on 2001 statistics: the population was 1,190, living in 527 homes (52 of which have their lowest floor level above street level and 298 of which were owner-occupied). While 583 people were economically active, 372 of which commute by motor vehicle and 61 of which commute by public transport, the average commuter travels 17 km.

The village offers a post office, general shop and the Drummond Arms; Little London offers another public house the William IV and a petrol station with shop.

The nearest railway stations are Chilworth railway station 1 mi west and Gomshall railway station 2 mi east of the parish boundaries on the Reading to Gatwick Airport line.

History
Farley Heath in the southwest of the parish has remains of a Romano-Celtic temple within a temenos in a clearing by Heath Road containing an inner cella, nearby a pottery kiln and tumbled columns can be seen.

The village appears in the Domesday Book as Eldeberie. It was held by Roger d'Abernon from Richard de Tonebrige. Its Domesday Assets were: 2½ hides, 1 church, 1 mill worth 5s, 8½ ploughs, 1 acre of meadow, woodland worth 30 hogs. It rendered £9.

Albury village is next to Albury Estate which is an estate of 150 acre; within it is the Saxon church, the listed as II* building The Mansion or Albury Park House (now a retirement home), a few houses and surviving homes of the old village of Albury. The Duke of Northumberland owns the estate – the Mansion was once home to the Duke and Duchess. The gardens are designated Grade I and were designed by author and gardener John Evelyn noted for his mansion 6 mi east in Wotton, Surrey.

The William IV in close-by Little London dates back to the 16th century.



Sports
Fishing is available in the stocked Albury Estate ponds at Weston, Vale End, Albury Park and at Powder Mills, Chilworth with the Albury Estate Fisheries club.

Albury Cricket Club play at the Albury Heath ground that adjoins Albury Eagles FC – the clubs have a combined social events like sports dinners, close to Albury and to Little London in Sandy Lane. The football club's stated aim is to cover the wider Tillingbourne community and has several U16, U13 and U9 teams.

Churches
The parish of Albury has four churches:
 * The parish church of St Peter and St Paul, built 1842 by McIntosh Brooks, transept and apse added 1868 by Sir Arthur Blomfield, north chapel created by neo-gothicist Sir Edward Maufe, designer of Guildford Cathedral.
 * The Barn church, St Michael's in Farley Green
 * Old St Peter and St Paul's Church, a church of Saxon origin with 12th century tower, 13th century chancel, 14th century nave and 16th century north porch, Drummond Chapel (with marble chest tomb) and south window with quatrefoil renewed by Pugin: in Albury Park in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, a class I listed building.
 * The Catholic Apostolic Church graded II* is by the Sherbourne brook at the northeast of the village street near to the A25.

Albury landfill
Albury has one of the two active landfill sites in Surrey; it only takes household waste. There is a landfill liaison committee which has been organised to work with SITA in an attempt to keep the villagers aware of all issues. This landfill generates revenue for Albury Estate which is owned by the Duke of Northumberland. Residents of the village remain surprised that permission was granted for a Landfill in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.