View source for Cobham, Surrey

{{short description|Village in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England}}
{{distinguish|Cobham, Kent|Chobham}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox UK place
|type = [[Village]]
|static_image_name= High Street, Cobham - geograph.org.uk - 791039.jpg
|static_image_caption= Street off the High Street leading to the [[parish church]]
|country = England
|official_name= Cobham
|map_type= Surrey
|coordinates = {{coord|51.329|-0.409|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|population = 9,739
|population_ref=(2011 census)<ref name=ons>By convention, Cobham is not deemed to include any longer the village of [[Downside, Surrey]] which would otherwise cover in total 17.12&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> [http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk Key Statistics; Quick Statistics: Population Density] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030211201309/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/ |date=11 February 2003 }} [[United Kingdom Census 2011]] ''[[Office for National Statistics]]'' Retrieved 21 November 2013</ref> or 17,273 as Built-up Area including [[Oxshott]]<ref>{{NOMIS2011|id=1119882466|title=Cobham (Elmbridge) BUA Built-up area sub division|access-date=24 August 2020}}</ref>
|area_total_km2=8.29
|civil_parish=n/a
|shire_district= [[Borough of Elmbridge|Elmbridge]]
|shire_county = [[Surrey]]
|region= South East England
|constituency_westminster= [[Runnymede and Weybridge]]
|post_town= Cobham
|postcode_district = KT11
|postcode_area= KT
|dial_code= 01932
|os_grid_reference= TQ1160
|london_distance_mi=17
}}

'''Cobham''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɒ|b|əm}}) is a large village in the [[Borough of Elmbridge]] in [[Surrey]], England, centred {{convert|17|mi|km}} south-west of London<ref>[http://gridreferencefinder.com/ Grid Reference Finder] distance tools</ref> and {{convert|10|mi|km}} northeast of [[Guildford]] on the [[River Mole, Surrey|River Mole]].  It has a commercial/services [[High Street]], a significant number of primary and private schools and the [[Painshill Park|Painshill landscape park]].

==Toponymy==
Cobham appears in [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 as ''Covenham'' and in 13th century copies of earlier charters as ''Coveham''. It is recorded as ''Cobbeham'' and ''Cobeham'' in the 15th century and the first use of the modern spelling "Cobham" is from 1570.<ref>{{harvnb|Gover|Mawer|Stenton|1969|p=87}}</ref> The name is thought to derive from an Anglo-Saxon landowner either as ''Cofa's hām'' or ''Cofa's hamm''. The second part of the name may have originated from the [[Old English]] ''hām'' meaning a settlement or enclosure,<ref>{{harvnb|Mills|2003|p=124}}</ref> or from ''hamm'' meaning land close to water.<ref>{{harvnb|Taylor|2003|p=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title= Cobham, Surrey |url= http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Surrey/Cobham |website= Key to English Place-names |publisher= University of Nottingham |access-date= 15 December 2021 }}</ref>

The area of the village known as Cobham Tilt, is first recorded as ''la Tilthe'' in 1328. The name is thought to derive from the Old English ''Tilthe'', meaning "cultivated land".<ref>{{harvnb|Gover|Mawer|Stenton|1969|p=89}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:St Andrew's Church, Cobham. - geograph.org.uk - 790984.jpg|thumb|right|St Andrew's Church]]
Cobham is an ancient settlement whose origins can be traced back on the ground through [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] times to the [[Iron Age]]. It lay within the [[Elmbridge (hundred)|Elmbridge]] [[hundred (division)|hundred]].

Cobham appears in [[Domesday Book]] as ''Covenham'' and was held by [[Chertsey Abbey]]. Its Domesday assets were: 12½ [[hide (unit)|hide]]s; 3 [[Mill (grinding)|mill]]s worth 13s 4d, 10 [[plough]]s, 1 alike unit of [[meadow]], [[woodland]] worth 40 [[hog (swine)|hog]]s. It rendered altogether £14 per year to its [[feudal system]] overlords.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gwp.enta.net/surrnames.htm |title=Doomsday Sudrie (Surry)|publisher=Surrey Domesday Book|access-date=2 July 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20041223093549/http://www.gwp.enta.net/surrnames.htm |archive-date = 23 December 2004}}</ref>

Historically, Cobham other than outlying farms comprised two developed areas, Street Cobham and Church Cobham.  The former lay on the Portsmouth-London Road, and the building now known as the Cobham Exchange was once a coaching inn.  The latter grew up around St Andrew's Church, which dates from the 12th century.  Although much altered and extended in the 19th century, the church preserves a [[Norman architecture|Norman]] tower and is a Grade I [[listed building]] (the highest architectural category).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk./en-286627-church-of-st-andrew-esher|title=St. Andrew's Church|publisher=britishlistedbuildings|access-date=7 November 2011}}</ref><ref name="VCH">{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=43004|title=Victoria County History|publisher=British History Online|access-date=8 November 2011}}</ref>

