Description
Now the international training centre for Unilever plc, Four Acres was built in 1929 in 'Vernacular Revival' style by George Warren. Warren also designed the former lodge that originally housed the servants to the main house and later became used for accommodation when the site became a training centre. Adjoining the lodge are a pair of circular brick gate piers with cone tiled tops. The house is set in well planted grounds with water features and sculptures; a low brick terrace is attached to the west and south front of the house, with paving and a flight of stone steps.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Four Acres International Training Centre |
|---|---|
| Site location | George Road, Coombe |
| Postcode | KT2 7PD |
| What3Words | ///start.sorters.fails |
| Type of Site | Private Garden |
| Borough | Kingston |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | private (visible through gates) |
| Public Transport | Rail: Kiingston then bus. Bus: 213, 85, 57 |
| Research Updated | 1 March 2004 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Pending further research
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ203702 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Unilever plc |
| Site Management | Unilever |
| Dates | 1929 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Four Acres and attached terrace, wall and steps; Lodge and gate piers |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Kingston |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Coombe Wood |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Archaeological Significance, Strategic Area of Special Character |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
The Pavilion is a rare and important example of the late work of Oliver Hill, a leading English architect of the mid C20th. It was built for Mr and Mrs Goldetz and is one of only three post-war houses designed by Hill. His design reflects the interest at that time in C18th Garden Pavilions. The house is set to the rear of the site, which has numerous well-grown trees.
The golf course was part of the estate of Coombe House, which the 1st Duke of Cambridge purchased in 1837, enlarging his estate for a shooting park by the purchase of commonland on Coombe Hill. Coombe Wood Golf Course was laid out in 1904 by the 2nd Duke of Cambridge and his sons, the Fitzgeorges. Originally a 9-hole course, but extended in 1922, it continues to straddle George Road. The Coombe estate was broken up after the death in 1933 of Sir Augustus Fitzgeorge, partly for housing development, but partly remaining open land. The golf course was saved as a result of Malden and Coombe UDC purchasing the land in 1934.
The Watergardens were created in the 1860s by horticulturalist James Veitch Jnr, who had purchased land from the Duke of Cambridge for his Coombe Wood Nursery. He laid out former gravel workings in the south of the nursery as a Japanese watergarden, with streams, bridges and plants brought back from Japan, its design apparently inspired by the Willow Pattern in Chinese plates. This part of the nursery was later brought into the grounds of the adjacent Warren House, then owned by banker Hugh Hammersley. It remained part of the grounds of Warren House until 1985 when a parcel of land including the former water gardens was purchased by Octagon developments for a private housing scheme. Veitch's watergardens were restored and have ponds, streams and waterfalls, and numerous rare trees.