Avoiding the traffic we took leafy roads to Dorking today and drove almost the entire way in narrow tunnels of green, dappled with autumn gold, and it was simply beautiful. Beautiful homes, many gated and secured, peeped out from the forest. We drove over Box Hill and loved the view so paused for a shot of the valley through a gap in the trees. This view brought tourists flocking to Dorking in great numbers. Many of the villages and towns around here have much that is stylish about them, Dorking does style in spades. Its life has revolved around it being on the railway line, so folk visited and made its market famous. The Dorking Cockerel was the big seller. The market was held in the centre of town and the town shoppes subsequently thrived.
It feels and looks prosperous. Just entering through a little alley from the carpark you could see the style and sense the money. A silver cockerel permanently on a pedestal greets everyone who walks this way. And probably winks. Metal witches fly wild and free across one of the many winding black and white passages. We love the whimsy of Dorking and Surrey. There is a real sense of humour about its style and its decor. Even the Dorking butcher has gone to great trouble to present himself to his buyers wearing his best clothes: black is beautiful. And in the ironmonger shop, 16th and 17th century paintings from the era of James 1 were uncovered on the walls when renovating was underway. Panels have been preserved under glass and are now displayed on the second floor. Even back then, there was style.
We stopped for lunch at a Deli, come Bar, come Restaurant, called The White Horse, and photographed every room. Interior design has changed in England. Once pubs were dark and traditional, symmetrical and sombre, decorated with horseshoes. Nowadays, the decor is unusual, creative and fun. The horseshoes, here, were sent to a farrier, and twisted into hooks, and dozens of them hang from the walls as rustic coat hangers, or ham hooks, if needed. A white horse, outrunning a black one, each with flowing manes has been hand painted in pointillism on one of the feature walls. It is simple and stunningly effective. As were the three white horse sculptures breaking though one of the walls. Such a great idea.
And the theme goes on in the other rooms. A white horse is featured in a Dickensian highway robbery triptych tale hung on an adjoining wall: each piece is white plaster, hand built, telling the tale of a merchant being held up, removed from his carriage, deprived of his box of coins, distraught: only to watch, heart thumping, as the Highwayman went riding, riding, not realising, yet, that he has dropped his bundle. Gold coins, like a crumb trail, lead in his direction. Knives, forks and spoons have been bored and hung from hooks as kitchen art. A cluster of worn breadboards and cutting boards with leather thongs are mounted artistically beside an array of rolling pins.
Looks stunning, Bernie, and you describe it beautifully.
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