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In the garden of Frogshole, The Steep, Chobham, is a small old cottage that, to our knowledge, is the last original poor labourers cottage in Chobham.  It is largely unspoilt, but now uninhabitable. It represents an important episode in Chobham’s social history.

The cottage appears to have been constructed as a squat on the roadside verge between 1780 and 1830 - during a period of great hardship in Chobham. It is similar to several others built near the boundary of Chobham Common at that time.

The cottage survived in a corner of the land owned by the Haxworth family. Bill Haxworth, one of the co-founders of the Chobham Society, greatly valued the cottage and the social history that it represented. Thanks to Bill’s foresight the cottage survived almost unaltered whilst other similar cottages were either demolished or altered beyond recognition.  Unfortunately Bill died just a few months before the cottage was properly recognised and awarded Listed Grade 2 status.

At the end of the 18^th C., and especially the first half of the 19^th C, the economy was in recession. At least 30 people emigrated from Chobham to Australia. At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, the country was virtually bankrupt, and most soldiers were demobbed and returned to their native villages, as were the wounded and crippled. There was no work for them, and no money for the widows of those killed in action.

It was a time when the destitute entered the newly-built workhouse at Burrowhill. Poor labourers built makeshift cottages in any corner of land that they could find. Unobtrusive corners of the Common and bits of highway verges were favoured.

Typical plan of poor cottages in this area. Drawing: David Stokes

Most of these poor Chobham cottages seem to follow a formula. They were single-storey with two rooms and a scullery in an outshoot at the back – usually under a cat-slide roof. The floor of the area under the cat-slide was usually sunken to provide more head room.  A single chimneystack rose through the ridge; giving hearths to both rooms. Fireplaces were small. The living room often held a tiny range.

In ‘Cebba’s Ham, The Story of Chobham’, Joy Mason wrote "From 1780 many small cottages were built, both on enclosed land and as 'squatters" on the heath. These cottages were usually built by their owners and thus were much of a pattern, consisting originally of two rooms with a large external chimney and bread oven. They also had a lean-to extension right along the back. This was sunken internally and used as part-pantry, part-storeroom. Their gardens ranged in size from 1/4 acre to an acre. The men cultivated these large gardens and often had an allotment as well. They also tended their pigs, poultry and any other animals they might keep. Pets as such were unknown since each animal had to justify its keep."

The Domestic Building Research Group have surveyed four such cottages in Chobham:

· Englewood, Burrowhill, SU972 633, DBRG Ref 3052, modernised but not ruined.

· No 1 Sparrow Row, DBRG Ref 586 – now demolished

· No 3 Sparrow Row, ‘Granny Beetles Cottage’ SU959638 DBRG reference 587? – now extensively re-developed

· No 5 Sparrow Road SU959638 DBRG Ref 431 – now demolished

There is an un-surveyed cottage at the north-east end of Brimshot Lane; it has been improved to be habitable, but still bears a resemblance to the original. It is occupied by Miss Amor.

Frogshole cottage follows the standard pattern but has three principle rooms with a further chimney at the end - so may have been extended. The external chimney bulges slightly at the base so may contain a small bread oven. The cottage is single story with a cats-slide behind.  It is 'black and white', i.e. wood-framed with white painted brick infill. The roof is clad in clay tiles.

Unusually it shows little sign of having been 'improved'; the rooms do not have ceilings, and it seems to have the original earth floor.

The 'catslide' roof over the scullery. Photo: David Stokes

There are signs of many repairs performed over the years. Some brick piers have been constructed against the front side to prevent collapse of the wall down the slope. The brickwork of the south wall has been replaced above the 1m level, as has brickwork of the chimney. The centre chimney and the hearths below appear to be reasonably recent.

It is no longer occupied. Adjacent to the cottage is an old wooden shed that may  also be of interest.

The site is an obvious squat on the highway verge; the road up the Steep from The Cloche Hat restaurant has wide verges until it comes to the sharp left bend where the cottage lies.  Poor people who could not buy land sometimes erected simple cottages on verges. Another example in Chobham is the simple black and white cottage on the west verge half way up Mincing Lane.

The cottage represents an important part of Chobham’s lost social history and should be preserved.

The 1845 Tithe Map shows a small enclosure on the site of the cottage but does not show the cottage. Nor is it in the Tithe Map Apportionment; but only a handful of Chobham cottages were mapped and listed.

The 1873 OS map shows the cottage in its current configuration. The adjoining wooden shed is also shown, and a well. A very small building (privy or pigsty?) appears at the eastern-most end of the garden.

It was once occupied by the Tedders; Mrs Tedder, now 90, lives in Windsor Court.

Frogshole Cottage - date unknown Photo courtesy of Surrey Heath Museum

The cottage survived in a corner of the land owned by the Haxworth family. Bill Haxworth, one of the co-founders of the Chobham Society, greatly valued the cottage and the social history that it represented.

It is not known when the photograph was taken or who is the lady pictured. The copy is held in the Surrey Heath Museum and was donated by Ken Dowley before he left Chobham.

The principle differences from the current appearance are:

· the end chimney rises above the roof height

· the bricks are not painted

· there are no buttresses strengthening the walls

· there is no porch.