OUR PURPOSE

The Albury Estate Fisheries have been carefully managed since their inception in 1986. These fisheries began with the lake and stream at Powdermill and expanded to include Weston Lake, Park Lake, and Vale End. At the core of their management is environmental sustainability, with water quality being a central focus.

Park Lake and the stream in the park and gardens serve as the central preserve for Syndicate fishing. This lake was constructed on the site of a former water garden repurposed from an old mill pond. The surrounding swamp cypress and willow trees, remnants of the original swamp garden, create a picturesque scene often resembling a willow pattern plate. A weir at the downstream end of the garden serves as a bridge to old structures such as the laundry, vegetable garden, and greenhouses. This weir once powered drinking water pumps that supplied reservoirs on the hill above the estate before being removed in the 1980s.

The Weston Fishery, consisting of Weston and Mill House Lakes, was developed in the 1980s from a field previously used for pig rearing. The area also used an old water irrigation ditch to form a lake that is now filled with spring water, making it an excellent environment for both wildlife and fishing enthusiasts.

Vale End Fishery was built on the site of an old, silted-up mill pond. This pond had been created to power a small water wheel that pumped spring water to the reservoir above the lake. The restoration of this area has brought life back to the landscape and provided another beautiful spot for fishing. The Powdermill Fishery is the oldest of the lakes, built on the site of a silted-up mill pond once used for hop farming. Located between two arms of the Tillingbourne River, this lake is integral to the Estate's rich fishing history and ecology.

OUR SPRINGS

The River Tillingbourne, a tributary of the Wey and Thames rivers, flows through the stunning landscape of Surrey. Its catchment area provides essential water to the region, with 40% of the water extracted from boreholes around Netley, above Shere. The remaining 60% is sourced from the river itself at Shalford, before it joins the River Wey.

Rising from the chalk springs of the North Downs and the slightly acidic Greensand beds of the south-east at Friday Street, Abinger, the Tillingbourne runs at a pH of 7.5. This unique blend of waters, combined with the river's steady flow of over seven million gallons per day, nourishes the five villages of Abinger, Shere, Albury, Chilworth, and Shalford.

Historically, the river’s fall made it an ideal location for small mills, with notable examples being used for gunpowder production and a paper mill for banknotes. The river also powered iron hammers, milled wheat, and pumped drinking water to a reservoir on St Martha’s Hill. The famous angler G.E.M. Skues fished here, often using cockerel feathers from Chilworth for his fly tying.

OUR FISH FARM

The trout farm at Littleford was established in the late 1980s on old, redundant watercress beds. It uses a unique water supply drawn from Green Sand artesian boreholes originally drilled in the 1860s. This water, which maintains a constant temperature of 10°C, gives the trout produced here a distinctive green and gold hue, unlike the traditional black and silver coloring of trout raised in chalk-based waters.

The farm operates with nine rearing ponds in its upper section and seven in the lower section, which uses recycled water. Together, they produce over 20 tonnes of high-quality stocking trout per year. The Lawbrook stream, flowing down the valley next to the farm, carries water from the trout farm into the Tillingbourne River at Albury Mill, completing the natural cycle of water and wildlife.

The Albury Estate Fisheries are deeply committed to sustainability, with a focus on preserving the natural beauty and biodiversity of the area. From the management of water quality to the maintenance of historic lakes and the trout farm, every effort is made to ensure that the estate continues to thrive as an ecological haven for generations to come.