ABBEYFIELD is a response to one of the most pressing problems of our time - namely that the number of lonely, elderly people in our population is increasing.

Abbeyfield is a registered charity under the Royal patronage of HRH The Prince of Wales. It provides small, 'family sized' houses where older people who are unable or unwilling to live alone can find security and companionship without losing either independence or privacy.

Abbeyfield houses are open to all according to need, irrespective of gender, race, or religion.
The first house was opened in Bermondsey in 1956, and the Society took its name from Abbeyfield Road where the first meetings were held. There are now over 700 houses and 80 Care Homes in the United Kingdom, caring for around 8000 residents. Abbeyfield has also taken root in many countries overseas.

Each house or group of houses is run by a separate Society affiliated to the National Society. They are in no sense institutional but seek to offer to residents the convenience and reassurance of collective services and support, while preserving privacy and independence.

The Abbeyfield (Guildford) Society was founded in 1977 by members of the Guildford United Reformed Church. It opened its first house in 1983.