In 1649, the [[Diggers]] established a new community at [[Little Heath, Surrey|Little Heath]] following their expulsion from nearby [[St George's Hill]], [[Weybridge]]. The community met some success, with {{Convert|11|acre|ha|sigfig=2}} cultivated, six houses built, winter crops harvested, and several pamphlets published. The local lord, of the manor, Parson [[John Platt (parson)|John Platt]], despite initial sympathy, rallied gangs to attack the community and prevent locals in assisting them. Platt and local landowners drove the community out in April 1650. <ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.diggerstrail.org.uk/little-heath/ |title=Little Heath – Surrey Diggers Trail |website=www.diggerstrail.org.uk |access-date=15 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813135311/https://www.diggerstrail.org.uk/little-heath/ |archive-date=13 August 2020}}</ref>

The village's population was reported as 1617 inhabitants in 1848.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50887|title=A Topological Dictionary of England}}</ref> The arrival of the railway in the 1880s led to the expansion of the original village, the eastern fields and southern areas towards the railway station becoming suburbanised during the 20th century.  A 1960s improvements scheme widened the entrance to the High Street from River Hill to the south which was very narrow, removing a few historic and picturesque buildings, replacing some with less ornate brickwork glass-fronted buildings suitable as shops.  Subsequently, the High Street has developed into a local shopping centre.

In 1951 the [[civil parish]] had a population of 7885.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10070790/cube/TOT_POP|title=Population statistics Cobham CP/AP through time|publisher=[[A Vision of Britain through Time]]|accessdate=27 April 2024}}</ref> On 1 April 1974 the parish was abolished.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/surrey%20mid%20eastern.html|title=Surrey Mid-Eastern Registration District|publisher=UKBMD|accessdate=27 April 2024}}</ref>

===Aviation and motor industries===
{{ more references|section|date=July 2024}}
[[File:MHV Railton Straight Eight 1936 01.jpg|thumb|A 1936 Railton Straight Eight. Altogether 1379 of the Railton 8s were made.<ref name=AZ1930>{{cite book |last=Sedgwick |first=M. |title=A-Z of Cars of the 1930s|year=1989 |publisher=Bay View Books |location=Devon |isbn=1-870979-38-9}}</ref>]]
Cobham is {{convert|2.5|mi}} from [[Brooklands]] and played host to associated and its own aviation and motoring activity in the 20th century. Leading motor engineer and car designers [[Reid Railton]] and [[Noel Macklin]] set up a manufacturing facility, building [[Railton (car)|Railton road cars]] at the Fairmile Works from 1933 to 1940. An example is displayed at [[Brooklands Museum]] in the same borough.

In [[World War II]], after a major aircraft factory, [[Vickers-Armstrongs]], at Brooklands was bombed by the Luftwaffe on 4 September 1940, with heavy loss of life and many more injured, the Vickers Experimental Department was quickly dispersed to secret premises on the Silvermere and Foxwarren Park estates along Redhill Road.<!--technically across the Mole to the north so within the parish of Hersham even though closer to Cobham--> Engineer and inventor [[Barnes Wallis]] also carried out important trials catapulting models of his 'Upkeep' [[bouncing bomb]] across Silvermere Lake around 1942 and conducted spinning trials with larger prototypes at 'Depot W46' (the largest of the three dispersed sites). Vickers had numerous other wartime dispersed depots locally and those within the boundaries or whose nearest village was Cobham included Corbie Wood and Riseholme (on Seven Hills Road), Conway Cottage and Norwood Farm.

Despite its proximity to Brooklands and Wisley airfields (both active until the early 1970s), Cobham saw relatively few aircraft crashes. Most notable was a Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter which flew low over Brooklands apparently in trouble and crashed at Cobham on 16 March 1944; the pilot survived and little else was published of this incident.<!-- Over 90% chance referenced at Esher Library in the Esher News and Mail. Shelfmark: LOC 072 M'film 1942 – April 19th 2009. ISBN: S012719565-->

During World War II aircraft company [[Airspeed Ltd]] set up a design office at Fairmile Manor which designed the civil aircraft the [[Airspeed Ambassador]] before moving back to Portsmouth in the late 1940s.<ref>Boot, Roy. ''From Spitfire to Eurofighter: 45 years of Combat Aircraft Design.'' Pp 25–26. Shrewsbury, England: AirLife Publishing, 1990. {{ISBN|1-85310-093-5}}.</ref>

After the war, Vickers' Experimental Department continued to use two of the Redhill Road sites (now known as 'Foxwarren') and built aircraft prototypes there such as the [[Viscount]] airliner and [[Vickers Valiant|Valiant]] V-bomber, until it moved back to the main factory at Brooklands in the late 1950s.

