Old Greendene Cottage

LOCATION: On the southern side of Green Dene beside the corner with Honeysuckle Bottom.

Located on the lower slopes of the North Downs, for centuries years this house served well-to-families engaged in the local wool trade including the Parkhurst and Redford families based in Shere.

The left-hand wing of this building, built in the 16th Century, comprises a three-bay medieval timber-framed hall house aligned north to south including a hip roof. The right side of the house was constructed at right angles during the 17th Century and comprises a three-bay range with a half hip roof. Originally it had a smoke bay, then later a chimney stack. Documentation is available on this house from as early as 1533.

When Lord Lovelace bought this farm, he divided the house into three cottages and encased thebuilding in flint and brick, inserting his customary iron-framed Lovelace windows. Perhaps because it was intended for local farmers, it is not as lavishly decorated as some other Lovelace buildings in East Horsley, displaying simpler decorations and a basic red-tiled roof. The wall plaque bears the date of 1874.

This Grade II listed building has been subject to various extensions in recent times. However, given its medieval core this may potentially be considered the oldest surviving house in East Horsley - although the exterior is largely Victorian.

LOCATION: On the southern side of Green Dene beside the corner with Honeysuckle Bottom.