Horsley incorporates two separate semi-rural villages, West and East Horsley. West Horsley consists of a small residential neighbourhood based around a two kilometre-stretch of The Street, whereas East Horsley is a larger settlement about four times the size of its western counterpart. The eastern village also directly borders some woodland areas, as well as other open green spaces, whereas the western one is exclusively surrounded by farmland. Epsom Road cuts through the centre of the area and connects the two towns. There is a railway line running parallel to the road, about two kilometres north of Epsom Road, with a station just outside the area to the northeast, in the northern part of East Horsley. A smattering of lanes connect the two villages to other settlements in the area. Most of the housing in both villages are detached houses of high-quality, with the occasional timber-framed, mock-Tudor style residence. The architecture is very much rural, though the area is supplied with plenty of facilities, with local shops lining the high streets of both East and West Horsley. The area is in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, as well as a 20-minute drive to Guildford, and a 10- minute drive to the M25.

West Horsley appeared in the Domesday Book as Orselei, and East Horsley as Horslei, rendering £6 and £5 respectively to their manor overlords. The area existed as a farming settlement until the Black Death, when the village’s population was so decimated that the land was turned over to grazing, as the population was no longer large enough to be viable for farming. Much of the area was then later enclosed during the Enclosure Act. A distiller and banker later bought the mansion in Horsley Park and made extensive changes to the village, rebuilding many of its houses and restoring the church.

Beatrix Potter used to reside in a cottage in West Horsley with her aunt and uncle, and many of her paintings of animals and some of her books were made while she lived in the area. Also, Helen Allingham, a Victorian watercolourist, painted an image of the village around the same time. It may also interest you to know that Bill Pertwee lived in East Horsley during his time as the air-raid warden in the TV series, Dad’s Army.

One of the most obvious downsides to living in the countryside, is the lack of public transportation. Horsley railway station is the main means of public transportation, with connections to Guildford, Leatherhead, Epsom, and then further into central London. Basic shopping is possible in the villages, but anything else would require heading to the larger towns.

Horsley’s Green Belt location and strong community means that development in the area is generally infrequent and small scale. Nonetheless, the Ada Gardens development in the east of this area is expected to be completed later in 2023 and will comprise 110 new homes of various sizes. Some residents have also expressed concern about a site allocation layed out in the 2019 neighbourhood development plan which allows for the construction of 395 new dwellings on the western periphery of this neighbourhood.