In the 1970s residents Mike Chambers ran a business building Huron Formula Fords and a Formula Atlantic car at the Silvermere works and Geoff Uren prepared the BMW team saloon cars and [[Graham Hill]]'s Jägermeister-sponsored Formula 2 car.

From 1972 to 2011 Cobham Bus Museum occupied an ex-aircraft hangar (used mainly by Vickers-Armstrongs as a machine shop) next to Silvermere golf course in Redhill Road. The bus museum reopened as the [[London bus museum]] at [[Brooklands Museum]] on 1 August 2011. The former premises have been replaced by a care home.

==Geography==
===Boundaries===
Cobham fits into a triangle between the River Mole to the south, the [[A3 road|A3]] to the north and a borderline for the most part on the nearside of the [[New Guildford Line|(New) London to Guildford railway line]] to the southeast – directly west of [[Oxshott]].  On the southern border is the historic village, [[Stoke D'Abernon]], part of the small [[post town]], which gives its name to the railway station between the two areas on the line mentioned: [[Cobham & Stoke d'Abernon railway station|Cobham & Stoke D'Abernon]].

===Other===
;Soil
The village neighbourhoods of [[Downside, Surrey|Downside]] (south) and '''Fairmile''' (east). The longstanding built-up areas resemble the adjacent fertile east banks of the Mole such as at landscape garden Painshill Park on free-draining gravel topped with layers of [[alluvium]].  This contrasts with the steep west bank, acidic sandy [[heath]], which underlies the highest land on all the outskirts, residual outcrops of the [[Bagshot Formation|Bagshot Sands (Formation)]]. These isolate Cobham village historically, [[Esher Commons]], [[Oxshott Heath and Woods]] and the Redhill Common part of [[Ockham and Wisley Commons]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.landis.org.uk/soilscapes/|title=Soilscapes soil types viewer – National Soil Resources Institute. Cranfield University|website=landis.org.uk}}</ref>

;Elevation
Watershed points, or in international terms [[drainage basin|drainage divides]], are at the summits of the sides of the lower Mole Valley, attaining {{convert|60|m}} and {{convert|65|m}} towards the east close to [[Oxshott]] and Stoke D'Abernon respectively.

The [[River Mole, Surrey|River Mole]] runs through Cobham, with a visitor area and well-surfaced path by the mill in the High Street, dividing the remaining agricultural parts of Cobham in the west and south. Elevation reaches a minimum here of {{convert|20|m}} [[Above Ordnance Datum|above sea level]].<ref name=os>[http://getamap.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getamap/frames.htm?mapAction=gaz&gazName=g&gazString=TQ109600 Grid square map] [[Ordnance survey]] website Retrieved 2013-10-13</ref><ref>[http://www3.elmbridge.gov.uk/WAM/doc/Flood%20Risk%20Assessment-529570.pdf Cobham Conservation & Heritage Trust (Improvements at River Hill, Cobham) Flood Risk Assessment] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016234208/http://www3.elmbridge.gov.uk/WAM/doc/Flood%20Risk%20Assessment-529570.pdf |date=16 October 2013 }} Bell Fischer Retrieved 2013-10-13</ref>

;Demography
Cobham used to have two [[wards of the United Kingdom|wards]]; the Cobham Fairmile ward has a population of 4,760<ref>{{cite web |url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=5943039&c=Cobham&d=14&e=16&g=489602&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&enc=1|title=Census data – Area: Cobham Fairmile (Ward) – Key Figures for 2001 Census|publisher=Office for National Statistics|access-date=2 July 2010}}</ref> neighbouring Cobham and Downside has a population of 6,158.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=5943040&c=Cobham&d=14&e=16&g=489581&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&enc=1|title=Census data – Area: Cobham and Downside (Ward) – Key Figures for 2001 Census |publisher=Office for National Statistics|access-date=2 July 2010}}</ref> Cobham Fairmile ward has been abolished and is now part of the Oxshott and Stoke d'Abernon Ward.

