Historic Pubs of Surrey

The Historic Pubs of Surrey

Below is a list of my favourite Historic Pubs of Surrey, with a clickable link that tells you a bit about them, a review and with maps of where they are. If you are a visitor to the UK, London , of course, is the main place to see in the south of England but there is a lot more to the south than London. To get a real experience of England and absorb some of its history head out of London to the Historic Pubs of Surrey!

Some of these pubs are in the picturesque Surrey Hills. If you are looking for some great countryside and a driving route to these pubs with maps and directions, see my Surrey Hills.

Britain is famous for its history and nowhere is that more in evidence than the village pub. A meeting place and, in fact, the centre of the village for centuries, the village pub is steeped in history. If you like ‘olde-worlde’, ‘Harry Potter-esque’ places, this list is for you. Below is the list of my favourite Historic Pubs of Surrey.

Local Knowledge of the Historic Pubs of Surrey

Living in Surrey, I certainly know the pubs of Surrey well! I have chosen the ones on my list for several reasons. Sometimes they are old or quirky and some have great food and drink. Some, of course, have all of these features. In this case, I have been to every single pub on this list multiple times to check the quality.

Aahhh, don’t thank me, it’s a dirty job but somebody’s got to do it! A lot of the Historic Pubs of Surrey listed here are regular favourites where I happily go and spend my time and money, who knows, I might see you there! The list is in no particular order, but if you click on the title, it will take you to my review page where I give a full review of them and photos.

Old World Interior

Honest Reviews

To find out more about the pub just click on its picture or name and its review will open in a new tab. And it’s worth mentioning as I do on every page;

‘As usual, on these reviews, we were not paid to do it, we paid for our own food and drink out of our own pockets and the staff had no idea we were reviewing! Therefore, I feel our review is exactly as you would experience when visiting the pub.’

This way the review offers myhonest opinion of the pub, not influenced by anything except the quality of the food and service.

Lots of historic pubs of Surrey were shortlisted but the ones that made the list are, in my opinion, really special. Each review comes with contact info for the pub and a map courtesy of Google Maps. Just click on the map to get directions via Google. I have tried to include prices, but of course, they are subject to change. Menus are also subject to change and are available on all the pubs’ websites. A link is included at the bottom of each page along with opening times.

To reiterate, I don’t do paid reviews and I only include pubs that have something notable about them. However, If you know a pub that you think would make a good addition to this list, for historical or quirky reasons, leave a comment below in the ‘Post a Comment‘ section right at the bottom of the page. If it looks interesting, I will do one of my stealth visits and the review will be posted here. Not every pub makes the cut – perhaps three quarters do for various reasons. And the various reasons for a pub not making the cut are; bad service, bad food, bad experience and just plain boring..!

Click here if you are looking for Historic Pubs of Sussex

The Surrey Oaks – Newdigate

The Surrey Oaks has a reputation of being a very good real ale pub. And certainly, this would appear to be borne out by the number of awards on the walls. But in the process of expanding my knowledge of Surrey pubs as well as expanding my waistline, I discovered it also does good traditional pub food.

I ate a proper Steak and Kidney pudding here, I haven’t had one for ages and it was everything I remembered! And with a homemade scotch egg for both starter and dessert, it made it a meal to remember. Yay for nostalgia!

The Mill at Elstead

The Mill at Elstead is a 16th Century building with a charming pub inside. Set on the River Wey near Elstead the mill is only one of two pubs I know with a watermill inside it, the other one being the Gomshall Mill, below.

First off, booking is important! Indeed, we were there on a Sunday afternoon and it was heaving! Just inside the door as we entered was a Maitre d’ / receptionist. Also. the backdrop here is of the turning waterwheel. Also, it’s a striking reminder of the history of the building. See the video further on, for the waterwheel. We found the staff to be very friendly and attentive when they were at the table…

Gomshall Mill – Gomshall

The Gomshall Mill is another pub in Surrey that has the stream going through the pub and a watermill too! Parts of the Gomshall Mill date back to the 17th Century, but there seems to have been a mill on the site since at least 1086. The building becoming a pub is a fairly recent thing surprisingly, happening in 2001. Eagle-eyed visitors can also spot that the Gomshall Mill contains some of the original machinery from the 1600s!

The Grantley Arms Wonersh

If you are looking for a pub with great food, some fabulous history and even a couple of ghosts kicking about the place, The Grantley Arms Wonersh fits the bill! Indeed, the building itself is nearly 500 years old. It has local beers on draught, T.E.A from the Hogs Back Brewery and Shere Drop from the Surrey Hills Brewery. And, of course, a good wine list! Also, it has some of the best and most reasonably priced pub food I have come across. Also, seating was ample and luckily we didn’t have to share our meal with any ghosts!

