Tucked underneath the urban town centre of Guildford, lies the villages of Shalford and Chilworth; both ancient locales with origins tracing back further than the 1086 Domesday Book survey. Nestled on the outskirts of the larger urban centre, this area is filled with charming country homes and greenland. Chilworth in particular has a strong industrious past, with buildings such as the Chilworth Gunpowder Works of 1625 listed as a Scheduled Monument!

As mentioned, both Shalford and Chilworth were listed in the 1086 Domesday Book survey for William the Conquerer, under the names Scaldefor and Celeorde respectively. Shalford being the largest of the two settlements, with over 56 recorded homes in the area! There was an Augustinian monastery, connected to the Newark Priory, that had its base in the heart of Chilworth. After the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536 by King Henry VIII, the site of the monastery was transferred to William Morgan. Over the years the site has developed into what is now known as Chilworth Manor, an imposing country estate with extensive gardens that sits at the top of Chilworth. It is even thought that author John Bunyan, who lived nearby, based a section of his famous ‘Pilgim’s Progress’ book on the path from Chilworth Manor to St. Martha’s chapel nearby! Development outside of industry and country homes waxed and waned over the centuries, peaking with the construction of the Chilworth and Shalford railway stations.

Whilst this ancient history denotes the importance of Shalford and Chilworth as industry locuses, Shalford has a connection to music history also. Phil Collins, the infamous singer and drummer for the band Genesis and his own solo projects, owned a house in Shalford named Old Croft, and is even where he wrote the music for his first solo project ‘Face Value’!

Shalford and Chilworth are currently under review by the broader Guildford council on the grounds to which both settlements should be kept under the Metropolitan Green Belt area. Compared to other flanking villages and parishes, development is slightly faster, and there are pockets of new-builds in the Shalford and Chilworth locale. Outside of new build development, there is a wealth of varied properties on the market currently, from 16th century cottages to two-storey detached country homes!