==Landmarks==
[[File:Cedar House Hotel - geograph.org.uk - 819757.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Cedar House]]
At the heart of Cobham is the Church Cobham Conservation Area, which was designated in 1973 and includes fourteen statutory listed buildings.  Amongst these are Pyports, once the home of [[Vernon Lushington]]; the picturesque Church Stile House; and two fine houses overlooking the [[River Mole, Surrey|River Mole]]: Ham Manor and Cedar House, the latter owned by the [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk./en-286701-pyports-esher|title=Pyports|publisher=britishlistedbuildings|access-date=7 November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk./en-286625-church-stile-house-21-esher|title=Church Stile House|publisher=britishlistedbuildings|access-date=7 November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk./en-286799-ham-manor-esher|title=Ham Manor|publisher=britishlistedbuildings|access-date=7 November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk./en-286802-cedar-house-esher|title=Cedar House|publisher=britishlistedbuildings|access-date=7 November 2011}}</ref>

The [[Cobham Park]] estate was the home of [[John Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier]], once [[Head of the Armed Forces]]. In 1806, the estate was bought by [[Harvey Christian Combe]], a brewer and [[Lord Mayor of London]]. The present house was completed in 1873 by his nephew, Charles Combe, to a design by [[Edward Middleton Barry]]:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk./en-286707-cobham-park-esher|title=Cobham Park|publisher=britishlistedbuildings|access-date=7 November 2011}}</ref> It has now been divided into apartments. [[Painshill Park]] is a fine 18th-century landscape garden, restored from dereliction since 1980.  [[Painshill House]] dates from the 18th century and has also been divided into apartments.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1030132|desc= Painshill House|grade=II*|fewer-links=yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last= Nares |first= Gordon |date= 2 January 1958 |title= Painshill, Surrey I |magazine= Country Life |volume= CXXIII |issue= 3181 |pages= 18–21 }}</ref><ref name=NHLE_House>{{NHLE|num=1030132|desc= Painshill House|grade=II*|fewer-links=yes}}</ref>

Two other large houses on the outskirts of Cobham have been taken over by schools:  Heywood is now the [[ACS International Schools|American Community School]], and Burwood House is now [[Notre Dame School, Surrey|Notre Dame School]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-286730-heywood-esher|title=Heywood|publisher=britishlistedbuildings|access-date=8 November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-286695-convent-of-notre-dame-school-esher|title=Notre Dame School|publisher=britishlistedbuildings|access-date=8 November 2011}}</ref>

[[Cobham Training Centre|The Chelsea F.C. training ground]] is also nearby.

===Cobham Mill===
[[File:CobhamMill.JPG|left|thumb|Cobham Mill]]

The [[River Mole, Surrey|River Mole]] provides a setting for the red brick water mill, constructed in the late 18th century and once part of a much larger complex.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1190885|desc=Cobham Mill|access-date=2 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk./en-286801-cobham-mill-esher|title=Cobham Mill|publisher=britishlistedbuildings|access-date=7 November 2011}}</ref> It stands on the site of earlier mills dating back to the [[Middle Ages]]. The mill was in use until 1928, when it became uneconomical to continue operating.  Thereafter it was used as a storehouse.

During [[World War II]], a Canadian tank collided with the main building, causing much damage.<ref>''Cobham Mill – A Brief History'', Cobham Mill Preservation Trust, https://www.cobhammill.org.uk/history-of-the-mill/</ref>

In 1953 the main part of the mill was demolished by [[Surrey County Council]] to alleviate traffic congestion on Mill Road. This left just the grist mill standing.
[[File:Cobham Mill photographed in June 2005.jpg|thumb|upright|Cobham Mill, June 2005]]

In 1973 the Cobham Conservation Group was formed, later to become the Cobham Conservation and Heritage Trust, and one of its main objectives was to rescue the much deteriorated grist mill building from sliding into the river as a result of water erosion of the mill island. In 1986 the freehold of the mill was taken over by the [[Thames Water Authority]] who, as part of their flood control expenditure rebuilt the weirs nearby<ref>{{cite news |title= Cobham's old mill sold |date= 9 April 1986 |work= Cobham News and Mail |issue= 2597 |page= 1 }}</ref> and shored up the mill's foundations.<ref>{{cite news |title= Millwork 'well under way' |date= 30 March 1988 |work= Cobham News and Mail |issue= 2700 |page= 1 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Agreement near on Cobham Mill |date= 27 April 1988 |work= Esher News and Mail |issue= 2702 |page= 2 }}</ref>

Thereafter, the Cobham Mill Preservation Trust was formed as a sister organisation to the Cobham Conservation Group and took over the leasehold. The building was restored to full working order by the volunteers of the Cobham Mill Preservation Trust, and first opened to the public in 1993. Cobham Mill is now open to the public from 2&nbsp;pm to 5&nbsp;pm on the second Sunday of each month between April and October, inclusive.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cobhammill.org.uk/|title=Cobham Mill – Home|website=cobhammill.org.uk}}</ref>
{{Clear left}}

