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Lower Kingswood in 1874
As a follow up to Judy Parfitt's article, which appeared in our September 2001 issue of Village News, we are pleased to be able to reproduce a map of the village dating from 1874.
Many of the present day roads are shown - even though the Brighton Road isn't named as such. Interestingly in 1874 Buckland Road was a Lane and Smithy Lane was a Road! 'The Park' occupied
the area now covered Rookery Way, Josephine Avenue etc., and obviously 'The Rookery' was to give its name to Rookery Way.
The 'Common Fields' were generally ploughed in the Middle Ages and derive from the surplus land of a Manor upon which the Villains (or Freemen) had rights inherited from Saxon times.
This map (just) pre-dates the period of litigation commencing in 1877, when the then Lord of the Manor, who lived at Warren House, Kingswood - located just to the north of Chipstead Lane
- attempted (along with his supporters) to buy-up and enclose 1,300 acres of common land at Banstead Downs and sell it off for vast profits for building. Fortunately he was - after
17½ years of litigation - defeated and bankrupted (again along with many of his supporters!) by the legal costs involved.
Among the latter day owners of Warren House was Sir Henry Cosmo Bonsor who, in 1892 in conjunction with Dr Edwin Hanson Freshfield, built the Church of the Wisdom of God Church. A year
later the original building of the present Kingswood Primary School was opened in Buckland Road.
'The Fox' (PH) is shown on the 1874 map, as is the milestone (MS) - giving distances to London, Sutton, Brighton and Reigate ( 18, 7, 33 and 3 miles respectively); both still remain
although the former was renamed a few years back to 'The Fox on the Hill' and the milestone is now sadly marooned and neglected in the middle of the dual carriageway opposite the
recreation ground.
Ruffet Wood is no more, being now occupied by houses along the Brighton Road and Lyonsdene; but the name lives on in the house name of 'The Ruffets' (by the Babylon Lane roundabout). As
Judy mentioned in her article Cheasley Town occupied the Buckland Road/Stubbs Lane area around 'The Mint Arms'. (NB. The word "mint" appears in the name of a number of buildings in
Banstead and the surrounding area and is a reminder of the crop which was grown in the vicinity from the late 18th century and whose oil went to sweet factories in Mitcham.)
We can imagine that the population of Lower Kingswood in 1874 was probably only a few hundred; according to the results of the 1991 Census the population was 2,759. (NB.This latter
figure can be compared with similar figures published for the surrounding villages of: 2,058 in Chipstead, 2,569 in Kingswood, 4,316 in Tadworth and 1,783 in Walton on the Hill.)
Editors note: the map is copyright © and/or Database Right Landmark Information Group and Ordnance Survey Crown Copyright and/or Database Right 2001. All Rights Reserved.
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