Great Bookham

Great Bookham is a village in the Mole Valley district, in Surrey, England, one of six semi-urban spring line settlements between the towns of Leatherhead and Guildford.

According to a charter c.675, the original of which is lost but which exists in a later form, there were granted to the Abbey twenty dwellings at Bocham cum Effingham.

When the Grevilles purchased the property in 1906, they extensively remodelled the house with the help of Mewes and Davis, architects of the Ritz Hotel, London.

The future King George VI and his bride spent part of their honeymoon at Polesden Lacey, as guests of Mrs. Greville.

To the south side of the High Street stands Bookham Grove Manor, built in the early 18th century, once owned by the Dawnay family.

After ceasing to be used as a private house, the manor was used by the Canadian military in World War II, and was also a school called Southey Hall, before being demolished for redevelopment.

To the north-east lie Fetcham and Leatherhead, north of which the area becomes increasingly urban heading towards central London, which is only 23 miles (37 km) away.

The village has a short high street at its centre, which has a butcher, a family-run fishmongers, one bakery, a greengrocer and two small supermarkets.

Rayleigh House, at the top of the high street, originally built as the Victoria Temperance Hotel by Mary Chrystie, now contains an estate agents.

The Old Barn Hall is the main community centre, regularly used for staging amateur dramatics productions and hosting parties and receptions.

The London Natural History Society has been surveying Bookham Commons for more than fifty years, making it one of the best recorded sites for wildlife in southeast England.

Polesden Lacey
Bookham Grove House
Eastwick Park 1904