Surrey is still the homeliest home county
IF you are looking for a family home, Surrey is a good place to start. Unlike some of the suburbs closer to London, Surrey has villages with character and history, fine pubs and some wonderful schools.
Many of Surrey’s best spots also have a direct connection to Waterloo, an easy hop from the City. The town of Cobham is becoming an increasingly popular location for City workers looking for a country village feel with first-rate homes and access to countryside. It’s 40 minutes from Waterloo and a short drive from the A3. Alongside the commuters, the affluent area also houses many Chelsea footballers, whose training ground is near the village. They are doubtless attracted by the historical town centre with its old-fashioned high street with brick houses and a mill dating back to 1822 over the River Mole.
Just across the M25, Dorking, nestled in the heart of the Surrey Hills and just south of the beautiful North Downs, offers commuters easy access to the motorway and a 50-minute journey to Waterloo. The village itself is an old market town known for its pretty Victorian streets of antiques shops, pubs dating back to the 16th century and for being home to one of the Pilgrim Fathers (his house is still standing).
Godalming is even older, having been listed in the Domesday Book. It is an old wool-trading and leather-works village famous for being the first town in the world with a public electricity supply. Built on a scenic canal off the River Wey, with a village centre that features Tudor houses, boutique shops and a circular old town hall built in 1814 known as the “pepperpot”, on Sundays the place bustles with a local farmer’s market. It lies just south of Guildford, 50 minutes from Waterloo.
HISTORICAL VILLAGES
Aside from historical villages, Surrey also offers commuter buyers a wide range of first-class schools: Charterhouse in Godalming; Amesbury and St Edmund’s in Hindhead; Woolmer Hill Technology College in Haslemere; and St Bartholomew’s, a Church of England primary school rated outstanding by Ofsted.
It is hardly a surprise, with so many positives, that Surrey prices are on the rise. But its
sizeable portions of green belt land and forested countryside, great train connections and an abiding cultural heritage, an investment in a high-quality home with character and history is bound to pay off. For buyers interested in more than the standard modern-style bricks and mortar offering with a newly planted square of green space, the area can’t be beaten.
CARVERS HOUSE, HASLEMERE
£4.15m
A fascinating Elizabethan-style country house set in one of the best locations in Haslemere, with far-reaching views to the south in a peaceful setting in grounds of 11.5 acres. The property consists of a reception hall, cloakroom, sitting room with open fire, dining room, conservatory, modern kitchen/breakfast room, four bedrooms, a bath/shower room, plenty of parking and a garden backing onto farmland.
Contact: 01428 664800, www.clarkegammon.co.uk
PIPER’S GATE
£995,000
Built seven years ago by Berkeley Homes, this is a short walk from Cobham/Stoke d’Abernon station and the charming Cobham high street.
A key feature is the secluded and private south-facing rear garden. It has an entrance hall, drawing room, family room, kitchen/breakfast room next door to a playroom and a fitted study. There are five bedrooms, two with en-suites, and a family bathroom with separate shower cubicle. The property is accessed via wrought iron electric gates and has parking for several cars on the driveway, and a double garage. Contact: 01932 588 288,
www.gascoignes.co.uk
SHAMLEY HOUSE, SHAMLEY GREEN
£1.8m
A superb Grade II-listed period house restored to 21st century specifications, this property has delightful gardens and views directly across the lovely village green. The main bedroom features vaulted beams, an attached study/dressing room and en suite shower room. There is a reception hall, dining hall, drawing room, games room, gym, sitting room, study, superb vaulted kitchen/breakfast room with Aga, cloakroom and utility room. There are four further double bedrooms and a bathroom and shower room. It’s five miles from Guildford station – 35 minutes to Waterloo.
Contact: 01483 893939, www.grantley.net
gratton corner, godalming
£1.1m
A charming Grade II-listed village house with beautiful views over the common and a landscaped south west-facing garden. It features a hall, cloakroom, drawing room, dining hall, sitting room, breakfast room and kitchen. There is an en-suite master bredroom, two further bedrooms and a family bathroom. The detached garages contain a workship/utility room, a wine store and greenhouse. Also included is a barn featuring its own sitting room with wood burner, dining area, kitchenette, bathroom and loft bedroom. Godalming station (45 minutes to Waterloo) is nearby.
Contact: 01483 893939, www.grantley.net
SILVERWOOD, PACK COPSE, DORKING
£1.75m
Silverwood is a 1920s house in one of the most sought-after locations in Dorking, Park Copse, a highly regarded rhododendron-lined private road just close to Dorking town centre, which has a range of shops, restaurants and schools. The house also has
far-reaching views across the rear slopes of Boxhill and over Brockham and Betchworth.
Contact: 01306 885466, www.hamptons.co.uk