Much of the lush land in the Dean, and indeed all of Cookham, is owned and maintained by the National Trust, a department similar to the National Park Service. Numerous footpaths wind through the lightly wooded areas and along the river. Within walking distance is Cliveden, a stately mansion on a massive 375 acres and once the home of American millionaires Nancy and Waldorf Astor. There is still a hint of a division between the main village and the splintered Dean, this time between the haves and the have-mores. But the troublemakers left so long ago that no one alive remembers any such type residing in Cookham.
Crime is talked about here, about how awful it is getting and what is the world coming to.
Of course they are talking about the crime in London. The villagers are proud to live here, proud of Cookham's offbeat history. But ask them about Toad Hall, the Thames mansion featured in Wind and the Willows, and they gleefully bring you to the front doorstep. Some even know about the palatial cowshed built by the Astors to obstruct their view of the village rooftops. But residents are especially proud of artist Stanley Spencer.