Cobham is in central Surrey, north of the chalk Downs and south of the River Thames. The Thames is joined here by the River Mole which first flows through Cobham and was a major factor in the town's original siting.
Cobham Mill, 1931
Reproduced courtesy of The Francis Frith Collection
Cobham is home to an interesting range of historical buildings, manor houses and inns dating back as far as the 15th century. Downe Place is recorded as one of Cobham's most important medieval estates, owned by the Downe family until the 17th century.
Information about a number of other buildings provides useful insight into the social and religious practices of Cobham since the 17th century. Cobham became a Quaker centre in the 1670s and, in 1680, a Quaker meeting house was built. In the 18th century Cobham Workhouse was located on the south eastern side of the town, although Cobham's poorest were eventually transferred to Epsom. A schoolroom for the poor was also built in 1833, later to become a parish room, a fire engine house and, finally, a warehouse.
Early schooling in Cobham seems to have been a largely charitable affair. A local Lord also financed a school for forty children in the 1720s and Church Stile House in Church Street was used as a school for crippled children in 1822.
The presence of the River Mole has led to the construction of two bridges within the town. Cobham Bridge is said to have been built by Queen Matilda in the 12th century, but this wooden structure was replaced with one of bricks in 1780. Downside Bridge was first built in the 16th century, the present bridge being opened in 1971 after its predecessor was destroyed by floods in 1968.
A great deal of the development of Cobham town has taken place within the last century. Until the 20th century, Church Street was the old shopping area of the town, and High Street contained little more than a few houses, a dairy farm and a forge.
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