Farnham, #1 on this list · Photo: Des Blenkinsopp · CC BY-SA 2.0

Surrey rankings · History

Most historic towns in Surrey

Farnham ranks first on history among Surrey’s 65 towns of 2,500+; 10 of the 65 grade A− or better against UK towns.

The History Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): listed buildings, monuments and registered parks (Historic England, Cadw), per resident and as a count, and homes built before 1919. The rank across England and Wales sits beside each letter. How grades work

Farnham

20,499 people

Better than 93% of UK towns·#103 of 2,156 in England and Wales

Bramley and Wonersh

4,193 people

Better than 91% of UK towns·#143 of 2,156 in England and Wales

Godalming

10,450 people

Better than 89% of UK towns·#191 of 2,156 in England and Wales

All 65 towns, ranked

History grade, best first; ranks are the county ranks on each town’s page (T = tied). Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each rank across England and Wales links to the national list.

Every town in Surrey →

Find a town

65 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns

1Farnham20,499 peopleA#103 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 93% of UK towns

2Bramley and Wonersh4,193 peopleA#143 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 91% of UK towns

3Godalming10,450 peopleA#191 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 89% of UK towns

4Haslemere11,897 peopleA#212 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 87% of UK towns

5Lingfield3,622 peopleA#226 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 87% of UK towns

6Reigate23,774 peopleA#264 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 85% of UK towns

7Dorking17,463 peopleA⁻#271 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 85% of UK towns

8Esher9,484 peopleA⁻#360 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 81% of UK towns

9Shalford2,508 peopleA⁻#399 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 79% of UK towns

10Godstone2,648 peopleA⁻#434 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 77% of UK towns

11Epsom35,857 peopleB⁺#499 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 74% of UK towns

12Farncombe13,247 peopleB⁺#542 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 72% of UK towns

13Guildford77,870 peopleB⁺#551 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 72% of UK towns

14Chertsey14,558 peopleB⁺#590 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 70% of UK towns

15Milford and Witley6,489 peopleB⁺#607 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 69% of UK towns

16Leatherhead11,482 peopleB⁺#681 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 66% of UK towns

17Egham28,003 peopleB#769 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 62% of UK towns

18West End and Chobham8,877 peopleB#785 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 61% of UK towns

19West Molesey47,144 peopleB#814 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 60% of UK towns

20Weybridge15,918 peopleB#875 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 57% of UK towns

21Oxted11,491 peopleB⁻#926 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 55% of UK towns

22Hindhead6,444 peopleB⁻#941 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 54% of UK towns

23Wrecclesham7,312 peopleB⁻#988 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 52% of UK towns

24Redhill32,516 peopleB⁻#1,030 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 50% of UK towns

25Staines-upon-Thames21,327 peopleB⁻#1,051 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 49% of UK towns

26Cobham17,505 peopleB⁻#1,067 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 49% of UK towns

27Windlesham3,706 peopleB⁻#1,071 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 49% of UK towns

28Laleham2,521 peopleB⁻#1,075 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 48% of UK towns

29Ashtead14,830 peopleB⁻#1,078 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 48% of UK towns

30Great Bookham and Fetcham21,655 peopleB⁻#1,092 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 48% of UK towns

31Cranleigh10,430 peopleB⁻#1,104 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 47% of UK towns

32South Merstham9,953 peopleB⁻#1,129 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 46% of UK towns

33East Horsley5,843 peopleC⁺#1,160 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 45% of UK towns

34Woking75,655 peopleC⁺#1,170 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 45% of UK towns

35Ewell27,509 peopleC⁺#1,181 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 44% of UK towns

36Sunbury-on-Thames21,476 peopleC⁺#1,247 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 41% of UK towns

37Horley27,067 peopleC⁺#1,301 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 39% of UK towns

38Byfleet14,187 peopleC⁺#1,331 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 37% of UK towns

39Send4,094 peopleC#1,387 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 34% of UK towns

T40Caterham22,757 peopleC#1,438 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 32% of UK towns

T40Walton-on-Thames27,016 peopleC#1,438 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 32% of UK towns

