Description
Woodcote Village Green was laid out in 1903 as the focal point for the Upper Woodcote Model Village within the Webb Estate, a high-class residential development by estate agent and horticulturalist William Webb. The Green was provided with whipping post and stocks, a see-saw, pond with flock of geese opposite the smithy shaded by a chestnut tree. The Lord Robert, a Temperance Inn and General Stores opened in 1907. There was an estate blacksmith from 1904-1914 but the smithy, pond and geese are now gone although the stocks remain. A War memorial is located near the Lord Robert. The Green is overlooked by 9 mainly half-timbered houses, intended by Webb for occupation by workmen on the estate.
Practical Information
| Site location | Upper Woodcote, Woodcote Village, Purley |
|---|---|
| Postcode | CR8 3HF |
| What3Words | ///rear.photo.thick |
| Type of Site | Housing/Estate Landscaping |
| Borough | Croydon |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted (although estate roads are private) |
| Public Transport | Rail: Wallington, Purley. Bus: 127, 463 |
| Research Updated | 1 July 2008 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Woodcote Village Green is a designed village green that was laid out in 1903, the focal point for the Upper Woodcote Model Village within the Webb Estate (q.v.), a high-class residential development. The estate was laid out and partly designed from 1888 onwards by William Webb (1862-1930), a Croydon chartered surveyor and estate agent, who was a keen horticulturist and who called it the 'Garden First' system: 'The name Garden First means that the garden shall not only have prominence but that partial garden construction shall be carried out before any buildings are erected ...the house is but the complement of the garden in a general survey of the estate' (William Webb, 'Garden First in Land Development', 1919).
The Green and surroundings were first to be laid out, after which the rest of the estate was gradually built when the landscape had begun to mature, generally with a specific planting scheme incorporated. The Green is overlooked by nine mainly half-timbered houses, intended by Webb for occupation by workmen but few of his employees moved in and according to a report in the local paper: 'the houses rejected by workmen at 10s. 0d. per week are now being clamoured for by bank managers, stockbrokers, and others at from £30 to £35 per annum.' The Green was laid out with a whipping post, stocks and see-saw, and a flock of geese was installed on a pond in the south-west corner opposite the smithy and the Lord Robert, a Temperance Inn and General Stores that opened in 1907. There was an estate blacksmith from 1904-1914 who fashioned much of the metalwork on the estate, including the gates for Rose Walk, Silver Lane and South Border as well as window sashes and strap hinges. A 25-year old chestnut tree was also transported onto the Green to shade the door of the forge.
Planting on the green was restricted to thorn, birch on rough grass, but there are specimen trees in private gardens around the green, which dominate the skyline, notably cedars and Sequoiadendron. The smithy, pond and geese are no longer here and the forge now forms part of a private residence called the Smithy. A War memorial of unpolished granite is located near the Lord Robert. Street lighting encircling the Green is in the form of pendant lanterns supported by stained wooden posts. Over the years as posts have rotted they have been replaced with posts as similar as possible to the originals.
The Green and surroundings were first to be laid out, after which the rest of the estate was gradually built when the landscape had begun to mature, generally with a specific planting scheme incorporated. The Green is overlooked by nine mainly half-timbered houses, intended by Webb for occupation by workmen but few of his employees moved in and according to a report in the local paper: 'the houses rejected by workmen at 10s. 0d. per week are now being clamoured for by bank managers, stockbrokers, and others at from £30 to £35 per annum.' The Green was laid out with a whipping post, stocks and see-saw, and a flock of geese was installed on a pond in the south-west corner opposite the smithy and the Lord Robert, a Temperance Inn and General Stores that opened in 1907. There was an estate blacksmith from 1904-1914 who fashioned much of the metalwork on the estate, including the gates for Rose Walk, Silver Lane and South Border as well as window sashes and strap hinges. A 25-year old chestnut tree was also transported onto the Green to shade the door of the forge.
Planting on the green was restricted to thorn, birch on rough grass, but there are specimen trees in private gardens around the green, which dominate the skyline, notably cedars and Sequoiadendron. The smithy, pond and geese are no longer here and the forge now forms part of a private residence called the Smithy. A War memorial of unpolished granite is located near the Lord Robert. Street lighting encircling the Green is in the form of pendant lanterns supported by stained wooden posts. Over the years as posts have rotted they have been replaced with posts as similar as possible to the originals.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ298610 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 1.42 |
| Site Ownership | LB Croydon |
| Site Management | Parks and Open Spaces; Webb Estate Society |
| Dates | 1903 |
| Designers | William Webb |
| 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 | Croydon |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Upper Woodcote Village |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Local Open Land |
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
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
The Promenade de Verdun was created as a memorial landscape in 1922 on the Webb Estate to commemorate French sacrifices on the Western Front in WWI. The only straight road on the private estate, it has a wide grass verge, and extends a third of a mile. The soil was brought over from France for the purpose and it is planted with a line of Lombardy Poplars. At the south-east end is a tall obelisk, dedicated to the French soldiers who died in Petain's stand against the Germans in 1916, and inscribed: 'Aux soldats de France morts glorieusement pendant la Grande Guerre'. Responsibility for the maintenance of the Promenade was vested in Croydon Council in 1925.
The Promenade de Verdun was created as a memorial landscape in 1922 on the Webb Estate to commemorate French sacrifices on the Western Front in WWI. The only straight road on the private estate, it has a wide grass verge, and extends a third of a mile. The soil was brought over from France for the purpose and it is planted with a line of Lombardy Poplars. At the south-east end is a tall obelisk, dedicated to the French soldiers who died in Petain's stand against the Germans in 1916, and inscribed: 'Aux soldats de France morts glorieusement pendant la Grande Guerre'. Responsibility for the maintenance of the Promenade was vested in Croydon Council in 1925.
The Webb Estate was laid out from 1888 onwards by William Webb, a chartered surveyor and horticulturist who purchased 260 acres of land in Purley. He developed this as an upmarket residential estate according to his 'Garden First' system whereby landscaping and infrastructure should be established before house-building began. He set up a nursery to grow hedging, trees, shrubs and flowers for the estate. Houses were gradually built from 1901 onwards when the landscape infrastructure was maturing and the estate was completed by 1925. All roads but one were curving and names given to 'floral roads' reflected their planting schemes, such as Silver Lane, Rose Walk, and The South Border. The garden aspect of the estate endures today and it remains an important example within early town planning that recognised landscape as an essential component.
Woodcote Grove House was the former home of the Campbell-Johnston family, and is set in landscaped grounds that include Chinese and formal gardens of c.1910. Woodcote Grove House is now a care home for the elderly providing for 30 people. A self-contained nursing wing for 20 people has now been added.