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Page Updated

02 November, 2004

Before King William I set foot on English soil, a church stood on what is now known as Bookham crossroads. In the Domesday Book, 1086 it is noted that "the Abbot of Chertsey hold Bocheham" and that there was church in the village. This was a building without aisles or chancel so for 1300 years Christians have worshipped God at St Nicolas Church. Ancient village - twenty-first century community, the Church is the link between the two.

A detailed illustrated guide of St Nicolas Church is available from the back of the Church. It includes the history of the church, plan, photographs, famous families who have worshipped at the Church and a list of incumbents from 1314 to 1980.Cost £1.00

Saint Nicolas

The parish church of Great Bookham is one of 412 Anglican churches in England dedicated to Saint Nicolas. Nic olas was born at Patara in Asia Minor, the only child of a noble and Christian family.
Nicolas was famous for his acts of charity - the best known story concerns three teenage girls whose father did not have enough money for their dowries. Nicolas came three times secretly by night to throw bags of gold money through a window or down a chimney of their father's house. The three golden balls became the sign of St Nicolas, as in the east window of Gt Bookham church (see centre section in the photograph of the window below), and also the trade sign of pawnbrokers.
Nicolas was Bishop of the Mediterranean seaport Myra. In 325AD Nicolas joined more than 300 other bishops at the first Council of Nicaea from which originated our Nicene Creed. Bishop Nicolas died c. 326.

Bookham Village in 1876

In 1876 Queen Victoria is declared Empress of India, Custer makes his last stand but is killed by North American Indians and Bell invents the telephone. Meanwhile, in Bookham… the population is about eleven hundred, made up of a Vicar and a curate, one member of the medical profession, a surgeon, about twelve families of the gentry and about nine farmers. The twenty-six tradesmen include four shoemakers, three grocers, two builders, two painters, two harness-makers, a butcher, a draper, a carrier, a confectioner, two bakers, two blacksmiths, one publican, three beer-sellers, a bricklayer, a stationer and a miller.

The Vicar, is Revd William Heberden, M.A. (rural Dean). His father presented him with the living, which included land, purchased at a cost of £10750 which included land, while William was at Oxford, so his brother-in-law, the Revd Andrewes, was persuaded to nurse the Parish until William was ordained in 1821.

William is the son and grandson of two very important men in medical science: both were doctors in Ordinary to George III. The Herberdens were wealthy and soon William replaced the Vicarage with a very fine Rectory. His wife, Elvina, died but their children, Maria, Catherine and Francis, are still living with him. There are five staff - a housekeeper/cook, a lady's maid, a housemaid, a kitchen maid and a man servant. William's will was witnessed by Mary Ann Smith, the children's nanny and by William Ragge, the Parish Clerk. His wealth enables him to spend three months each year in the South of France, which means leaving the Parish duties to his son (the curate) John. John lives at the Laurels, Church Place (which has become part of the High Street by the 21st century). His wife Elizabeth and three children live there also – but no servants. Due to his haughty manner, Revd Heberden senior is known as 'The Pope'.

In this year, 1876, a man named Newton Arrow is walking around Bookham and recording what he sees. We will follow in his footsteps and turn right at the church down Church Road. We pass two Villas and the butchers shop. As we go further along the road we reach the Post Office, which is a money order office and Post Office Savings Bank. Opposite is the Vicarage where the Revd William Heberden lives, and then the house where the Doctor lives, Doctor Arthur Stedman, M.R.C.S.

The next building we meet is the Mill, four storey's high, then the four Almshouses, Flushings Farm and pretty Flushings Cottage. The farm belongs to William Leach (who is a minor) and is the last building we see on the road leading to the Isle of Wight Ponds. We now retrace our steps back to the Church

Libby Matts.

Note:
The background wallpaper on this page is a sketch of St Nicolas East Window, drawn by John Collins (1928-2001),  a member of St Nicolas Church. 
Phyllis Collins holds the copyright© for this sketch and has given permission to reproduce it on the St Nicolas web pages. 

Exterior Church Photographs 1790-1905

Interior Church Photographs
Lady Chapel

 List of Incumbents

Parish Records - Genealogy

Our Church in the Community - includes some Church history