42Weybourne11,241 peopleC#1,442 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 32% of UK towns

43Stanwell11,728 peopleC#1,444 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 32% of UK towns

44Tadworth and Epsom Downs27,095 peopleC#1,501 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 29% of UK towns

45Virginia Water5,185 peopleC#1,504 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 29% of UK towns

46Chipstead and Woodmansterne4,523 peopleC#1,509 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 29% of UK towns

T47Shepperton5,917 peopleC#1,577 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 25% of UK towns

T47Smallfield2,613 peopleC#1,577 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 25% of UK towns

49Addlestone13,748 peopleC⁻#1,583 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 25% of UK towns

50Bagshot5,930 peopleC⁻#1,591 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 25% of UK towns

51Ash and Ash Vale24,284 peopleC⁻#1,599 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 24% of UK towns

52Camberley36,787 peopleC⁻#1,608 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 24% of UK towns

53Warlingham8,918 peopleC⁻#1,623 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 23% of UK towns

54New Haw, West Byfleet and Sheerwater33,035 peopleC⁻#1,630 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 23% of UK towns

55Banstead8,929 peopleC⁻#1,663 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 21% of UK towns

56Shepperton Green4,358 peopleC⁻#1,686 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 20% of UK towns

57Hersham12,622 peopleC⁻#1,688 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 20% of UK towns

58Whyteleafe3,174 peopleC⁻#1,704 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 20% of UK towns

59Kingswood3,757 peopleC⁻#1,726 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 19% of UK towns

60Bisley4,045 peopleC⁻#1,791 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 16% of UK towns

61Frimley15,101 peopleD#1,847 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 13% of UK towns

62Ashford22,823 peopleD#1,878 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 11% of UK towns

63Lightwater6,539 peopleD#1,979 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 7% of UK towns

64Worcester Park and Stoneleigh15,851 peopleD#2,034 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 5% of UK towns

65Ashford Common8,333 peopleD⁻#2,109 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 2% of UK towns

Not ranked

Not on this list

1 military garrison town or university campus keeps its grade but isn’t ranked: most residents serve in the forces or are students.

Pirbright 3,920 people. Garrison town.

Quick answers

Questions people ask

What is the most historic town in Surrey?

Farnham ranks first on history among 65 towns, with an A: better than 93% of UK towns. Bramley and Wonersh and Godalming follow.

How are these towns ranked?

The History Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): listed buildings, monuments and registered parks (Historic England, Cadw), per resident and as a count, and homes built before 1919. The letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

Garrison towns and university campuses aren’t ranked, and towns without the figures this grade needs are counted above. The list covers Surrey’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in Surrey is on the county page.

Go deeper

More Surrey lists

Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.

All Surrey rankings →

Best places to live65 towns · #1 Wrecclesham Best small towns27 towns · #1 Wrecclesham Most affordable towns65 towns · #1 Whyteleafe Safest towns65 towns · #1 Wrecclesham Towns with the best schools65 towns · #1 East Horsley and Farnham Healthiest towns65 towns · #1 East Horsley Best towns for jobs & income65 towns · #1 Ashtead Most walkable towns65 towns · #1 Epsom Towns with the lowest flood risk65 towns · #1 Banstead and 10 more Best towns for the outdoors65 towns · #1 Whyteleafe Towns with the most civic life65 towns · #1 Bramley and Wonersh Towns with the highest household incomes66 towns · #1 EsherDescribed, no letters Towns with the lowest council tax66 towns · #1 Addlestone and 3 moreDescribed, no letters Towns with the mildest winters66 towns · #1 Ashford and 2 moreDescribed, no letters Towns with the warmest summers66 towns · #1 West MoleseyDescribed, no letters Towns with the coolest summers66 towns · #1 AshteadDescribed, no letters Towns with the fewest frosts66 towns · #1 Sunbury-on-ThamesDescribed, no letters Driest towns66 towns · #1 Stanwell and West MoleseyDescribed, no letters Wettest towns66 towns · #1 HaslemereDescribed, no letters

Sources: Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Cadw listed buildings, scheduled monuments and registered historic parks and gardens via DataMapWales, October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.