Great Bookham, United Kingdom
Great Bookham is a town of 11,375 people in England, United Kingdom.
Why visit Great Bookham
Townapedia lists 4 museums and landmarks, 13 parks and trails, 36 places to eat, 1 place to stay and 5 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Leatherhead Theatre, Polesden Lacey, Bockett's Farm Park and Norbury Park.
Weather in Great Bookham
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About 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. With the narrow strip parish of Little Bookham, it forms part of the Saxon settlement of Bocham ("the village by the beeches"). The Bookhams are surrounded by common land, and Bookham railway station in Church Road, Great Bookham, serves both settlements.
From the Wikipedia article Great Bookham (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photos of Great Bookham
Things to do5
Leatherhead Theatre
Cinema and theater · 2.3 mi
Theatre and cinema in Leatherhead, England
Museums and landmarks4
Polesden Lacey
Museum · 1.5 mi
Country house in Great Bookham, Surrey, England, UK
Bockett's Farm Park
Monument and historic site · 1.3 mi
Young Street, Leatherhead
Parks, trails and playgrounds13
1 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes36
Carolinas
Cafe
24 Church Road, Leatherhead
Mo-Fr 09:00-16:00; Sa 09:00-15:00
Bookham Charcoal Grill
Restaurant · Burger
37 Church Road, Leatherhead
Del Fuoco Italian
Restaurant · Italian
17 Church Road, Leatherhead
Great Bookham Tandoori
Restaurant · Indian
41 Church Road, Leatherhead
24 more on the map.
History
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. This was confirmed by four Saxon kings; King Offa of Mercia and of the nations roundabout in 787; King Æthelstan who was "King and ruler of the whole island of Britain" in 933 confirmed the privileges to the monastery; King Edgar, "Emperor of all Britain" in 967 confirmed "twelve mansiones" in Bocham, and King Edward the Confessor, King of the English, in 1062 confirmed twenty mansae at Bocham cum Effingham, Driteham and Pechingeorde.
Great Bookham lay within the Anglo-Saxon administrative district of Effingham half hundred.
Read more of the history
The Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey for taxation purposes, makes the first known distinction between the parishes of Great and Little Bookham, if it is assumed that there was no separate parish at the time of the charter of Edward the Confessor in 1062. Driteham and Pechingeorde are both referred to in the Domesday Book and appear to have been absorbed into the manors of Effingham and Effingham East Court. Great Bookham appears in the Domesday Book in the ancient hundred of Effingham as Bocheham. It was held by St Peter's Abbey, Chertsey. Its Domesday Assets were: 13 hides; 1 church, 1 mill worth 10s, 20 ploughs, 6 acres (2.4 ha) of meadow, woodland and herbage worth 110 hogs. It rendered (in total): £15.
It seems probable, as the number of cottages in Bookham and Effingham remained constant, that the later charters must have been copies of earlier charters which were not revised to accord with the actual number of cottages at any one time.
In 1951 the civil parish had a population of 7885. On 1 April 1974 the parish was abolished.
From the History section of Great Bookham on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Great Bookham
Geography
To the west of the Bookhams lies the village of Effingham; further west on the road to Guildford lie the similar villages of East and West Horsley and East and West Clandon. 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. To the south-east, across the North Downs, are the village of Westhumble and the market town of Dorking.
From the Wikipedia article Great Bookham, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Great Bookham
Roger WatersEnglish musician, co-founder of Pink Floyd (born 1943)Photo: digboston, CC BY 2.0- George BinneyRoyal Naval Reserve commander (1900–1972)
- Christopher MorrisBritish historian (1906-1993)
Born in Great Bookham, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay1
Churches and places of worship13
Shopping9
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries12
Healthcare3
Map of Great Bookham
98 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
London Gatwick Airport (LGW) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 12 miles away.
- Hook 7 mi northeast, about 11 min by car
- Weybridge 7 mi northwest, about 12 min by car
- Walton-on-Thames 8 mi north, about 12 min by car
- Woking 8 mi west, about 14 min by car
- Reigate 8 mi east, about 13 min by car
- Sutton 9 mi northeast, about 14 min by car
- Sunbury-on-Thames 9 mi north, about 14 min by car
- Shepperton 9 mi north, about 14 min by car
- Worcester Park 9 mi northeast, about 14 min by car
- Hampton 9 mi north, about 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Great Bookham
Keep exploring
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Great Bookham War Memorial, St Nicolas' Church, Great Bookham, Surrey 01, Mertbiol, CC0
- Great Bookham War Memorial, St Nicolas' Church, Great Bookham, Surrey 02, Mertbiol, CC0
- Great Bookham War Memorial, St Nicolas' Church, Great Bookham, Surrey 03, Mertbiol, CC0
- Polesden lacey, Martyn Davies, CC BY-SA 2.0
- NorburyPark-NewManorHouse-01, Vox Humana 8', CC BY 2.5
- Church of Our Lady and St Peter, Garlands Road, Leatherhead, The Voice of Hassocks, CC0
- St Nicolas' Church, Church Road, Great Bookham (NHLE Code 1028641), The Voice of Hassocks, CC0
- St Mary's Church, St Mary's Close, Fetcham (NHLE Code 1378187), The Voice of Hassocks, CC0
- Howard of Effingham School, Pip Rolls, CC BY-SA 2.0
- St Lawrence's Church, Church Street, Effingham (May 2014) (2), Hassocks5489, CC0
- Ye Olde Windsor Castle public house 2011, Grantwoodham, CC0
- Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, Lower Road, Effingham (May 2014) (5), Hassocks5489, CC0
- Cowslip Meadow, Sheepleas, AndyScott, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, OrangeHurst97, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, sketiv, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, OrangeHurst97, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, OrangeHurst97, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, southglos, CC BY-SA 4.0
Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.



