On the southeasterly tip of Woking’s outskirts, nestled amongst the River Wey and its tributaries, lies the rural locale of Send, Surrey. Comprising of the Send village and the neighbouring Ripley parish, this pastoral landscape is known for its natural beauty and the River Wey navigation, a canal route that connects the River Thames to Surrey. Send’s picturesque terrain is home to several enormous 17th century country houses, ranging upwards of £5 million in price!

Send’s history as a settlement is incredibly long, and it’s first recording actually predates the infamous Domesday Book survey of 1086, first being recorded in 960 as ‘Sendan’, archived in the Cartularium Saxonicum. Archaeological surveying in the Send area has uncovered several Neolithic flints, and Roman coins have also been discovered there! By the time of the Domesday Book, the settlement was recorded as a thriving rural community, and was recorded as ‘Sande’. The name is supposedly a corruption of Old English and Saxon, meaning ‘sandy place’. It continued to flourish as a rural and dispersed community throughout history, and in the nearby parish of Ripley, there stands a cottage dated from 1401!

Send’s rural landscape was once the site of a long-forgotten military skirmish. On the 14th of June 1497, Cornish rebels marching upon the West from Kent reached the settlement of Guildford. Fighting occurred between Royal troops and the Cornish rebels on the outposts of the road leading from Guildford to London, located on a map to be near Send! The Royal troops then lost track of the rebels, as they fell back to Kent.

Owing to its rural character and prolonged history, there is a unique residential character to both Send and Ripley’s housing and infrastructure. Coupled with the existence of several large-scale country manors selling for the millions, the area’s development has stagnated over recent years. Many resident’s feel protective of the local character of the area, and therefore are resistant to large infrastructural and developmental change. However, the Allium Park development coming Summer of 2024, which aims to provide a new community space between Send and Ripley, offering new homes, public spaces, and ammenities. Although, the area has been designated to prioritise those with connections to Guildford Borough and the Surrey county.