Area Guide: Borough of Bookham

This family oriented Surrey village, between the towns of Guildford and Leatherhead, offers semi-rural life with good accessibility to London.

Great Bookham and Little Bookham, collectively known as Bookham, are two neighbouring villages dating back to Saxon times. Surrounded by National Trust countryside, and on the edge of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the North Downs, Bookham was once a farming community and whilst the villages have grown around much of the original farmlands, the residential areas remain interspersed with paddocks and woodlands, and are edged by green spaces.

FOR SALE IN BOOKHAM

Did You Know?

Bookham’s most famous honeymooners, the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, spent a week staying at the Polesden Lacey, Great Bookham, arriving by train at Bookham station on the evening of their wedding day.

Did You Know?

Nineteenth century novelist Jane Austen was known to make frequent visits to Bookham and the home of her Godfather, Reverend Samuel Cooke, who was the vicar of Great Bookham from 1769 to 1830.

Bookham provides a plentiful range of family accommodation to a flourishing community attracted by the schools, leisure facilities and the ability to live a semi-rural life with good accessibility to commute to London.

Great Bookham has a thriving high street with traditional, independent retailers including butchers, fishmongers, greengrocers, bakers and a hardware store. These are mixed with artisan and lifestyle shops and cafes, whilst the villages are also home to local pubs and restaurants.

Bookham and Fetcham have a mix of accommodation from small flats to detached homes with gardens, with the balance weighted towards four bedroom and larger village properties, making the area popular with young families and couples.

Great Bookham adjoins Fetcham village to the east and Little Bookham borders Effingham to the west. These Surrey villages each have their own character, and local high streets, pubs, restaurants, open spaces and conservation areas.

Bookham and Fetcham are well known for the excellent schooling options, with buyers particularly attracted by the Howard of Effingham School, on the border of Little Bookham and Effingham, and the local primary and junior schools which feed into this respected co-educational secondary school and sixth form with academy status. The private schools in the area also attract home buyers to Bookham, including Manor House School, a selective independent day school for girls located in Little Bookham, St Teresa’s School for girls in Effingham and St John’s School, leading co-educational independent day and boarding school in nearby Leatherhead.

Did You Know?

During the Second World War, Bookham played host to The King and Queen of Yugoslavia who were evacuated to the safety of rural Surrey taking up residence in the Old Rectory, Little Bookham.

House Prices in Bookham

The average sold price in Bookham in 2022 was £740,722, rising by 66% on the previous year. Property prices start from around £225,000 for a one-bedroom flat, though the majority of sales in the last year were detached properties with an average price of £945,350. Semi-detached properties sold in Bookham for an average of £652,794 with terraced properties averaging £452,144. [Source: Rightmove 15 December 2022]

Did You Know?

A strong supporter of the Temperance Movement, Mary Chrystie, who moved to Bookham in 1858 at the age of 20, succeeded in closing at least five pubs in the villages.

Did You Know?

In 1086 the Domesday Book recorded 36 households in Great Bookham and seven in Little Bookham.

Photograph: A view of Polesden Lacey house captured from the east by Matt Ellery (Flickr)

Places Of Interest / Leisure

Bookham edges an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and is well known for its open spaces, ideal for outdoor activities such as cycling, horse-riding and walking in the network of paths and bridleways, and on the National Trust Bookham Commons or Norbury Park, a Grade II Listed area of mixed woodlands and agricultural land, and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

There is always something happening in Bookham and Fetcham with active community and sports groups. A highlight of the year is the Bookham Village Day, when community groups and schools come together with a parade through the high street and a celebratory local event with bands, displays, stalls and games at the Old Barn Hall and Field.

National Trust Polesden Lacey

Polesden Lacey, is an Edwardian country house, home to an extensive collection of paintings, ceramics and fine French furniture, with formal gardens and a 1,600 acre estate of rolling downlands with views over the Surrey Hills and ancient woodlands, habitat to wildlife and many rare species of birds and butterflies.

Leatherhead Theatre and Dorking Halls

Within a short drive of Bookham and Fetcham both Leatherhead and Dorking offer a range of live theatre, comedy and music shows and cinema screenings, suitable for families and adults.

Leatherhead Leisure Centre

For those enjoying an active lifestyle the Leatherhead Leisure Centre offers three swimming pools, gym & fitness equipment, and an extensive programme of group exercise classes such as yoga and pilates, as well as indoor and outdoor sports pitches and multi-use courts.

Effingham Golf Club

Renowned as England’s finest downland course, nearby Effingham Golf Course is a top 100 championship course, hosting major golf events. A traditional club with modern facilities, the clubhouse itself is a listed Georgian property, extended and remodelled from its origins as a 1700s farmhouse. With views towards the London skyline, the course comprises two loops of nine holes, nestled on the edge of the North Downs.

Transport Links

With easy access to the M25, A3 and the south coast by road, Bookham also has a train station with regular trains to London Waterloo and connections via Guildford to Portsmouth to the south and Reading to the west.

Local Schools

Bookham Properties For Sale

£339,950
Leasehold

Weybridge

  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 12
£1,350,000
Freehold

Weybridge

  • 4
  • 3
  • 3
  • 19
£2,500,000
Freehold

East Horsley

  • 5
  • 5
  • 2
  • 8
£265,000
Leasehold

Surrey

  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 21

Bookham Properties To Rent

£2,600 PCM

Woking

  • 4
  • 2
  • 1
  • 22
£2,000 PCM

Woking

  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 22
£1,450 PCM

Weybridge

  • 2
  • 2
  • 1
  • 8
£0 PCM

Cobham

  • 2
  • 1
  • 1
  • 12

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