Alfold is recorded in the Domesday Book as Ealdingefold, a name suggesting an old or established fold, perhaps a clearing or enclosure in the forest. The village sits in the Low Weald, close to the Sussex border, on heavy clay soil that made farming harder here than on the lighter soils further north. St Nicholas's Church has 13th century origins and contains some interesting medieval features, including a timber-framed porch.
The village was part of the broader Wealden landscape that supported iron making and glass production during the Tudor period. While Alfold itself was primarily agricultural, the surrounding woods provided charcoal and timber for the industries at neighbouring villages. The lanes connecting Alfold to Cranleigh, Dunsfold, and Billingshurst were often impassable in winter, and the isolation shaped the village's self-reliant character.
The Wey and Arun Canal, opened in 1816, was an ambitious attempt to create an inland waterway route from London to the south coast. The canal ran from the River Wey at Shalford through Bramley, Cranleigh, and Alfold to connect with the River Arun in Sussex. It passed through the parish, and a wharf served local farms. The canal was never commercially successful, undercut by the railways almost from the start, and fell into disuse by the 1870s. The Wey and Arun Canal Trust, formed in 1970, has been working to restore sections, and parts near Alfold are among the most complete, with locks, bridges, and stretches of navigable water being brought back to life. Sidney Wood, the ancient woodland nearby, is mentioned in early records and remains an important conservation site. Its bluebells in spring are exceptional.
