Five Historic Pubs in and around the Surrey Hills

The Running Horses stands on the Old London Road in Mickleham, at the foot of Box Hill. Historic England lists it as an 18th-century coach and posting inn, with a painted brick front and a weatherboarded north side. The pub itself describes the building as a 16th-century inn and says it has been a hostelry for over 400 years.

According to CAMRA, the pub is named after the 1828 Derby, which ended in a dead heat and was settled by a run-off, and racehorses were once stabled here. The restaurant is in the converted stables. In the bar, a large fireplace holds a log fire in winter, and there are beams and horse brasses throughout.

Roast sirloin is on the Sunday menu. Dogs are welcome in the bar and on the front patio, but not in the dining room.

The Victoria is the odd one out here. It is on Oxshott High Street in Elmbridge, outside the Surrey Hills, and it is not old in the way the others are: the pub says it has stood on the High Street for over 100 years. The current team has run it since 2021.

People come for the kitchen. The restaurant holds three AA Rosettes, the pub is recognised in the Michelin Guide, and the cooking is led by Head Chef Daniel Lee. Dry-aged Hereford sirloin is on the Sunday menu. There are log fires in the colder months and a beer garden that is open from May to September.

Through the rest of 2026 the pub is holding a series of dining events with the chef Mark Sargeant, including a game menu on 22 October.

The Crown Inn faces the green at Chiddingfold. Historic England lists it at Grade II* and dates it to the 14th century: a six-bay, timber-framed Wealden building with jettied cross wings on dragon beams and deep brick fireplaces, restored in the 20th century. The listing calls it an important part of the group of buildings around the green.

Inside there is a crown-post roof, oak beams, oak panelling, a large inglenook fireplace and stained-glass windows. The glass suits the village: between the 14th and 17th centuries Chiddingfold was a glass-making centre, and its window glass went to St Stephen's Chapel at Westminster.

In 1552 the boy-king Edward VI and his retinue, some 4,000 men, camped on the green outside. Daniel and Hannah have owned the inn since 2008, and there are eight bedrooms.

The Merry Harriers is in Hambledon, near Godalming. Historic England lists it as an 18th-century house, now a pub, with a sandstone rubble ground floor, restored and altered in the 19th and 20th centuries. The pub dates itself to the 16th century and points to its original oak beams across the bar and dining areas. There is an open fire in cooler weather.

Since 2023 it has been run by the team behind Hilltop Kitchen. The menu changes daily, guided by what is fresh from their own farm.

You can stay the night. There are four rooms in the inn and six garden rooms at the back. Across the road, five shepherd huts are set around a fish pond, each with its own firepit. The garden rooms and huts are pet-friendly.

The White Horse is on the route of the Greensand Way as it passes through Hascombe. Surrey County Council's directions for the Witley to Gatestreet section go "opposite the White Horse Inn". It is a Young's pub. Historic England lists it at Grade II as a late 18th-century building of colourwashed stone rubble with brick quoins. The pub describes itself as a 16th-century country pub.

The kitchen, run by Head Chef Aaron, has its own dry ager, and the pub says its aged cuts get a minimum of 35 days. Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the pub and the garden, so it works well as the end of a walk.