Top 10 PRETTIEST Towns in SURREY

What are the 10 prettiest towns in the county of Surrey? To determine this, I visited them all. Here's what I found out.
Please note the following:
1. Greater London is excluded, ruling out Richmond, Kingston upon Thames etc, even though they are historically considered to be part of Surrey.
2. This list is neither a social commentary, nor a guide on which are the nicest towns to live, but purely a judgement on the aesthetics of each respective town centre.
All footage is my own, and originates from my flagship channel, 4K Explorer, which you can check out here: -- / @4kexplorer
Thanks for watching, and be sure to tap that like button! And let me know in the comments below which towns I may have missed, or which counties you might like to see featured in future videos!

[@martinbeaumont1135]

Thanks for this. So nice to see all those places of my youth. Grew up in Stoneleigh/Ewell/Epsom/Ashtead (we seemed to move further along the A24 everytime we moved house) and enjoyed the pubs and nightlife of the South Down towns :D

[@m.goodengumman3941]

Stonleigh near Kenilworth?

[@tamashumi7961]

The list from the video: 10. Weybridge 9. Chertsey 8. Staines 7. Leatherhead 6. Reigate 5. Dorking 4. Godalming 3. Farnham 2. Haslemere 1. Guilford

[@romanb5076]

Thanks, saved me the time

[@andybaker2456]

As a born and bred Londoner who's spent the last 10 years living in Reigate, I'm actually quite happy to say that Guildford does deserve the number one slot! Reigate's nice, but it is a bit like Surrey's answer to Stepford. 😄

[@jandonald4475]

I love the format of this - easy to listen to, not too long and not too short and a great introduction to Surrey. I'm in the Scottish Highlands so might see you one day if you decide to do John O'Groats. Good luck Alex!

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Ah good to know, thanks! It'd be a heck of a mission, but I hope to pull it off one day!

[@JaneAndrews-y3b]

Thanks so much for this compilation of Surrey towns. I really enjoyed it. I have driven through all these towns many times over a number of years. This has encouraged me to visit again and this time stop and walk around. It's most interesting to hear all the historical facts. Good luck with your new channel, it deserves great success.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Much appreciated, thanks!

[@glad5174]

In Godalming The Phillips memorial is shown, but it's significance isn't mentioned. It is dedicated to Jack Phillips the wireless operator on the Titanic, who remained in post calling for help as it sank.

[@elizabethremsen1901]

Hi Alex! Congratulations on your new adventures and thanks for inviting us along. They are all beautiful, but my favorite is Leatherhead. You know I love the Tudor houses and the scene from the bridge overlooking the water made me wish I was there in person. See you soon. Oh, and I liked the video and subscribed 🙂

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks Elizabeth! Yeah Leatherhead is an overlooked town, for sure. :)

[@oliveee]

It really is lovely, overlooked by the people and also smaller than other towns. Love it here

[@peterknight6535]

Staines was in Middlesex being north of the river, the river being the boundary between the two counties.

[@richboy900]

As a Guildfordian, I totally agree 😏. But in all seriousness Surrey is amazing as a whole

[@elcprof]

A lovely array! I’ve subscribed.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks, I appreciate it!

[@mickmcdonagh1557]

Interesting love a historic town

[@BigDuke6ixx]

Excellent choices.

[@mookie2637]

As someone who was brought up in the town, I am struggling a bit to describe Leatherhead as "pretty".

[@jeffdavies9099]

Agree,it was once a lovely little town,now it's a dump.

[@srdsyndetical]

its basically epsom 2.0 like ashtead theyre just commuter towns now

[@colinpumpernickel2605]

Ashtead is a village.

[@Justice.willArrive]

Amazing

[@sisterhood642]

Your voice rem8nds me of the IELTS listening test😂😂

[@Richard-tp1jp]

lm an english man and ive heard off surrey nole fists patrick the super vets is recorded in woking i like that programme richard

[@sarahlouise7163]

😁 what?

[@nicholasbignell9702]

great video, although is Guildford really the county town? I thought it was Reigate (now the county administration offices were moved from Kingston a couple of years ago)

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

You have a point there. To be honest, county towns are hard to define, especially as they often deviate from the county's admin HQ as with Lancaster/Preston for instance. But according to visitsurreyDOTcom, Guildford is the historic county town - 'historic' perhaps being the operative word though.

