The building stock

Surrey's most distinctive building material is Bargate stone — a hard, greenish-brown ironstone quarried locally around Godalming and the Guildford area, used for centuries in the county's churches, market buildings, and better houses. It weathers to a warm, textured, slightly irregular surface quite unlike the smooth ashlar of Portland or Bath stone, and it's a material most London-based contractors rarely encounter. Alongside Bargate stone, Surrey's vernacular building tradition uses a mix of flint — particularly on the chalk downland toward Reigate and Dorking — and brick, ranging from early handmade Tudor and Georgian brick in the market towns to later Victorian stock as the railway brought London's expansion south-west.

Guildford, Dorking, Farnham, and Reigate all retain significant historic cores with a correspondingly high concentration of listed buildings, generally administered by their respective borough or district councils.

What we do in Surrey

Bargate stone needs its own diagnostic approach, distinct from the oolitic limestones we work with most in London. It's harder and less porous than Bath stone, but its irregular, textured natural face means cleaning has to preserve that character rather than aim for a uniform finish. We typically specify a gentler DOFF setting or poultice cleaning for staining, and avoid any method that would smooth or homogenise the natural surface texture.

Flint work follows the same principle we apply in Essex: the flint itself is essentially inert, but the lime mortar holding it is not, and that's what needs careful assessment and, where necessary, repair. We do not use acid on flint pointing under any circumstances.

On the county's brick stock, from early handmade Tudor brick through to Victorian terrace stock, the same rule applies as everywhere: identify the material precisely, specify DOFF steam calibrated to that specific brick, and repoint in lime rather than cement where remediation is needed.

Areas we cover

  • Guildford
  • Dorking
  • Farnham
  • Reigate
  • Epsom
  • Godalming
  • Woking
  • Leatherhead
  • Haslemere
  • Cranleigh

Bargate stone is a hard ironstone quarried locally around Godalming and used extensively in Surrey's historic churches and market buildings. It has a distinctive greenish-brown, textured natural face that's part of its character, and the wrong cleaning method can smooth or homogenise that texture in a way that's hard to reverse. We treat it as its own material, not a generic 'stone' category.

No. Surrey has been part of our operating area alongside London since we started, and we don't charge a travel premium for sites within our normal coverage. The site visit is free.

Yes. Flint construction is common across the Surrey chalk downland, particularly toward Reigate and Dorking. As with our Essex flint work, the flint itself is largely inert — it's the lime mortar jointing that needs careful assessment and, where necessary, repair.

This is administered by the relevant borough or district council — Guildford, Mole Valley (Dorking), Waverley (Farnham), and Reigate & Banstead each have their own conservation teams. We're familiar with the general requirements across the county and confirm the specific authority and process at the site visit.