Surrey is a particularly affluent county divided in two by the chalk ridge of the North Downs which is traversed by the Rivers Wey and Mole, both tributaries of the Thames. There are London Clay soils in the east, Bagshot Sands in the west and alluvial deposits along the rivers.

Its various towns, including Guildford, Woking, Ewell and Camberley, mainly developed with the arrival of the railway in the mid-19th century. You can therefore find many Victorian properties from this period and Edwardian properties and many 20th century developments, although there are earlier surviving buildings such as Guildford Castle (dates from just after the Norman Conquest) and Waverley Abbey (ruins).

Surrey is particularly known for its contribution to Arts & Crafts properties and the late 19th century work of architect Edwin Lutyens, who favoured traditional styles and materials. A considerable number of small houses and public houses of the 16th century still survive and there are even more survivors from the 17th century, including for example Abbot's Hospital, built in 1619 but in the Tudor Style.