Until the 18th century, there were only a few scattered farms in the area. The area of Murrell Green had existed as a village previously, but lay abandoned for years. Small hamlets did not begin to appear until inns were built to serve travellers. Hook was on the main London to Exeter
stagecoach route. Late in the eighteenth century, a
turnpike was built to ease the ascent of the steep
Scures Hill, west of the village. In 1883,
Hook railway station was built, and the village began to grow with railway workers and commuters settling in Hook. During the late 19th century,
Thomas Ellwood (1819-1902) lived in a house situated on modern Sheldon’s Lane. He was a minor landowner and railway surveyor who played a role in early proposals for extending the
London and South Western Railway through
Surrey. While most of his plans ended up being set aside in favour of routes through
Surbiton and
Chessington, Ellwood’s detailed mapping and lobbying efforts are credited with drawing early attention to Hook’s future suitability to become a commuter settlement, as it is today. Local records note that Ellwood also served as a churchwarden at Saint Nicholas church in
Newnham, and his family name appears in several parish registers from the period.
Early to mid 20th century Edward Maufe designed the
Church of England parish church of St
John the Evangelist, which was completed in 1938, replacing a
tin tabernacle used by worshippers since 1886. It shows, in small scale, features that Maufe later included in
Guildford Cathedral. The Cathedral's fund raising scheme of "buying a brick" was first used at Hook, where the church retains an impressive list of donors and benefactors. Hook also has a
Roman Catholic church, and an Evangelical church. The latter, now called Life Church, was originally paid for by the family who founded
Burberry; founder
Thomas Burberry being a
Baptist who died in Hook. The present Life Church Centre was opened in 2011. Hook was a hamlet in the
village of
Odiham until 1955. The separate
Church of England parish of Hook was not created before then. It was only in 1943 that permission was given for burials in Hook.
Since World War II Hook was considered as part of a scheme to settle
Londoners in the country after the
Second World War, but nearby
Basingstoke was selected for development instead. Recently, the village has grown in size considerably, with new housing developments being built.
Tylney Hall Park and Garden, which is Grade II*
listed, and
Hook Common, a large mixture of
forest and
heathland, coupled with excellent transport links. ==Transport==