Quality Homecare in Great Bookham

Brief history of the area

Great Bookham appears in the Domesday Book as Bocheham. It was held by St Peter's Abbey, Chertsey.

The villages are split by the A246 which leads to Guildford. Once two distinct villages, the Bookhams have long been interconnected with residential roads that give the impression of one larger village. Their main high street is quite narrow, so do give way, and watch those wing mirrors!

On the southern edge of the village is Polseden Lacy, a country house surrounded by more than 1,000 acres of grounds. It is owned by the National Trust and open to the public.

Great Bookham is also home to the Grange, who specialises in helping people with learning disabilities lead independent lives. Their online shop stocks greeting cards, pottery, and garden accessories made by their residents and supports their charity.

Did you know?

A regency villa on the southern edge of the village, Polesden Lacey has been the site of a house since at least 1336. The current house dates from the 17th century, and was bequeathed by its last owner, the Hon. Mrs. Greville, a legendary Edwardian hostess, to the National Trust in 1942. 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.

The property and its 1,400-acre estate are open to the public and is one of the National Trust's most visited properties. There is a café but visitors can also picnic in the grounds of the house, which has magnificent views over the North Downs, an area of outstanding natural beauty.