Although within close proximity to London, the county of Surrey is blessed with green open spaces, including the North Downs, the Weald and the Surrey Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. All these make it a welcome escape from the frenetic pace and urban sprawl of the capital. The highest point in the county is Leith Hill, with its landmark eighteenth-century tower, one of the county’s many National Trust sites. First recorded as ‘Suthinge’ in AD 722, Surrey became a favourite royal hunting ground and today it is renowned as a centre of horse racing with courses at Epsom, Kempton and Sandown. Racing of another kind once took place at Brooklands, the scene of many record-breaking motoring feats, and during the Second World War aircraft were manufactured there. A museum now celebrates the site’s illustrious heritage.

In Surrey in Photographs, professional photographer John Miller captures the spirit, essence and identity of Surrey in a series of superb images. He highlights the immense variety of places and landmarks to be found here ranging from rural to urban locations.