Not what it seems

In a prominent position at the cross roads in the middle of Leatherhead, this mock Tudor building makes quite a statement, but is not as old as it seems having been built in the 1930s. The crossroads in the centre of the town used to be dominated by a large inn called The Swan but this was pulled down and replaced by a hideous row of shops. Leatherhead has always been a sorry town. Nikolaus Pevsner's "Buildings of Surrey" introduces his entry on Leatherhead with the words "Leatherhead is perhaps the most pitiful of Surrey small towns". Since that was written the High Street has been pedestrianised, a small shopping mall has been built and traffic bypasses the town centre via a contorted one way system, but still the town does not have the footfall the traders would like. Now the Council has brought in a firm of town planners and there is public consultation as to what should be done. I expect it will be many years before we see a result. Meanwhile the bookshop continues to trade, in spite of Internet competition and the climate of gloom in Leatherhead.