Part of the ancient Manor of Dorking, Holmwood Common was owned by King Harold before the Norman Conquest. After Harold's death it passed to William the Conqueror. The common was later owned by a succession of earls and dukes, the last being the Duke of Norfolk.

After the Norman Conquest, farming became established in the surrounding areas but Holmwood Common was too swampy. It was not enclosed but left to become wild and inaccessible. In 1755, a toll road was built across the common, linking Horsham and Dorking. Despite this improvement, the area remained notorious for sheep stealing, smuggling, thieving and highwaymen.

Until the 19th-century the common was woodland. This changed when commoners began to use it for turf, timber and grazing, slowly transforming it into wood pasture. Some ancient oaks still survive today - almost 200 years on. In the 1920s commoning began to dwindle and the grassland returned to woodland.

The granite memorial on the A24 at Mid Holmwood is a tribute to the gallant millionaire, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, who was well-known in the area through his passion for coaching. Vanderbilt was killed during the sinking of the Lusitania in World War I. His last hours were spent rescuing children from the water, before giving up his lifebelt to an old woman, despite being unable to swim himself.

In 1876 Four Wents Pond, in the south east corner of the common, was enlarged in order to water troops' horses for a review by the Duke of Cambridge. It has since become a focal point of the common.

Most of Holmwood Common was donated to the Trust in 1956 by Surrey County Council, Dorking Urban District Council and Dorking and Horsley Rural District Council, which had purchased the land from the Duke of Norfolk. Further pockets of land have since been given by individual donors.

Facilities

• Refreshments and lavatories in Mid Holmwood, North Holmwood and Dorking.