[@jeffreywilliams8499]

Actress Charlotte Skeoch who played Hannah Abbott from the Harry Potter movies grew up in Surrey

[@janoginski5557]

Lived in Farnham for a short while, a beautiful town & the surrounding countryside. It’s now 50 years since, hard to believe. Il have to pause there. It really hits you. I had lovely friends there & I hope they’ve had as good & fascinating a Life as I have had.Lovely memories. Live your Life to the full.

[@juni.Th17]

9:15 Genesis band?👏👏

[@jimdanial5735]

Claygate is also nice. Small cute town.

[@JohnResalb]

Have you done all the counties ?

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

It's a work in progress. I'm up to 9 so far.

[@JohnResalb]

@@AlexinGreatBritain I think your knowledge is very admirable as I notice you're not from down here, and in my own travels, I've met people who have never been down south, and as you can imagine I'm sure the other way round is just as comparable (but i never ask them). The vast majority of Brits are more familiar with the Costa del Sol than they are with places even in their own county!!!!!!!

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

@@JohnResalb Thanks, and yeah it's crazy how so many native Brits are unable to pinpoint entire counties on the map! But I blame the National Curriculum for that. As for the Costa del Sol, I get sunburn just thinking about it.

[@14.74-i9j]

I love this town.🏩

[@TheRealMikeyXD_UK]

do u think woking is a pretty town? i mean the center looks quite good

[@vintagevic4593]

Dump

[@hangin-in-thereawesome4245]

How pretty, no beautiful the countryside is. The towns were interesting with no big box stores with ten acre parking lots like in US!

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Ah well we do have a few towns a tiny bit like that - just none that made it onto this list!

[@Traalijo]

Cobham?

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Technically a village, so doesn't qualify under the rules I set out for the series.

[@daydays12]

Just urban sprawl 😞. and even a Croydon look alike ( Woking) Surrey was once a beautiful county. If these are the 'prettiest' towns what are the others like?

[@thomaspridmore106]

The worst roads uk surrey pothole capital redhill

[@stephendendy8376]

It’s mostly white British so still nice areas

[@lindabny0205]

England just seems to have no end of fabulous places- loved this quick trip to Surrey!

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Hey, thanks for watching!

[@obrienoverthewall]

Unfortunately it’s full of Southerners

[@colinmorand129]

@@obrienoverthewallwonder why lol

[@ronaldsimpson8890]

Because all the rich people live there.

[@MichaelA-hq2ds]

I want to try ​@@AlexinGreatBritain

[@idaornstein1305]

English towns do not look bleak at all. They look wonderful considering how old they are. Such history. Thank you!

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks! I see another commenter doesn't feel the same way but hey, you can't win them all!

[@samcox9333]

As someone from Surrey and a history geek I have immediately subscribed haha

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Ah lovely, welcome to the channel!

[@carlavw60]

Such a great tour of these quaint, beautiful towns. I’m ready for more adventures.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks, there's more in the pipeline!

[@NWRCB]

Nice to see my hometown of Guildford at no. 1 position!

[@slothsarecool]

English towns look so bleak compared to most of Europe

[@jennyoshea1958]

England has many many beautiful towns and villages, far superior to most of Europe. The Surrey towns in this video are filmed mainly on overcast days and are not representative of England in general. English towns and villages are renowned for there tree lined streets and many parks and rivers. Filming on sunny days highlights the various styles of architecture (sun on brick against blue skies, for example), which make a huge difference to their appearance and contrasting beauty; Unfortunately, Alex didn't do this Even Venice looks dirty and rundown on cloudy days with bleak, grey colourless water. You obviously don't know England. Many Europeans choose to live in our amazing Country for its unending charms and architectural styles ✨🌟✨

[@AA-uf3bl]

That's not true at all. English towns are way prettier, quieter, and perfect places to have a peace of mind. I'm neither English nor European but someone who has lived in a few countries in Europe for a great many years.

[@sarahlouise7163]

🤣

[@MichaelA-hq2ds]

nyoshea1958

[@ianspeed2009]

I think it's great that you give historical accounts of our wonderful English history. well done to you sir!

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks very much!

[@gemmabryden4864]

I am originally from Surrey I live in Salford Manchester area now noisy in Manchester but Surrey where I lived was quite

[@robertclare6137]

You missed the lovely Thames Ditton but anywhere in Surrey is lovely

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

I decided to limit it to towns, as otherwise it'd be too big a task to visit all villages!

[@jimpomac]

Having grown up in the area i was highly amused when they renamed it , "Staines upon Thames " They might as well have called it "Beans upon Toast " .

