 Its civil parish ascends to an ancient woodland Sheepleas Woods which are on the northern downslopes of the ridge of hills known as the North Downs in the extreme south of the village, and cover about a tenth of its area, 255 acres (1 km²).The bulk of West Horsley's land is north of the Surrey Hills AONB, the rest is within it.West Horsley appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as "Orselei" held by Walter, son of Othere.