Chiddingfold was the centre of the English glass industry for nearly four hundred years. Laurence Vitrearius is recorded as making glass here as early as 1226, and the industry grew steadily through the medieval period. By Elizabeth I's reign, eleven glassworks were operating in and around the village, many run by Huguenot craftsmen who had fled religious persecution in France and brought advanced techniques with them. The forests provided fuel for the furnaces and sand for the glass, and the finished products were traded across England.
The industry came to an abrupt end in 1615 when James I banned the use of wood fuel for glass production. The king was concerned about the depletion of timber needed for shipbuilding, and the glassmakers were forced to relocate to areas where coal was available. The Chiddingfold furnaces went cold, and the village returned to agriculture. Fragments of glass from the old works are still occasionally turned up in local gardens.
The Crown Inn, with records going back to 1383, claims to be one of the oldest licensed premises in England. Edward VI is said to have stayed here during a royal progress in 1552, and the building retains its medieval timber framing behind later alterations. St Mary's Church dates from the 13th century and contains fine stained glass and a memorial brass. The village green, one of the largest in Surrey, has a pond and benches and is the setting for a famous bonfire night celebration. The event dates back generations and is taken more seriously here than in most villages, with elaborate torchlit processions, guy-building competitions, and bonfires that draw crowds from well beyond the parish. The surrounding countryside of pasture, ancient woodland, and quiet lanes remains much as it has been for centuries.
