Chobham, Surrey

Not to be confused with Cobham, Surrey.

Chobham, Surrey is a village in NW Surrey, England. About fifteen minutes drive from the London railway line stations at Woking to the south and Sunningdale to the north. The River Bourne runs through the village and floods it occasionally.

History

The village lies within the Godley hundred, a Saxon administrative area.

Chobham appears in Domesday Book as Cebeham. It was held by Chertsey Abbey. Its domesday assets were: 10 hides; 1 church, 1 chapel, 16 ploughs, 10 acres of meadow, woodland worth 130 hogs. It rendered £15 10s 0d.

St Lawrence Church is on the High Street. Its earliest parts date from about 1080 although there may have been an earlier church on the site. It is dedicated to St Lawrence, who was martyred in Rome in 258.

Surrounded by Chobham Common which is heathland of little agricultural value, the village was traditionally a poor rural isolated community. During mediaeval times, Chobham was part of the Chertsey Abbey estates. The abbots' management was conservative and restrictive.

When the railways were developed in the nineteenth century, the main lines went north and south of the village, passing through the nearby then smaller villages of Sunningdale and Woking. Thus Chobham has remained largely undeveloped whilst Woking has grown into the large town it is today. Chobham is probably most famous for the tank factory that was once carved out of Chobham Common and created Chobham armour. However, there are also the reputed "treacle mines" (where it is said soldiers had buried their treacle tins before going off to the Crimean war). Queen Victoria visited their camp.

Today

This corner of Surrey is one of the fastest developing areas in Britain with house prices to match. Lying between M3 and M25 motorways, the expansion of nearby Heathrow Airport - all combine to increase the demand for land for industry and housing as well as greatly increasing the traffic that the village is required to bear.

The four pubs in the area are:

• The Grove, towards Knaphill, a pub with a public bar and a saloon bar, holds regular live music and karaoke.
• The Red Lion, Burrowhill, recently renovated and over 21's only.
• The Sun Inn, the last remaining pub in the High St - saved by local villagers that bought it to prevent it being converted to a restaurant.
• The Four Horseshoes, at Burrowhill - classical English village green setting, complete with a baker and blacksmith. There is an area to sit outside in the summer time.

Chobham Rugby Club has 6 senior teams, the 1st XV, 2nd XV (Cannons), 3rd XV, 4th XV (Devils), 5th XV (Crusaders)& Veterans (Martyrs).

The 1st XV play in London Division 2 South (Level 6), finishing third in their first season at this level (07/08). All four other senior teams play in the John O'Neil and Partners Surrey Reverse leagues. The Devils won their league cup in the 2006/7 season. Chobham won London 3SW in 2006/07.

There is also a large junior and mini section with many County and Divisional players. One of the products of the youth system, Dan Frazier, has just signed with NEC Harlequins at 18.

Notable residents

Peter Gabriel of the band Genesis was born here.

Simon Posford aka Hallucinogen was born here.

References

External links

• Chobham Village Portal
• Virtual Chobham
• Chobham News and Mail
• St Lawrence Church history
• Chobham & District Rifle Club
• Chobham Property