==Education==
St Andrew's Primary School<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.standrews-primary.surrey.sch.uk|title=Welcome to St Andrew's Primary School|publisher=St Andrew’s Primary School|access-date=2 July 2010}}</ref> is located in the village as is [[Cobham Free School]] which is an all-through school.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cobhamfreeschool.org.uk/|title=Home}}</ref> A local prep school is [[Feltonfleet School]]. There are three independent schools: [[Notre Dame School, Surrey|Notre Dame]]; [[ACS International Schools|ACS (The American Community Schools) Cobham International]] and [[Reed's School]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reeds.surrey.sch.uk|title=Home-Whats on-news|publisher=Reed's School|access-date=2 July 2010}}</ref>

==Local leisure and entertainment==
[[Painshill Park]] is nearby and Silvermere golf course is located in Redhill Road on the north side of the A3. Cobham has four football clubs: [[Cobham F.C.]], [[Mole Valley SCR F.C.]], Cobham United Football Club and Cobham Town FC (formed 2007). Cobham also has a cricket club, Cobham Avorians, formed in 1928.  Avorians was named after its founder, local landowner Edward James Avory, and originally played at the Fairmile Estate before re-locating to Convent Lane on the Burwood Estate in 1948.  [[Cobham RFC|Cobham Rugby Football Club]] has four teams which play regularly, as well as youth and mini sections.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cobhamrfc.com |title=Welcome to Cobham Rugby|publisher=Cobham Rugby Club|access-date=2 July 2010}}</ref> There is Cobham Village Club and a branch of the [[Royal British Legion]]. Cobham Players<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cobhamplayers.org.uk|title=Cobham Players-presenting plays since 1948|publisher=cobhamplayers.org.uk|access-date=2 July 2010}}</ref> regularly present plays, musicals, pantomimes and other entertainments in Cobham.

Walton Firs Activity Centre lies just off the A3 in Cobham and covers 28 acres.  It takes its name from Colonel Walton, who dealt with the purchase of the site in 1939.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://waltonfirs.co.uk/history |title= History |publisher= Walton Firs |access-date= 29 March 2023}}</ref>  It was used by a Royal Artillery [[anti-aircraft]] battery during [[World War II]] and in peacetime returned to use as a Scout camp site.  During the 1990s some 3,000 additional trees were planted, and more recently an all-weather barn and an artificial, but realistic, caving complex have been added.

==Politics==

=== Parliament and local ===
The [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) is [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Ben Spencer (politician)|Ben Spencer]], elected in 2019 as the successor to [[Dominic Raab]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Runnymede and Webridge results |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001456 |website=BBC News |access-date=14 July 2024}}</ref>

In local government Cobham is part of [[Elmbridge Borough Council]] and [[Surrey County Council]].  Until 2016, Cobham was divided into two wards, Cobham Fairmile<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elmbridge.gov.uk/committees/wardmembers.htm?wardid=3|title=Ward Members|publisher=Elmbridge Borough Council|access-date=2 July 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223101939/http://www.elmbridge.gov.uk/committees/wardmembers.htm?wardid=3|archive-date=23 December 2010}}</ref> and Cobham & Downside<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elmbridge.gov.uk/committees/wardmembers.htm?wardid=2|title=Ward Members|publisher=Elmbridge Borough Council|access-date=2 July 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110927144124/http%3A//www.elmbridge.gov.uk/committees/wardmembers.htm?wardid%3D2|archive-date=27 September 2011}}</ref> for Elmbridge voting. Following boundary changes in 2016, Cobham was divided between a newly drawn Cobham and downside ward and an expanded Oxshott & Stoke d'Abernon ward, with the Fairmile name disappearing. There are six councillors covering the two new wards, 4 Conservative and 2 Liberal Democrat as from May 2023. Cobham councillor James Browne was Leader of Elmbridge Borough Council in 2019. For Surrey County voting, Cobham is paired with [[Stoke d'Abernon]].

Cobham has many old buildings, conservation areas and housing development pressures.  It has a very active Heritage Trust,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cobhamheritage.org.uk|title=Latest news|publisher=Cobham Conservative and Heritage Trust|access-date=2 July 2010}}</ref> re-formed in 2007, and a lower-profile Residents Association.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cdra.co.uk|title=Welcome to the CDRA|publisher=Coham and Downside Residents Association|access-date=2 July 2010}}</ref> Unlike neighbouring areas in Elmbridge, Residents and amenity groups<ref>{{cite web|url=http://elmbridge.residents-association.com|title=News and events|publisher=Elmsbridge residents group|access-date=2 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715174244/http://elmbridge.residents-association.com/|archive-date=15 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> do not contest local elections in Cobham; occasionally independents have stood, such as in a 2007 by-election.  The only non-Conservative elected was a Liberal/Focus councillor, Mike King in 1984 in the Fairmile ward,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://esherandwaltonlibdems.org.uk|title=Welcome to Esher and Walton Lib Dems' website|publisher=Libdems.org|access-date=2 July 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060424060641/http://www.esherandwaltonlibdems.org.uk/|archive-date=24 April 2006}}</ref> which includes some high density social and private housing beside the [[A3 road|A3]], as well upmarket private estates. Cobham and Downside ward includes the village centre, private estates off the [[A245 road|A245]] Stoke Road, semi-rural [[Downside, Surrey|Downside]] and Hatchford, Ockham south of the [[M25 motorway|M25]].Since a by election in July 2021, the Liberal Democrats have taken 2 out of the 3 Cobham seats on Elmbridge B.C.

