Ash is on the eastern side of the River Blackwater, with a station on the Reading-Guildford-Gatwick line, and direct roads to Aldershot, Farnham and Guildford.

The southern part of the parish, including St. Peter's Church and Ash village, is on the London Clay; but the greater portion, once including Frimley, covers the western side of the ridge of Bagshot Sands, which is divided from Chobham Ridges by the dip through which the Basingstoke Canal and railway run, and is known as Ash Common, Fox Hills and Claygate Common (now in Surrey Wildlife Trust and MoD use).

Though the tracks have been long removed, the stretch of land from Tongham through Christmas Pie, where the route of the branch line still exists, is a popular attraction for cyclists and walkers.

Ash Green Halt's station building, complete with its Southern Railway-style sign, still stands and has been converted into a house.

Ash (Esche, 7th century; Asshe, Assche, 14th century) shares with the other a prominent social history starting with at least the Norman period of the Domesday book whose commissioners wrote "Azor granted [part of Henley known as Ash] for his soul to Chertsey in the time of King William.

Later a 1279 chartulary of Chertsey Abbey records the prohibition of any perpetual title of institutions (as the Abbey states, vulgarly called the prohibition of mortmain) as led here to 11 acres in Ash with sufficient common pasture for his flocks and herds being held by Robert de Zathe, while Geoffrey de Bacsete (Bagshot) and his brother William had 28 acres.

The de Henley, de Molyns [n 3], the crown as owner from Edward I to Charles I, Arthur Squib whose daughter married its next owner John Glynne, occupied briefly by the Duke of Roxburgh then via Glynne's granddaughter's husband, Sir Richard Child, created Earl of Tylney it then passed to ambassador and diplomat Solomon Dayrolles, upon whose death John Halsey bought it, whose family owned it from the 18th to 20th centuries.

The village is long and scattered, and situated in a dreary part of the country: south-eastward of it is Henley Park, which, being on an eminence, forms a beautiful contrast with the wild heath around.

The church [before] the dissolution of monasteries, was attached to the abbey of Chertsey... Dr. Young is said to have written a portion of the Night-Thoughts at the rectory-house, then the residence of Dr. Harris, who married a sister of the poet, and was incumbent from 1718 to 1759.

[2] Henley Park estate can be traced back to the Domesday Book, when it was held by Azor, one of the guards of Edward the Confessor.

The estate passed through many hands, including the English Civil War rebel, John Glynne MP.

Later tenants included Lord Pirbright, who entertained King Edward VII, and Sir Owen and Lady Roberts.