Ewhurst Houses and People

A new publication from the Ewhurst History Society

The parish of Ewhurst has a wealth of interesting houses, from medieval timber framed cottages to large Victorian 'Arts & Crafts' style houses built on the slopes of Pitch Hill. These have attracted many interesting owners, including businessmen, artists, scientists and inventors.

Following years of painstaking research by the author, Janet Balchin, Ewhurst History Society is publishing a book "Ewhurst Houses and People". The format of the book follows the Society's highly successful “Ewhurst and Ellens Green”, with 144 A4 landscape pages and is illustrated with nearly two hundred illustrations, which include old photographs and postcards, engravings, portraits, paintings and line drawings. The cover shows a watercolour of the unusual 1930's house Marylands.

The book traces the history of over 130 historic houses. For each there is a description of the architecture, followed by stories of the owners and their families who lived there. The development of timber framed houses is traced from careful examination of the structure – the author has spent many hours climbing through dusty attics – while in contrast the large Victorian and Edwardian houses are well documented, many having been designed by well known architects including Philip Webb, George & Peto, Ernest Newton, Oliver Hill and father and son Sir Aston and Maurice Webb. The family history has been compiled from census records and documents going back to medieval times: One house was owned by the same family for 700 years. Ewhurst houses have been used for film and television productions, provided wartime refuge for London offices, restyled as Swiss chalets, and have been schools, pubs, shops, guesthouses and workshops.

The book will appeal to all those who know Ewhurst and the surrounding area as well as to those interested in the history and development of Surrey. It will also be of interest to the many students of family history whose ancestors lived in this area. It will be available from local shops for £12.50 (plus p&p) or can be ordered direct from Ewhurst History Society. For more details contact The Secretary, c/o Hullbrook Cottage, Cranleigh Road, Ewhurst GU6 7RN, Tel 01483 277342. or e-mail info@ewhursthistory.com.