Description
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.
Practical Information
| Site location | Wildcroft Road/Telegraph Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW15 |
| What3Words | ///curve.poster.wasp |
| Type of Site | Housing/Estate Landscaping |
| Borough | Wandsworth |
| Open to Public | Occasionally |
| Opening Times | Has opened for London Open Gardens. Otherwise private, for residents only |
| Public Transport | Rail: Putney. Tube: Southfields, East Putney (District) then bus. Bus: 14, 424, 85, 93 |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2006 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ232736 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | private |
| Dates | 1936 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: C18th Gates to Wildcroft Manor |
| 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 | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
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
Fairlawn was built in 1853, a fine villa with substantial gardens designed by Robert Marnock. After WWII the house was acquired by the LCC and in the early 1950s became a home for the blind and later for the elderly. In 1980 the GLC, who had taken over from the LCC, relinquished the house and it fell into disrepair. In 1984 Hiram Walker International purchased the site and restored the house, but later vacated and the house has since been adapted as apartments and renamed Fairlawns. Today the original gardens are severely truncated and the lower area is now part of Windlesham Grove Estate.
Victoria Drive Open Space is a landscaped open space and garden at the rear of Fairlawns (q.v.), a large mansion now converted for private residential use. The gardens were once part of the original grounds, as marked on OS maps of the 1890s, which shows the pond that remains in the gardens. A small built structure may be a relic of the earlier estate.. The gardens are part of the Ackroyden (west) housing estate, that includes Oatlands Court to the north of the garden.
Putney Heath is part of Wimbledon and Putney Commons, and adjoins Wimbledon Common to the south, the remains of extensive common lands in the area. In the C18th it was a notorious place for duels and highwaymen and Tibbet's Corner, the site of a gallows, now lies in the centre of a roundabout. The Heath is on undulating land with areas of woods and grassland and has several ponds including Scio Pond. There are a number of memorials on the Heath, including the war memorial to the north near Putney Heath Road, and a memorial to the Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment. An obelisk by George Dance was erected in 1788 to commemorate an experimental fire-proof house created by David Hartley in 1776, near Tibbet's Corner. Opposite the Green Man Pub in the north east is the former Pound for stray animals.