Wey Cottage and Lea Cottage, Church Street, Old Woking
Image: Phillip Arnold

Originally one house, now divided into the two cottages. The listing is as follows:

House, now divided. C16 with C19 additions. Timber framed brick cladding to right, rendered to left; plain tiled roofs with stack to left of centre. Wey Cottage to left: 2 storeys with attic under tile hung dormer, flat band over ground floor, gable front bay to left. 3 C20 casement windows across the first floor; glazed door to left in catslide extension, further part glazed door to centre under gabled porch on brick piers. Timber frame exposed to rear. Lea Cottage to right: gable front break, 2 C20 casements across the first floor. Part glazed door in tiled gabled porch in wooden supports. Catslide to rear

(See the record here)

The house(s) are likely to be mid 15th century given the crown post roofs.

This house appears on the John Holmes Map of 1709 (now in the care of Surrey History Centre). It can be seen as the second house outside the lychgate of St Peter’s, the first house is the now demolished house of which No. 1 Church Cottages formed part.


The occupants according to the 1841-1901 census returns were probably:

1841

• John Tickner, agricultural labourer and his wife Elizabeth plus James Daw brewer.

1851

• John Tickner, agricultural labourer and his wife Elizabeth plus David Harwood plumber and glazier and Thomas Sherlock cordwainer, both visitors.

1861

• John Tickner, labourer, his wife Elizabeth and James Ottaway groom.

1871

• William Webber, master blacksmith, his wife Eliza and their daughter Eunnie

• John Tickner, former agricultural labourer and his wife Elizabeth

• Joseph Bullen, labourer in paper mill, his wife Ellen and their son James plus Elizabeth Jelley laundress.

1881 Church Street

• William Webber, his wife and daughter are still living in the street.

1891 Church Street

• Frederick Cole and his family are already living here

There is a James Elsley shown in the 1881 and 1891 censuses as living in Church Street

1901 Church Street

• James Ellesley and his wife, Agnes

It is likely that the cottages were known as Whitburn Cottages in 1919. The Woking News and Mail Directory of that year showed the occupants as James Smith, W Shearing, J Elsley and F Cole. There would appear to have been four occupants up to 1932. it is possible that Messrs Smith and Shearing were in what is now Wey Cottage and Messrs Elsley and Cole in Lea Cottage. Were the two cottages further divided?

1928 Weylea Cottages A Russell, F Brine, J Elsley, F Cole
1930-2 Weylea Cottages Mrs Lawrence, F Brine, J Elsley, F Cole
1936 Lea Cottage EE Weaver, Wey Cottage CC Wright
1937 Lea Cottage Willis Wey Cottage SWA Smith
1939 Lea Cottage JW Willis Wey Cottage JPS Wallis
1948-69 Lea Cottage CC Wright
1948-9 Wey Cottage A Roberts
1957-64 Wey Cottage P Rigby-Jones
1969 Wey Cottage CA Arnold ^WNM

Michael Allbrook, a previous owner of Wey Cottage, has supplied the following details of owners between 1900 and 1975. It would appear from these that the cottage was tenanted from time to time.

Prior to 1900

• Arthur Lionel Eustace-Barron of Barronford, Woking

1900

• James Whitburn of Woking

1925

• Arthur Edwin Garrod of Weylea
• The Misses Muriel Evelyn Garrod both of Weylea
• Peter Rigby-Jones of 11 Cavendish Mansions, Mill Lane, London NW6
• Robert John and Chantel Marie Therese Brown
  

1971

• Dorothy Gertrude Slater

1973

• Geoffrey Scott and Mary Rose Hunter
• Christopher Gunson and Christine Wardle
  

1975

• Michael Allbrook
  

For more information about Old Woking visit www.oldwoking.org.

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