The White Horse – Shere

The village of Shere is one of the most picturesque in the UK in my opinion and has certainly been used in many films. This pub with its good value food appeared in The Holiday. The White Horse – Shere was built in about 1425 as a farmhouse. The Inglenook fireplaces were added later in the 1600s and it became an inn in the 1700s with its own brewhouse, this was partly due to Shere growing larger because of the wool and sheep trade. Of course, it’s worth a look around the rest of this picturesque village too! There is also a nice church in the village to have a mooch around too!

Dog and Pheasant – Brook, Godalming

An old medieval hall house, it was built in the late 15th century. This Medieval pub is a cosy place that prides itself on its food, and rightly so. It specialises in using local ingredients in its food and locally sourced beers.

As soon as you look at the menu you can tell the Dog and Pheasant is a pub that takes its food extremely seriously, and it does it very well!

The wine list alone has nearly 40 different wines! Also, there are smaller craft-type ales on offer from the likes of the Dorking Brewery, Hammerpot from Sussex and Sharps from Cornwall.

The Crown – Chiddingfold

A 14th Century pub visited by commoners and Royals alike, that just oozes history with oak beams, sloping floors and stained glass. One of the oldest Pubs in Surrey, it is one of the most historically important pubs in Surrey as well.

Allegedly established in 1285, records, of course, are a bit sketchy at this time, so no one knows when it was actually built.

The earliest mention of the building, however, is from around 1383, so we have to call it 14th Century.

The White Hart – Witley

A modern smoked meat / BBQ twist! The White Hart at Witley is an Elizabethan (16th Century) public house and is said to stand on the site of an Anglo-Saxon Inn. Also, it is thought to have been a Royal hunting lodge. The Grade II listed building is now a pub, with a BBQ twist!

It is said to have one of the oldest continuous licences of any pub in England. In fact, for those who like old pubs with plenty of history, this place is perfect! If you are looking for a country pub to visit in Surrey, you could do a lot worse! It must be said, the smoked BBQ food here is just amazing!

The Plough – Coldharbour

A 17th Century coaching Inn with, surprisingly, its own brewery! Set in the Surrey Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, AONB, is The Plough Coldharbour.

Coldharbour is near the hills highest point, Leith Hill, at 294 metres (965ft) above sea level. Also, it is the highest community in the South of England has a population of about 240 residents.

It’s not a big place but the pub has a warm enough welcome for everyone!

Stephan Langton – Friday Street

This is certainly not the oldest pub in Surrey but perhaps it will win the award for the most secluded. Tucked in the small hamlet of Friday Street, the Stephan Langton Friday Street is an open secret for walkers, bikers and those who like getting off the beaten track.

I suspect there has been a pub in the hamlet forever but this one was built I think in the 30s after the previous one had burnt down, however, it’s very difficult to find any written records for the small villages.

Red Lion – Betchworth

The Red Lion Betchworth has an amazingly old Wisteria. Legend has it it is 230 years old, I don’t know whether to believe that or not! But, judging by the size of the trunk, it is, to be sure, extremely old! Little touches like this and its overall sense of age and location make for a great pub.

Also, The Red Lion Betchworth has a cricket pitch at the back which is used during the season.

It doesn’t get much more Eccentrically English than that.

So sit back, enjoy a drink and some food and watch the cricket.

How civilized!

Why Visit the Historic Pubs of Surrey.

While being a very personal list, I have tried to only put Historic Pubs with only good food and atmosphere on this list. The range of dates of these pubs is huge, some of the oldest on this list are 900 years old.

It used to be the case that food in Britain was terrible! That has been changing over the last 20 years. While keeping some of the more traditional items on pub menus, fish and chips anyone? There has been a move towards a more worldwide menu.

As mentioned before, my Surrey Hills driving route covers The White Horse at Shere, The Gomshall Mill at Gomshall, The Stephen Langton at Friday Street and the Plough at Coldharbour. Just make sure you have a dedicated driver!

Drink

Drink has always been important to the British and, of course, we have always had great beer. Real Ales are a real prize, and it’s always worth trying some of the local brews. One of the pubs on this list has its own brewery on-site, such as the Plough at Coldharbour. If that is not to your taste, wines are made in the UK with some promising vineyards. Of course, wines from all over the world are also available!

Artisan spirits are also available, with Gin making a resurgence in the UK, there are some interesting local concoctions to try!

If you are looking for some Sussex Pubs to visit, see my Historic Pubs of Sussex

All prices mentioned are correct at time of writing

Surrey Oaks Newdigate

Blog, England, Pubs, South East England, Surrey, Surrey Pubs, Travel

The Mill at Elstead

Blog, England, Pubs, South East England, Surrey, Surrey Pubs, Travel, UK, United Kingdom

The Grantley Arms Wonersh

Blog, England, Pubs, South East England, Surrey, Surrey Pubs, Travel, UK, United Kingdom

Surrey Hills

Blog, Destinations, Pubs, South East England, Surrey, Surrey Pubs, Travel, UK, United Kingdom