[@alisonjudithbailey9125]

Lovely, thanks. Good information, well researched and presented. I think Castle Street in Farnham needed more of a feature. It is a beautiful wide avenue leading to the castle.

[@xetalq]

Haslemere - no. 2 on the list at 10:18 of the video - is where I grew up. I'm surprised that Haslemere is as low as no.2 - I felt certain that if=t wood be higher on the list than that. In my life and my profession, I have travelled the world entire and seen many beautiful countries in every continent on Earth (with the exception of Antarctica). But Haslemere remains - for me - amongst the prettiest places I have ever seen in all my life.

[@club_rock]

HELLO ALEX If you sign to broadcast your programs on BBC , ITV or Discovery Channel you might become a celebrity ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

An interesting thought! I think even if I had a million subscribers they'd still snub me though!

[@flower-ss2jt]

So glad I found this channel - what a huge amount of research you do, really interesting. Thank you.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Very kind of you to say, thanks!

[@manonvernon8646]

Thought Guildford was a dump when I visited to be honest - half the high street shops shut down, chain restaurants galore, beggars in the street and rather grotty and sorry-looking - not really helped by being next to a major motorway I suppose. If Guildford really is the cream of Surrey, well you can safely give all of Surrey a miss.

[@KayBacci]

I lived in Guildford for several years before moving to live in Italy. I loved Guildford but the last time I was there In August 2023, I was sad to see how it had declined. I think it was badly hit by the Covid pandemic.

[@BoninBrighton]

As I lived 27 years in Surrey I’m fascinated by your list- and of course beautiful places come into their own in different seasons…. so did you pick one season?

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Nah, I'm a man for all seasons, haha! These were filmed across random months over a 2-year period. Guildford castle grounds in the spring was nice, I'll say that much!

[@coldenufforsnow]

I love this Alex with the birdsong and your dulcet tones 😊

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Haha, thanks! Well royalty-free music's normally a bit rubbish, so I thought why not use birds instead?

[@murrayfranklyn84]

When I lived in Chertsey, I was told that the origin of a "Cock and Bull story" came from the two pubs in the town. The story would start in The Cock pub and be embellished by the time it got told in The Bull pub.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

That's interesting! I heard the legend came from Stony Stratford in Buckinghamshire. Maybe the folks from Chertsey are trying to claim it as their own.

[@aaronmwangi8453]

very beatiful work bro i just subscribed

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Cheers!

[@linkbizkit6865]

I can't believe i live in a town built in 666 AD 😲.

[@post_to_be0090]

I lived in Guildford for 2 years. really beautiful city. hated the night life tho

[@colinpumpernickel2605]

It's a town.

[@3brenm]

Where's woking?

[@CoojertM]

You’ve got to be kidding? Patchwork of rubbish buildings old and new, WBC haven’t got a clue and are now bankrupt to the tune of £1.2 billion.

[@CoojertM]

But to answer your question Woking is in Surrey😂

[@johnorchin8567]

Woking is 25 minutes south of London Waterloo on a fast train - which are very frequent. That is all you need to know!

[@cjmillsnun]

This isn't turdtowns! I'm sure when they do Surrey it will feature.

[@gracewahl3708]

Great tour idea! --Grace C in western Pennsylvania 💞💞💞

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks Grace!

[@IanLawrie-l9q]

Fabulous!👍👏👌

[@cathyg8242]

Charming little towns! I’ve subscribed!

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thank you very much!

[@jbg48]

Great list. I think I would replace Weybridge with Cobham, and Haslemere really should be no.1 as it is right on the edge of some stunning views to the south, Blackdown and Marley Heights. But also Guildford, having as it does both a University and a Cathedral, is technically a city.

[@steve.b.23]

Staines was originally called Negen Stanes (Saxon for "nine stones") after a stone circle that sat at the convergence of 9 ley-lines. The circle was comprised of (yep, you guessed it!) nine stones. The circle stood approximately where the Sainsbury's roundabout near Staines Bridge now stands. As for the recent name change, you can't polish a turd, but you can rename it Turd-upon-Thames. 😆

[@ShakeelAhmed-pr7gn]

Good debut to the new channel. Nice one Alex.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks Shakeel!

[@stevebadcock9206]

Godalming is lovely… the school I went to in nearby Farncombe sucked but as a town in itself, I can’t say much bad about Godalming

[@paulasparrow3571]

I've lived in Surrey most of my life and worked in half the towns listed but knew very few of the facts mentioned. Really interesting!

