The pages of Surrey’s history books are filled with indulgent royalty, powerful clergy and influential nobility, all attracted to this favoured home county by its scenic charms and proximity to London. Its picture-postcard towns form a treasure trail of remarkable palaces, castles and abbeys, as well as being modern-day centres of elevated shopping, dining and creativity. Surrey’s majestic forests and rolling hills, once the prestigious and fertile hunting grounds of kings and queens, remain just as desirable today to anyone seeking an outdoor lifestyle in diverse countryside, while its cultural aspirations rival those of the capital.
Fifteen minutes drive south of the house is Frensham Great Pond, a freshwater lake with a beach of soft, golden sand set in nearly 1000 acres of National Trust owned, open heathland, reedbeds and woodland. Originally a mediaeval fishing pond created to supply the Bishop of Winchester’s estate, this Green Flag designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is a rare and internationally important wildlife habitat. Swim in the pond all year round or join its established Sailing Club, where beginners and seasoned sailors can enjoy racing or improving their tack and gib with a number of Royal Yachting Association courses. Or simply take it easy, under a parasol with a cold drink, watching rare birds and passing clouds.
Around 20 minutes east of the house is the sought-after, riverside town of Guildford. Its cobbled town centre has a Purple Flag status for exemplary night-life, awarded for its variety of evening entertainment, as well as its safe and welcoming environment. Handsome streets overflow with independent shops and eateries, as well as covered shopping centres. Tunsgate Quarter sets the standard with three storeys of retailers including Loaf, OKA, Tag Heuer, Bobbi Brown and The White Company. The Ivy Castle View is the jewel in Tunsgate’s crown, offering innovative cocktails and outstanding, British brasserie food overlooking the town’s atmospheric castle, which dates back to the Norman Times.
Chapel Street and The Lanes, a series of characterful mediaeval side streets, boast upmarket boutiques, while North Street hosts a traditional street market and the High Street is home to a monthly farmers’ market. Local producers from in and around the nearby Surrey Hills include Greyfriars Vineyard, Nonsuch Mushrooms, Mayfield Lavender, Silent Pool Gin Distillery and Wildcroft Dairy, many of whom also welcome visitors direct to their nearby farms and estates. On the edge of the town centre, Stoke Park presents 52 acres of greenery, featuring a playpark, paddling and model boating pond, walled rose garden, Japanese garden and beautifully landscaped grounds in which to relax for the afternoon beneath the shade of a mature tree.
One of the oldest riverways in the country, the River Wey Navigations, is a tranquil waterway built in the 1600s to connect Guildford’s merchants to London. Today, pretty tree-lined towpaths attract walkers, runners and cyclists who enjoy meandering along 20 miles of Surrey greenery between Godalming and Weybridge. Take circular walks from Guildford’s centre, passing by the ancient ruins of Newark Abbey or timber framed, tile-hung Shalford Mill. Hire boats from National Trust’s Dapdune Wharf and spend an afternoon gliding past banks of alder, oak and willow that shade bluebells, foxgloves and primrose and hide kingfishers, herons and otters.
Come evening, return to your luxury house to barbeque in its outdoor kitchen, light a fire in the al fresco chimney breast or even enjoy a late-night swim and sauna before retiring to your four poster bed. For your chance to win this Idyllic House in Surrey, worth £3,000,000, just enter the Surrey House Draw supporting Prostate Cancer UK.