Since the 2013 Surrey County election, the local Member for Cobham is Conservative, Mrs Mary Lewis who serves as Cabinet member for Children, Young People and Families. A Cobham & Downside member on [[Borough of Elmbridge|Elmbridge]], Mike Bennison since 2005 also represents the next 3 stops up the line to London [[Oxshott]] [[Claygate]] and [[Hinchley Wood]] on [[Surrey County Council]].

=== British Army ===
Following the formation of the [[Territorial Force]] in 1908, the village for recruiting, was granted to the 6th Battalion, [[The East Surrey Regiment]] which maintained a platoon from A Company.  The village also maintained the "Sandyroyd School Troops of Scouts".<ref>{{Cite book |last= Westlake |first= Ray |year= 2011 |title=The Territorials : 1908–1914 : a guide for military and family historians |publisher= Pen and Sword |location=Barnsley |pages=19, 50, and 119 |isbn=978-1-84-884360-8 |oclc=780443267}}</ref>

==Road and rail links==
To the north and west of the village is the [[A3 road|A3]] trunk road, a major arterial route from London to [[Portsmouth]]. This road links to the [[M25 motorway]] at Junction 10, immediately to the southwest of Cobham.
* The [[A307 road|A307]], Portsmouth Road starts in Cobham and runs northwards to the adjoining town of [[Esher]]. This is also known as the "old A3".
* The [[A245 road|A245]] runs through the centre of the town and leads to [[Leatherhead]] in the south-east and [[Byfleet]] to the west.

[[Cobham & Stoke d'Abernon railway station]], opened in 1885, is on the [[New Guildford line]] from [[London Waterloo railway station|London Waterloo]].

==Police and fire services==
The closest public desk and offices of Surrey Police is at the Civic Offices, Elmbridge Borough Council, in Esher.

[[Surrey Fire & Rescue Service]], called Painshill Fire Station, has a full-time day crew together with:
* 1 water tender ladder
* 1 incident command unit
* 1 [[HIAB]] [[Unimog]]
* 1 Multi-role vehicle (MRV)

