The parish of Shere lies between Guildford and Dorking; it includes the villages of Shere, Gomshall and Peaslake. Shere and Gomshall are at the foot of the North Downs and beside the little river Tillingbourne; Peaslake is further south, in the greensand hills.

Shere, High Street, 1924
Reproduced courtesy of The Francis Frith Collection

Today it seems to be a very rural parish with several farms and cows in the fields: in the 17th century there were twenty mills along the twelve mile length of the Tillingbourne and four of these were in the parish. Gomshall Mill is now a restaurant, but the mill wheel is still there.

The two industries associated with the parish are weaving and tanning. There were sheep to provide the wool which was spun by the women before weaving. On a map of 1753 Shere and Gomshall are labelled as 'famous for weaving of fustian'.

Tanning needs hides and skins of cattle and sheep, clear running water and oak bark as a tanning agent, all present in Gomshall. One tannery became a major international business until it closed in 1989.

All three villages in the parish have a number of old timber-framed houses. In some of them there are beams dating back to before 1500 but the majority were built between 1560 and 1620 and are lived in and cherished by their current owners.

St. James' Church Interior, 1904
Photographic Survey and Record of Surrey no. 1061

St. James' Church, Shere, 2007
Image: Shere History Society

The squint & quatrefoil in the church, relating to the anchoress who once lived there
Image: Shere History Society

Willow and Ash cottages, Shere. Together they form a 3-bayed Wealden house
Image: Shere History Society

Gomshall Mill, 2007
Image: Shere History Society

Towerhill Manor, Gomshall
Image: Shere History Society

Hazel Hall, Peaslake
Image: Shere History Society

Keepers, Peaslake
Image: Shere History Society

Further information

Search for records related to Shere on this website

• Shere, Gomshall & Peaslake Local History Society publications:
  Old Houses in the Parish of Shere ISBN 0-9550620-0-4
  The Tillingbourne Story ISBN 0-9550620-2-0
  Shere, Gomshall & Peaslake: A Short History ISBN 0-9550620-1-2
  A Tannery in Gomshall ISBN 0-9528625-3-7
  
  For details see the society website www.gomshall.freeserve.co.uk

• Also see:
  Shere: a Surrey Village in Maps ISBN 0-9541460-0-X
  Shere Poverty: from Parish Workhouse to Union Workhouse ISBN 0-9528625-0-6
  

Peaslake: Story of a Surrey village ISBN 0-9532742-3-3
Gomshall Mill: the Harris millers and their Shere connections ISBN 0-9551501-0-8

• Available from St James church:
  History of St James Church , Shere
  

Leaflet: Christine Carpenter, Anchoress of Shere

• Shere, Gomshall & Peaslake Local History Society meets on the second Tuesday in the month (not December, January or August) at 8pm in Shere Village Hall for a talk relating to local history. Outings are arranged. There is a small group engaged in local history research and we undertake projects such as recording the headstones in the new graveyard.

Enquiries to Barbara Karlsson, Dial Cottage, Shere Lane, Shere GU5 9HS

• Shere Museum will be opening in new premises in Gomshall Lane, Shere, in 2008. The existing collection will be on display, archives will be available for examination, books and cards will be on sale and there will be a space to relax with a cup of coffee.

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