Tilford

Tilford is a village and civil parish centred at the point where the two branches of the River Wey merge in Surrey, England, 3 miles (4.8 km) south-east of Farnham. It has half of Charleshill, Elstead in its east, a steep northern outcrop of the Greensand Ridge at Crooksbury Hill on Crooksbury Common in the north and Farnham Common (woodland) Nature Reserve in the west, which has the Rural Life Living Museum. As the Greensand Ridge in its western section is in two parts, the Greensand Way has a connecting spur here to its main route running east–west to the south.

The name "Tilford" appears to identify the Old English name Tila, as Tila's ford" or "Tilla's ford".[2] The two medieval bridges spanning the River Wey are Scheduled Ancient Monuments.[3] Several substantial farm houses date from the 16th century. Tilford House was built in 1727 and its chapel in 1776.[4]

In the mid eighteenth century the village was owned by Elizabeth Abney, daughter of Lady Mary Abney; and her detailed local survey map has survived to this day in the British Library.

During the second world war, Cdr D J L 'Tim' Foster (RN Rtd), who later lived in the village, brought back from northern Russia a reindeer (named Minsk) in his submarine HMS Tigris.[5]

The land reaches 163m OD on the boundary with Seale, with a marked 180° south-facing panorama on OS maps and other guides, taking in much of Alice Holt Forest and the Greensand Ridge. This has contributed to the inclusion wholesale of Tilford into the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty[6] The centre of the parish on the River Wey is at 49-50m OD.[7]

The village centres on a triangular green used for cricket in the summer.

Beside the green is a well-known tree, the Tilford Oak. In the early 21st century the tree was estimated to be at least 800 years old. In 1908 Eric Parker wrote about the Tilford Oak in Highways and Byways in Surrey:

Parker measured the girth again in 1934 and found it to be 1 foot more.[12] The tree's branches have been lopped in recent years and the trunk is patched with iron sheets.

There are three other "British Oaks" nearby, planted at each corner of the triangular green, to commemorate:

All Saints Church of England Infant School[18] occupies an attractive site overlooking the green.

Waverley Abbey Church of England school is in the village. The name is derived from Waverley Abbey.[19]

Tilford, hosts a team in the sport of cricket, which in 2014 won a local village league.[20]

The Tilford Bach Festival founded by Denys Darlow has been held in the village since 1952.[21]

The average level of accommodation in the region composed of detached houses was 28%, the average that was apartments was 22.6%.

The proportion of households in the civil parish who owned their home outright compares to the regional average of 35.1%. The proportion who owned their home with a loan compares to the regional average of 32.5%. The remaining percentage is made up of rented dwellings (plus a negligible percentage of households living rent-free).