==Notable people==
*[[John Addison]], (1920–1998), composer, was born in Cobham.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-john-addison-1190798.html|title=John Addison|work=The Independent|access-date=8 November 2011|location=London|first=Alexander|last=Gleason|date=12 December 1998}}</ref>
* [[Julia Armfield]] (born 1990), writer, grew up in Cobham<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://theguardian.com/books/2019/may/30/julia-armfield-salt-slow-interview|title=Julia Armfield: 'There's freedom in the monster being the norm'|journal=The Guardian|first=Rhiannon Lucy|last=Cosslett|date=30 May 2019|accessdate=7 October 2024}}</ref>
*[[Matthew Arnold]], (1822–1888), poet, lived in Cobham from 1873 to 1888.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poet/matthew-arnold.html|title=Matthew Arnold|publisher=Representative Poetry Online|access-date=8 November 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111214802/http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poet/matthew-arnold.html|archive-date=11 January 2012}}</ref>
*[[Malcolm Arbuthnot]], (1877–1967), pictorialist, photographer and artist, was born in Cobham.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kittybrewster.com/members/table_34.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060825034404/http://www.kittybrewster.com/members/table_34.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-date=25 August 2006|title=Malcolm Arbuthnot|publisher=kittybrewster.com|access-date=7 November 2011}}</ref>
*[[Felix Aylmer|Sir Felix Aylmer]], (1889–1979), actor, lived at Painshill House, Cobham in the 1970s.<ref>{{cite ODNB |last= Nimmo |first= Derek |date= 6 January 2008 |title= Aylmer, Sir Felix [real name Felix Edward Aylmer Jones] |doi = 10.1093/ref:odnb/30776 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Obituary: Felix Aylmer |date= 6 September 1979 |work= The Stage and Television Today |issue= 5134 |page= 9 }}</ref>
*[[Antonio Banderas]] (born 1960), Spanish actor, lives in Cobham<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.sky.com/story/why-antonio-banderas-ditched-hollywood-for-cobham-11780740|title=Why Antonio Banderas ditched Hollywood for Cobham|date=9 August 2019|publisher=[[Sky News]]|access-date=9 January 2020| location=London}}</ref>
*[[Thomas William Brotherton|General Sir Thomas Brotherton]], (1785–1868), died nearby and is buried in St. Andrew's churchyard.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.edlhs.co.uk/Monographs.html|title=Thomas William Brotherton|publisher=Esher District Local History Society|access-date=8 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122054042/http://www.edlhs.co.uk/Monographs.html|archive-date=22 January 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[Harvey Christian Combe]], (1752–1818), brewer, Lord Mayor of London, owner of Cobham Park
*[[Aaron Eckhart]], (born 1968), American actor, lived in Cobham and attended the American Community School.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2004/apr/04/theatre|title=Mormon becomes electric|last=Bedell|first=Geraldine|date=4 April 2004|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=8 November 2011 | location=London}}</ref>
*[[Shane Filan]], (born 1979), singer, former member of [[Westlife]], has homes in Cobham and Sligo, Ireland.
*[[Kit Hain]], (born 1956), singer and songwriter, was born in Cobham
*[[Harold B. Hudson]], (1898–1982), [[World War I]] flying ace, was born in Cobham.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/canada/hudson3.php|title=Harold B. Hudson|publisher=theaerodrome.com|access-date=8 November 2011}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=December 2021|reason=theaerodrome.com is considered generally unreliable}}
*[[Nick Jones (entrepreneur)|Nick Jones]], (born 1963), entrepreneur, owner of [[Babington House]] and husband of [[Kirsty Young]], grew up in Cobham.
*[[Nicholas Lane]], ({{circa}}1585–1644), cartographer, came from a Cobham family and his earliest surviving work, 1613, is of Painshill.<ref>{{cite journal|first=Diana |last=Gunasena |title=Nicholas Lane, Seventeenth Century Land Surveyor and Cartographer|publisher=Wandsworth Historical Society|journal=The Wandsworth Historian|number=34 |date=September 1982|pages=1–8}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|first=Diana |last=Gunasena |title=The Nicholas Lane Family Dynasty |publisher=Wandsworth Historical Society|journal=The Wandsworth Historian |number=84 |date=Spring 2007|pages=1–5}}</ref>
*[[John Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier]], (1680–1770), Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, lived at Cobham Park.<ref name="VCH"/>
*[[Vernon Lushington]], (1832–1912), lawyer and patron to the arts, lived at Pyports in Cobham.<ref name="CobhamVillage">{{cite web |url=http://www.cobhamvillage.co.uk/index.php/cobham-history|title=Vernon Lushington|publisher=cobhamvillage.co.uk|access-date=8 November 2011}}</ref>
*[[Noel Macklin|Sir (Albert) Noel Campbell Macklin]] (1886–1946), of Fairmile estate, a British car maker and boat designer.
*[[Kenneth McAlpine]] (1920–2023), racing driver, was born in Cobham.<ref>{{cite news |last= Williams |first= Richard |date= 20 April 2023 |title= Kenneth McAlpine |work= The Guardian |url= https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/apr/20/kenneth-mcalpine-obituary |access-date= 24 June 2023 }}</ref>
*[[Nichola McAuliffe]] (born 1955), television and stage actress and writer, was born in Cobham.
*[[Graham Moore (Royal Navy officer)|Admiral Sir Graham Moore]], (1764–1843), naval officer, lived at Brook Farm in Cobham<ref name="VCH"/> and is buried in St. Andrew's churchyard.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-286632-moore-tomb-15-yards-south-east-of-porch-|title=Moore Tomb|publisher=britishlistedbuildings|access-date=8 November 2011}}</ref>
*[[Lord Henry Percy|General Lord Henry Percy]] [[Victoria Cross|VC]] [[Order of the Bath|KCB]], (1817–1877), soldier and MP, was born at Burwood House (now [[Notre Dame School, Surrey|Notre Dame School]]).<ref>{{cite DNB|wstitle=Percy, Henry Hugh Manvers}}</ref>
*[[Sir Thomas Sopwith]], (1888–1989), aviation pioneer and industrialist who founded the [[Sopwith Aviation]], H G Hawker Engineering, [[Hawker Aircraft]] and [[Hawker Siddeley]] aircraft companies, lived at Compton House, Cobham in the 1920s.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/4809813/Inside-story-Compton-House.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130409062615/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/4809813/Inside-story-Compton-House.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 April 2013|title=Sir Thomas Sopwith|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=9 November 2011|location=London|first=Matthew|last=Gwyther|date=15 July 2000}}</ref>
*[[Fred Stedman]], (1870–1918), Surrey county cricketer, was born in Cobham.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/26/26904/26904.html|title=Fred Stedman|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=7 November 2011}}</ref>
*[[Gerrard Winstanley]], (1609–1676), reformer, lived in Cobham from 1643 and was churchwarden in 1667–1668.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.diggers.org/diggers/gerard_winstanley.htm|title=Gerrard Winstanley|publisher=The Digger Archives|access-date=8 November 2011}}</ref>
*[[Louis Cole (YouTuber)|Louis Cole]], British film-maker and [[YouTube]] personality.
*[[Mudar Zahran]], Jordanian politician and Secretary General of the [[Jordanian Opposition Coalition]].
*[[Sue Biggs]] {{post-nominal|CBE}}, director general of the [[Royal Horticultural Society]].<ref>{{cite news| title =RHS Head: 'Why Britain faces a horticultural timebomb' | author =Maxine Boersma | work =The Guardian | date =1 July 2016 | url =https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jul/01/sue-biggs-rhs-horticultural-timebomb }}</ref>