[@jenniferbate9682]

Very interesting series. Thank you Alex.

[@frippp66]

The Stranglers! What a great band 🖤🖤🖤

[@annetteconroy6921]

They are pretty towns

[@Gengingen]

Surrey, BC Canada 😊

[@MrFlyingguy]

enjoyed that

[@oliviaperrin1146]

How dreary it all looks .

[@deaddoll1361]

Immeasurably brightened by your absence.

[@fionaabedin2325]

Brilliant video. Thanks 😊

[@janepowell1303]

Thank you it louely

[@craiglittle1437]

Up there

[@SaranKj]

Thanks ! Beautiful town.

[@MENSA.lady2]

I'm Farnham bred and Guildford educated. Nice video but 1 glaring error. Guildford is not the County town. That honour belongs to Kingston-on-Thames even though it's no longer in Surrey.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Yeah I read about that actually. Guildford is apparently considered the historic county town (with the emphasis on historic), but the administrative headquarters are in Kingston as you say. Although I believe they've recently moved it again to Reigate. Pretty confusing stuff!

[@tonyadeney1245]

nice youve added some history snips

[@alessiomarchese1753]

At 0:16 in which town do I find these ancient walls with the crosses and, what I assume, straight after a "nearby" river? I would love to get there.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

The ancient walls are the ruins of Reigate Castle, which is right in the town centre. The clip of the river straight after is separate - it's from Staines-upon-Thames.

[@muddyboots2531]

It is quite amazing that you visit each place personally. Really enjoying the series.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Well it's the only way to do it right, I feel. Thanks, I appreciate that!

[@NoreeneSweeney]

Good for you! Will be watching to watch your videos, wherever they may be. Subscribed too.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Much appreciated, thanks!

[@MandyAustin-nl4cn]

9:00 ❤

[@bouncingbluesoul5270]

Can you do a Top Ten Biggest Shitholes In Surrey list ?

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Shaming towns for cheap clicks is the exact opposite of what my channel's about. There are plenty of others who would do a video like what you're suggesting though.

[@fredbloggs8072]

Okay, so Godalming gave the world Genesis, & Guildford gave us The Stranglers ....but Woking gave us The Jam! I reckon there must be something in the water in Surrey.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

You might be right! And Crawley gave us The Cure - I know it's just over the border into Sussex, but still.

[@colinpumpernickel2605]

Jimmy Page was brought up in Epsom. Eric Clapton was brought up in Ripley. Surrey was known in the Sixties as the Surrey Delta because it was where the Blues boom in the UK began. The Stones had a residency in a pub in Richmond before fame came knocking.

[@joshberith]

Great vid. What about ottershaw?

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks! I've excluded villages, so Ottershaw wouldn't qualify.

[@desistuff8668]

No redhill in the list

[@vintagevic4593]

Ha ha because it’s a legendary dump

[@DeirdreTeggart]

As always with Alex, a really interesting tour. Looking forward to lots more.

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks, I appreciate it! :)

[@JudyStephens-nz4xw]

Subscribed

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

Thanks!

[@watchtellyinuk]

This is USELESS without time markers ... I want to see 1 town not all of them. And you don't even BOTHER to add the village name where you say NUMBER: no wonder only 100 people viewed it. LOSE

[@AlexinGreatBritain]

You might want to check the view count again, my friend. But thanks for the tip - if I ever need to REDUCE my average watch time, I'll give that a try.

[@rickansell661]

Guildford isn't a Town, it's a City. The relatively modern (1961), brick-built, Cathedral is away from the City Centre, perched on the top of Stag Hill near the University. And the cloister you were wandering around in Godalming is the Phillips Memorial Cloister. It commemorates Jack Phillips, Chief Wireless Telegraphist of the RMS Titanic. Jack was born close by in Farncombe and worked in the local Post Office before he went to sea. He, along with his deputy Harold Bride, remained at his post, transmitting distress messages, until power was almost lost and Captain Smith arrived to tell them to save themselves. By the time they left the Wireless Room the floor was covered with water. Bride survived, Phillips did not.

[@cjmillsnun]

When was it granted city status? Guildford is a town. It is the exception to the rule that anywhere with a catherdral is a city.

[@rickansell661]

@@cjmillsnun Just read up on this. I am wrong, you are correct. Despite, for example, the local Football Club being 'Guildford City', despite many locals (including me, up to today) beliving it is a City, Guildford remains a Town. I wish YT allowed me to edit my post :(