Nestled beneath the buzz of the M25 and the rolling landscapes of the North Downs sits the village and civil parish Godstone, Surrey. Just south of Caterham and just west of the nearby commuter hub Oxted, Godstone sits small in amongst its grand neighbours. Beginning as a medieval hamlet that was nearly wiped out in the 14th century, Godstone has only bloomed of recent years with diversity in its housing market and its population. Nowadays the village nurtures a keen sense of community spirit - with over 20 community focused organisations!

Godstone actually began its known life as a hamlet of the nearby Walkingstead, recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as ‘Wachelestede’. Although over the centuries the centre of the parish shifted towards the now Godstone! The origins of it’s name, Godstone, is still debated today. Some say its etymologically related to other similarly named hamlets, like Godmanchester, with the ‘god’ prefix a leftover remnant from the Goths. Some, however, believe it originates from the medieval daughter of King Ethelred, named Goda, who married Eustace of Bologne - the owner of the land at Godstone. Neither of these claims have been proven true nor false! What is true, though, is that Godstone was nearly wiped from the map. During the Black Death plague of 1349, the population diminished so significantly that Godstone neared extinction - but survived. The village grew again, but only centuries later, as a vital crossing and stopping point for journeymen and travellers from London to the southeast. There is where the contemporary history of Godstone begins!

Although a small village, Godstone is well known for its tourist attractions. Namely, the Godstone Farm - a huge children’s farm complex that specialises in birthday parties and farmer experiences - with plenty of farm animals and even reptiles on show. The other - for an older crowd - is the Godstone Vineyards to the northeast of the village that produces award winning sparkling English wines!

Situated with the Tandridge District of Surrey, development in the Godstone area has often been slow to take due to the diminuitive size of the area and its proximity to much larger and much more efficiently connected commuter towns. Owing to Godstone’s lack of railway transportation, the area relies on car traffic and travel to the nearby Caterham for inter-city travel. That being said, Godstone has been the focus of recent developments highlighted by the Tandridge District Council’s local plan. The plan highlights a recently approved housing project of 18 units for Godstone’s high street and a waiting-to-be-approved 150 housing units just west of Godstone!