In 1657, Oliver Cromwell granted Cranleigh the right to hold two annual fairs. Not big city markets. Not grand medieval trading halls. But proper village fairs, stalls, livestock, food, toys, entertainers… community gathering on the Common.
Before the railway.
Before the High Street we know now.
Before modern life rushed in.
Cranleigh wasn’t built on noise and scale. It was built on rural trade, farmers, makers, families selling what they had grown or crafted. It was community first. Always.
Even in the 1870s, there were annual fairs outside Ivy Hall Farm stalls, side-shows, people coming together. It wasn’t about big business. It was about local exchange. Connection. Real life.
And I think that still runs through this place.
Maybe that’s why I feel so strongly about keeping things independent. About building something rooted. About supporting local. About doing things properly, not just quickly.
Apparently, Cranleigh has always traded in community before commerce.
And I love that.
There’s something grounding about knowing the land you walk on has been hosting markets and gatherings for centuries.
Hope this interests you.
I couldn’t find pictures so I made one, I feel this was a nice look.
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