page_title: Elstead
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Elstead / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Elstead Bridge from the Southwest showing the Old Bridge, which takes the West bound Traffic over the River Wey. Late Summer. Characteristic weed streaming below.This is a photo of listed building number 1044453.
context_page_description: Elstead is a civil parish in Surrey, England with shops, houses and cottages spanning the north and south sides of the River Wey; development is concentrated on two roads that meet at a central green. It includes Pot Common its southern neighbourhood. Hamlets in the parish, marginally separated from the village centre, are Charleshill and Elstead Common, both rich in woodland. Elstead lies between Farnham and Godalming on the B3001 road about 2.2 miles west of the A3 Milford interchange.
context_section_description: Elstead's relative prosperity over the centuries can be partly attributed to the existence of the availability of a site for a watermill and a bridge over the river; parts of the bridge are dated to around 1300.
  The first known reference to Elstead is in the 1128 foundation charter for Waverley Abbey (sometimes spelt Waverly), where it was called Helestede. The church of St James was built around ten years later. It still contains 13th-century windows and some 14th-century timbers and is a Grade II* listed building.
  In the 14th century, the Scheduled ancient monument bridge was built over the River Wey. Today this old bridge, strengthened by Surrey County Council in 1993, takes the westward traffic; eastward traffic takes the new bridge alongside.
  Elstead had a forge built in 1686 which is now an office.
  Elstead Mill, now a pub restaurant, was occupied by Oliver Cromwell’s ‘roundhead’ army during the English Civil War but subsequently burnt down. The present structure is described in its listing as being the result of several re-buildings from the 16th century.
  There are two other pub restaurants, The Woolpack and The Fleece, reflecting the early dependence on the local wool trade, also two other restaurants and a fish & chip shop.
  During the 18th and 19th centuries, Elstead was known for the quality and quantity of carrots grown there, with daily shipments by train from nearby Milford Station up to London's Covent Garden market during the growing season. This is attributed to the light sandy soils in the village which are excellent for carrot growing.
  In 1997 a millennium oak  was planted at the southern apex of the village green under the auspices of the afternoon WI.
caption: Elstead Old Bridge, built circa 1300
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