Villages near Dorking

Heritage windows in North Holmwood: Spook Hill, Bentsbrook and the brickworks estate

North Holmwood is a residential area on the southern edge of Dorking, part of the town's built-up area and about two and a half miles from Dorking station, with Holmwood Common immediately to the south.

How it was built

Spook Hill is the main street and the historic heart. Bentsbrook Road and Bentsbrook Park lead off it, and Holmesdale Road runs round to Inholms Lane. The largest estate was built on the site of the Dorking Brickworks, a major local employer from the 1930s until it closed in 1983; after demolition the land north of Inholms Lane became housing. The brickworks' later pit south of the lane is now a nature reserve. Smaller areas include St John's and Stonebridge, and Chart Downs lies across Bent's Brook.

St John's church, built of flint and consecrated in 1875, is listed Grade II and has glass by Charles Eamer Kempe. Holmwood Common, about 600 acres of old woodland managed by the National Trust, is reached on foot from the church and from Inholms Lane.

Planning

Most homes here are relatively recent and the Article 4 directions in Mole Valley apply in Dorking, Brockham and Leatherhead conservation areas rather than out here. For the great majority of houses, replacing windows is the owner's decision. If you are unsure, check with Mole Valley's property lookup. Flats and maisonettes are the exception anywhere: window changes there usually need an application.

What usually fits

The houses on the brickworks estate and in the post-war roads suit a clean uPVC flush casement in white, grey or a woodgrain. It looks less bulky than a standard casement with sashes that stand proud of the frame. Older cottages along Spook Hill may have had sashes or small casements, and the surveyor will match whatever the house shows. Being next to an open common, the south- and west-facing windows take the weather, which is another reason most owners here avoid painted timber.

See flush casement windows and the cost guide. Background: North Holmwood on Wikipedia.