Description
The Manor Fields Estate is a private housing estate of 230 dwellings built in the 1930s in Arts and Crafts Tudor style, set in c.4.5 hectares of landscaped grounds that contain a miniature wood, pond, formal and informal areas. It is on the site of a large house originally built by Percival Lewis on Putney Hill in c.1740. In 1793 the house was described as 'a large square house of grey stock bricks'. It was rebuilt in 1828 for the Dowager Countess of Guildford by Sir Robert Smirke and known as North House. It was demolished in 1933 and Manor Fields Estate built on the grounds. The 14 houses of the new estate are all named after Oxford and Cambridge colleges. When former squash courts were built over, a new block was named after North House. The estate is owned by The Manor Fields Estate Limited, set up by residents in 1985 when they purchased the freehold of the estate.
Practical Information
| Site location | Manor Fields, Putney Hill |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW15 |
| What3Words | ///racing.cure.pulled |
| Type of Site | Housing/Estate Landscaping |
| Borough | Wandsworth |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | private |
| Public Transport | Rail: Putney then bus. Tube: East Putney (District) then bus. Bus: 14, 39, 85, 93, 170, 493 |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2005 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Pending further research
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ236743 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | The Manor Fields Estate Ltd |
| Site Management | The Manor Fields Estate Ltd |
| Dates | 1932-3 |
| Designers | John Laing and Son |
| 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 | Wandsworth |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Putney Heath |
| Tree Preservation Order | Yes - adjacent to North House |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Archaeological Priority Area |
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
This area was formerly part of the estate of Clock House, which was built in the late C18th on land taken from Earl Spencer's estate; in 1796 a Jacob Bell lived here. The Clock House estate ceased to exist when it was purchased by the Fulham Railway in c.1888 for the Wimbledon extension of the railway line. The area was then developed for housing between 1895-1905, an estate plan was laid out by the landowners and building lots then acquired and developed by different builders. The focal point is the green space at the junction of Rusholme Road and Holmbush Road. Holmbush Road and the north part of Rusholme Road was built by a family called Parnell, and the houses in Rusholme Road and Dromore Road south and east of the green were built by John Tuckett. The triangular green was provided as public open space by Wandsworth Borough Council, and was opened to the public in 1922, laid out with grass and trees and has 8 mature trees, one lime and seven horse chestnut, which may be a remnant of old hedgerow.
Innes Gardens is on the site of the former grounds of Gifford House, a large C18th house that was pulled down in the 1950s/60s after war damage. An C18th ice-house that was in the south-west corner of the original grounds is now adjacent to Nos.137-146 Innes Gardens. The pond in the recreation ground may be a remnant of an earlier pond.
Wildcroft Manor Gardens Estate comprises 56 flats built in 1936 on the 3-acre site of the former Wildcroft Manor. David Hartley's historic Fireproof House previously stood on the site. An obelisk in his memory stands nearby on Putney Heath. The estate gardens comprise lawns, mature trees, a formal area with box hedging and a pond with a small fountain. The gardens are constantly evolving but retain their original 1930s layout, a traditional garden with many roses and mature shrubs. The gilded ornamental entrance gates of c.1900 to Wildcroft Manor survived being taken for the war effort in WWII, reputedly because Queen Mary had admired them when passing by. They were made by J & C McLaughlin Ltd of Dublin.