Visit Cranleigh Places

Welcome to Visit Cranleigh Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Cranleigh

  

Cranleigh Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Cranleigh

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Cranleigh history

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Etymology

Until the mid-1860s, the place was usually spelt Cranley. The name is popularly believed to come from imputed large crane-breeding grounds at the Anglo-French named Vachery Pond. A pair of cranes adorn the 21st century granted coat of arms of Cranleigh Parish Council.

Early history

Cranleigh was not mentioned in the Domesday Book, at that time being part of the manor of Shere. The Anglican parish church of St Nicolas dates the first building on its site from around 1170. The church has a gargoyle, on a pillar inside the church, which is said to have inspired Lewis Carroll to create the Cheshire Cat.

Post Industrial Revolution

Three people played a major part in the development of Cranleigh during the 19th century. Reverend John Henry Sapte, Dr Albert Napper and Stephen Rowland played major roles in development of the village. Dr Napper set up the first cottage hospital in the country in 1859. Rowland laid out an estate between Horsham and Ewhurst Roads in 1894.

During World War II (1939-1945)

Winterfold House near Cranleigh was requisitioned by the British Government and used by SOE Special Operations Executive, as a training school designated STS 4 and later STS 7. Amongst the many recruits that attended Winterfold included Muriel Byck, Andrée Borrel, Denise Bloch, Noor Inyat Khan (Nora Baker) and Violette Szabo GC. A film Carve Her Name with Pride was made in 1958 about Szabo’s wartime life in the SOE.

Post-war

Cranleigh railway station was closed by Dr Beeching in 1965 after almost exactly a hundred years of operation. In 1975 the 1900-built church of St Andrew was demolished.

Cranleigh landmarks

Stocklund Square

A square near the centre of the village on the High Street is the main road running through Cranleigh. It was constructed following the closing of the railway line in 1965 and the removal of the station. A new Sainsbury’s supermarket was built in late 2004.

Fountain Square

In 2006, the pedestrian area surrounding the large stone drinking fountain (1874) at the centre of the village was re-modelled and given the name ‘Fountain Square’ New granite paving, brick planters and trees were introduced in a design which created a haven from traffic and a place for small community events.

Winterfold House

Winterfold House, north-east of the village along Barhatch Lane, was built in 1886 for Richard Webster QC, afterwards Viscount Alverstone. During World War II Winterfold was requisitioned by the Government and used by the Special Operations Executive as a training school. The house was sold to HRH Prince Carol of Romania in 1978.

Cranleigh geography / climate

Cranleigh is 7.7 miles (12.4 km) southeast of Guildford, Guildford and 6.2 miles (10.0 km) ESE of Godalming. In the centre of the civil parish are the greatest number of buildings, fanning out in many side roads and on the high street. Cranleigh Waters also known as the Cranleigh Water, drains the village, before flowing to Shalford where it joins the River Wey. Winterfold Forest, a remaining higher part of the forest that occupies the northeast is on the Greensand Ridge, which can be explored using in places roads or by the long distance path.

Elevations, Soil and Geology

Elevations range from 240 m AOD (mean high water level) at the car park on Reynolds Hill in Winterfold Heath (a woodland in the north) to 41 m on the watercourse and the disused Wey and Arun Canal as they leave both the parish in the northwest extreme at the end of East Whipley Lane. Soil consists in small areas of “naturally wet loamy soil”; the north and south of the village centre and all surrounding areas are “slowly permeable seasonally wet slightly acid but base-rich loamy and clayey soils”

You can visit Cranleigh places with Walkfo Cranleigh to hear history at Cranleigh’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Cranleigh has 9 places to visit in our interactive Cranleigh map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Cranleigh, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Cranleigh places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Cranleigh & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 9 audio facts unique to Cranleigh places in an interactive Cranleigh map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Cranleigh Places Map
9 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Cranleigh historic spots	Cranleigh tourist destinations	Cranleigh plaques	Cranleigh geographic features
Walkfo Cranleigh tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Cranleigh

  

Best Cranleigh places to visit

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Cranleigh has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Cranleigh’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Cranleigh’s information audio spots:

Longhurst Lodge Longhurst Lodge is a Grade II listed building in Cranleigh, Surrey, England. It is located on the former Baynards Park estate, about a quarter of a mile northwest of where the country house stood. The Victorian gate lodge is one of four such lodges on the estate, commissioned by the Reverend Thomas Thurlow around 1837, after he purchased the estate.

Baynards railway station Baynards was a railway station on the Cranleigh Line. The line was single track and opened on 2 October 1865. The station comprises the stationmaster’s house, two waiting rooms, covered platforms, storesheds, a booking hall, a porch and a large goods shed.

Visit Cranleigh plaques