Surrey
Art, History & Archaeology Sites & Museums

Once extending heavily into what is now South London, Surrey remains an attractive county with much of archaeological interest. Evidence for prehistoric activity in the area can be seen at the Abinger Pit Dwelling Museum, a very rare survival from the Mesolithic period, as well as at the putatively Bronze Age Frensham Common Barrow Cemetery and the Iron Age hillfort at Holmbury. Medieval Surrey saw the emergence of castles at Farnham and Guildford, as well as fortified manor houses like that now called Betchworth Castle. The Middle Ages also saw several religious establishments created here, as at Waverley Abbey, the first Cistercian monastery in England. One of the most significant events in England’s medieval history was King John’s signing of the Magna Carta, something that took place at Runnymede in Surrey. Interesting modern heritage sites include the Neo-Gothic tower at Leith Hill and the Edwardian country retreat of Polesden Lacey.