==Demography and housing==
{| class="wikitable"
|- 
|+ '''2011 census homes'''
|-
!Output area !!Detached  !!Semi-detached!!Terraced!!Flats and apartments!!Caravans/temporary/mobile homes!!Shared between households<ref name=ons/>
|-
|Cobham Fairmile (ward)||792	||	366	||	274	||	262	||	1	||	2
|-
|Centre and south{{refn|Cobham and Downside (ward) less Elmbridge 017C|group= n}}||1,157	||	687	||	401	||	507	||	4	||	2
|}
The average level of accommodation in the region composed of detached houses was 28%, the average that was apartments was 22.6%.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Output area !!Population !!Households !!% Owned outright !!% Owned with a loan!!hectares<ref name=ons/>
|-
|Cobham Fairmile (ward)||4,751	||	1,697	||	34	||	32	||	553	
|-
|Centre and south||4,988		||2,047	||	40	||	31	||	276
|}
The proportion of households in the settlement who owned their home outright compares to the regional average of 35.1%.  The proportion who owned their home with a loan compares to the regional average of 32.5%.  The remaining % is made up of rented dwellings (plus a negligible % of households living rent-free).

==In film, fiction and the media==

The Cobham News & Mail covered local news in the latter part of the 20th century until it closed and was incorporated into the Surrey Advertiser.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cobhamnewsonline.co.uk|title=Esher and Elmbridge|publisher=Cobham News & Mail|access-date=2 July 2010}}</ref> Cobham is also covered by the [[Elmbridge Guardian]], the Surrey Herald and the [[Surrey Comet]] newspapers.

==Nearest places==
*[[Stoke D'Abernon]]
*[[Oxshott]]
*[[Esher]]
*[[Leatherhead]]
*[[Hersham]]
*[[Weybridge]]
*[[Walton-on-Thames]]
*[[Effingham, Surrey|Effingham]]
*[[Byfleet]]
*[[East Horsley]]
*[[West Horsley]]
*[[Downside, Surrey|Downside]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=n}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last= Boot |first= Roy |year= 1990 |title= From Spitfire to Eurofighter: 45 years of combat aircraft design |publisher= AirLife Publishing |location= Shrewsbury |isbn= 978-1-85-310093-2 }}
* {{cite book |last1= Gover |first1= J.E.B. |last2= Mawer |first2= A. |author-link2= Allen Mawer |last3= Stenton |first3= F.M. |author-link3= Frank Stenton |year= 1969 |title= The place-names of Surrey |location= Cambridge |publisher= Cambridge University Press }}
* {{cite book |last= Mills |first= A.D. |year= 2003 |title= Oxford Dictionary of British Place Names |publisher= Oxford University Press |location= Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-852758-9 }}
* {{cite book |last1= Sedgwick |first1= Michael |last2= Gillies |first2= Mark |year=1989  |title= A-Z of Cars of the 1930s |publisher= Bay View Books |location=Devon |isbn= 978-1-87-097938-2 }}
* {{cite book |last= Taylor |first= David C. |year= 2003 |title= Cobham: A history |publisher= Philimore |location= Chichester |isbn= 978-1-86-077247-4 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Westlake |first= Ray |year= 2011 |title= The Territorials : 1908–1914: A guide for military and family historians |publisher= Pen and Sword |location=Barnsley |isbn=978-1-84-884360-8 |oclc= 780443267}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat}}
* [http://www.surreyproperty.com/cobham-aerial-photographs.html Aerial photographs of Cobham]
* [http://www.cobhamheritage.org.uk/ Cobham Conservation and Heritage Trust]
* [http://www.cobhammill.org.uk/ Cobham Mill Preservation Trust]
* {{Exploring Surrey's Past |place=Cobham |access-date=31 May 2017 |fewer-links=yes}}

{{Elmbridge}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Surrey]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in Surrey]]
[[Category:Borough of Elmbridge]]