Named for an old ironworks
Abinger Hammer takes its name from a water-powered iron forge that once stood on the Tillingbourne, channelled to form a hammer pond. The forge worked into the eighteenth century before closing, and the village's well-known blacksmith clock, overhanging the main road, was put up in the early twentieth century in memory of a local landowner.
Reaching up to Leith Hill
The parish stretches from the lower ground near Dorking up to Leith Hill, the highest point in the county, making Abinger one of the largest parishes in Surrey by area and one of the very few to span such a range of landscape.
Within the Surrey Hills
The whole of Abinger parish sits within the Surrey Hills National Landscape, reflecting the wooded, hilly countryside that surrounds both Abinger Hammer and Abinger Common.
Council
Abinger's parish falls within the same Mole Valley District Council area that covers Dorking, a few miles to the east.
Frequently asked questions
Is Abinger Hammer the same place as Abinger Common?+
No, they're separate hamlets within the same large parish, with Abinger Hammer on the main road and Abinger Common a little further south.
Is Abinger within a protected landscape?+
Yes, the whole parish sits within the Surrey Hills National Landscape.
Nearby areas
Services
Useful local links
- Reigate and Banstead Borough Council – Planning — The planning authority covering Reigate and Redhill, a separate borough from Mole Valley.
- Epsom and Ewell Borough Council – Planning permission — The planning authority covering Epsom, a separate borough from Mole Valley.
- Elmbridge Borough Council – Planning permission and applications — The planning authority covering Cobham, a separate borough from Mole Valley.
- 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.