Centuries of gunpowder production
The gunpowder mills beside the Tillingbourne stream were operated by a series of companies, including the East India Company from the early seventeenth century, supplying gunpowder used well beyond Surrey before production finally ended after the First World War. The remains are now a scheduled ancient monument.
A valley village
Chilworth's houses sit in a narrow valley between wooded hillsides, a very different setting from the flatter land around Cranleigh, with the old industrial site now largely reclaimed by woodland and open access land.
Council
Planning and building control at Chilworth sits with Guildford Borough Council, reflecting its position closer to Guildford than to Cranleigh.
Frequently asked questions
What were the Chilworth gunpowder mills?+
A historic gunpowder-making works beside the Tillingbourne stream, operated by various companies including the East India Company, with the surviving remains now a scheduled ancient monument.
Which council covers Chilworth?+
Guildford Borough Council covers planning and building control for Chilworth.
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.