There are many listed buildings in Godalming, of which twenty are on Church Street - excluding the parish church and its churchyard. Several of the listed properties are in this section of the street^[1].

The first four properties on the left or west side of the street share the same roof;, they are nos. 23, 23A and 25 and 27 Church Street. Frank Brockhurst, a dairy man, lived at no.25; the sign sticking out over the street offers "dairy refreshments" and Lyons Tea was also served here. A table laid for tea can be seen through the cafe's doorway^[2]. Mr. Brockhurst's name was over the shop window. Everard Butcher took over the dairy in 1912 and delivered milk by horse and cart. In 1914 he was in Meadrow on his milk round when the milk cart was hit by a car; he died shortly afterwards, leaving a widow and young children^[3]. His widow Louie, who subsequently remarried, continued to run the business and was employed as the Dairy Manageress for F Rothwell &: Sons^[4].

Mark Gravett had a picture framing business at 25a Church Street^[5]. He was well known in cricketing circles and had returned to Godalming about 1910. In 1911 he was with mother in Milford, he married in 1917 and by 1921 had become a sports outfitter on the High Street^[6].

The last of the four is No. 27 Church Street; it has a very narrow frontage and a small flat canopy is over the front door. In 1911 William Scurry, who was Dr. Bryden's chauffeur, lived here^[2] though he later moved to the Manor House to work for Mr. F. A. Crisp^[4]. Ten years later, in 1921, Leonard Ernest Wilson, a draper, lived at No.27 with his wife and son^[4] and just before the Second World War it was the home of Herbert J. Hardy and his wife Ellen^[7]. In more recent times it changed use and became a shop. This was where Ellis Forbes and his son ran their carpet business from for many years. Although they eventually sold the shop, the firm continued to trade in the area for some time afterwards.

Next door, 29 Church Street, is another timber framed building. It was a doctor's surgery where Harold Douglas Wyatt, M.R.C.S. lived^[2]. He had trained at Guy's Hospital in London^[8] and was in partnership with Francis William Augustine Bryden M.R.C.S. Eng. L.S.A. and Dr. Cecil Alfred Dottridge (as Bryden, Wyatt and Dottridge)^[5]. Dr. Wyatt enlisted and went to France on 5 June 1916^[9]. He did not return to Godalming after the war. One of his partners, Dr. F. W. A. Bryden, had been in practice in the town since 1891 and only left when he retired in 1933. Save for a brief annual holiday, he had never been off duty and as he left it was said that the poor had found Dr. Bryden a very generous friend^[10].

A delivery man in a leather apron is looking at the window display of Eaton's card shop next door (see Church Street Shops and Parish Church, 1951).

On the right, closest to the camera, is the former Registrar's office; it has brick bays and there are stone surrounds to the doors and windows on the ground floor, above which is a timber framed first floor that is slightly jettied. We can only see part of this building. It is now (2024) a podiatrist's and chiropodists. In 1924 the Customs, Excise & Old Age Pensions Office was here; Edward Trottter was the manager^[11]. There is a tile hung dormer, creating a third floor, on half of the roof which is a later addition (19th century).

The Old House, with its jettied first floor bay overhanging the pavement, is part of the same building. There was, and still is, a shop on the ground floor. In 1912 some of the timber on the side of the bay facing the camera was not in good condition. The white mark we can see is not a blemish on the card; some of the wattle and daub infill was damaged. This property and the ones either side are grade II listed today.

References:

^[3] "Surrey Advertiser", 20 June 1914.

^[5] "Kelly's Directory of Surrey", 1913.

^[6] "Surrey Advertiser", 12 February 1938. Death of Mr. Mark Gravertt, former prominent cricketer.

^[8] "Morning Post", 22 January 1906. One of those listed as having completed final examinations in medicine, surgery, and midwifery of the Conjoint Examining Board and the licence of the Royal College of Physicians had been conferred upon them. He had studied at Guy's.

^[9] Dr. Wyatt's medal card at TNA shows that shows he was a Civilian in the Red Cross Unit and then served at No 70 General Hospital, where he was first a Captain and then a Major.

^[10] "West Sussex Gazette", 29 June 1933. He died at Rustington in 1944.