A forge that gave the village its name
The Tillingbourne was dammed in the sixteenth century to create a hammer pond that powered an iron forge on the site, and although the forge itself closed in 1787, the name Abinger Hammer has stuck ever since. A large ornamental clock spanning the main road, with a figure of Jack the Blacksmith striking the hour, was put up in memory of the first Lord Farrer of Abinger.
A literary connection nearby
The novelist E. M. Forster lived close to the village at West Hackhurst, a house designed by his own father, and kept the lease there from the 1920s until it ran out in the 1940s. The village and its surrounding land carry two separate conservation area designations covering different periods of building.
Council
Abinger Hammer forms part of the wider Abinger civil parish, placing it under Mole Valley District Council rather than the Waverley Borough Council area that covers Cranleigh a few miles to the south.
Frequently asked questions
What is the clock on the main road in Abinger Hammer?+
An ornamental clock spanning the A25, featuring a figure known as Jack the Blacksmith who strikes the hour, put up in memory of the first Lord Farrer of Abinger.
Which council covers Abinger Hammer?+
Mole Valley District Council, since the village forms part of the wider Abinger civil parish rather than the Waverley area that covers Cranleigh.
Nearby areas
Services
Useful local links
- Waverley Borough Council – Do I need planning permission? — The planning authority covering Cranleigh and most of the surrounding villages, including Ewhurst, Alfold, Dunsfold, Bramley and Wonersh.
- Guildford Borough Council – Do I need planning permission? — The planning authority covering Guildford, Shere, Peaslake and Chilworth, a separate borough from Waverley.
- Mole Valley District Council – Do I need Planning Permission? — The planning authority covering Ockley, Walliswood, Okewood Hill and part of Holmbury St Mary, a separate district from Waverley.
- GOV.UK – Planning permission: when you need it — Government guidance on when planning permission is required in England and Wales.
- GOV.UK – Party Wall etc. Act 1996 guidance — Government guidance on notifying neighbours and resolving disputes over shared or boundary walls, relevant to attached garage conversions.
- Planning Portal – Garage conversion — National guidance on when planning permission is needed for a garage conversion in England.
- Planning Portal – Outbuildings — National guidance on permitted development rules for garden buildings and outbuildings, including height and coverage limits.
- Surrey Hills National Landscape — The designated landscape covering many of the villages around Cranleigh, including Ewhurst, Peaslake, Hascombe and Shere.