Location

This section is about our location in SW London, a little history on this particular part of the world (with more through the History link above) and at the bottom of this section are a collection of useful external links for anyone interested in this area.

Lucky enough to be based in the heart of Putney Heath, we are also less than 5 minutes from Richmond Park.

Richmond Royal Park is London's largest Site of Special Scientific Interest, a National Nature Reserve, a candidate European Special Area of Conservation and a Grade 1 Listed landscape.

Species records for Richmond Park include 25 mammals; 144 birds; 49 grasses and mosses, 546 butterflies and moths; and more than 1,000 beetles! In Richmond Park you are never quite alone!

A bird's eye view of the Estate. The satellite photos and map below emphasise the green surroundings, which are unusual for a London address. Wildcroft Manor comprises the two long dark roofed buildings (in the lower right of the first picture). The larger flat-roofed estate to its left is Highlands Heath. The small building next to us is our local Gastro Pub - The Telegraph - conveniently situated!

Click any of the pictures above to enlarge.

Use the Back button to return here.

In the centre of the pictures, and opposite our entrance, is one of the oldest cricket grounds in England - Roehampton Village Cricket Club.

This open space is a peaceful spot in warmer summer months to watch the unhurried pace of a cricket game, or just catch a few rays of sunshine, whilst resting on a deckchair with a glass of wine or beer to hand! The photos section also has some pictures taken on nearby Wimbledon Common.

Near Tibbet's Corner on Putney Heath (see road map above) there is an obelisk commemorating the "Fire House" built in 1776 by David Hartley.

His invention of "fire-proofing" houses by means of iron and copper plates over the joists of upper floors, and below the floor-boards, was demonstrated on several occasions and King George III and Queen Charlotte had breakfast on the upper floor of his house, while a fire raged below. This building was the original Wildcroft Manor - perhaps unsurprisingly it did eventually succumb to flames.

During the late 19th and 20th Centuries there were a number of unusual events on Wimbledon Common - one of the strangest was the testing (in 1912) of one of Passat's Ornithopters - a fiendishly cunning (but quite ineffective) flapping aircraft - pictured below shortly before it destroyed itself trying to take-off.

	Nowadays we are better placed for transport! Transport for London have an excellent informative website. Here
	For local news, Putney has its own website. Here
	A new local bus service runs from just beyond our entrance gates, down into Putney, and then across Putney Bridge into Fulham, and on into the West End. It leaves at 2 minutes past the hour and half-hour - and a seat is guaranteed
	Underground trains and mainland trains from Putney head into the West End and the City. Click here for a selection of tube maps of London (nearest station is East Putney in the lower left corner) - this is quite a large file, so may take a few seconds to load
	Waterloo Station, and the Eurostar train service to Continental Europe, is about 30 minutes away by cab
	The A3 road also gives a quick escape from London at weekends. For those planning a trip - whether to Tooting or Toulouse - there is a very powerful trip planner run by the RAC
	This link to the BAA gives real-time updates on incoming flights at main UK airports. Heathrow and Gatwick are both only 45 minutes away
	Within a tight circle around us are Richmond Park, Putney Heath and Wimbledon Common. 3,000 acres of open spaces, trees, streams and ponds, ready for walking and exploring
	For an authoritative weather forecast for the UK, and overseas, try the Met Office
	StreetMap is another useful site - enter a London street name or any UK postcode and you will get a relevant map - you can zoom the image by changing scale and then print as needed.

This section is about our location in SW London, a little history on this particular part of the world (with more through the History link above) and at the bottom of this section are a collection of useful external links for anyone interested in this area.

Click any of the pictures above to enlarge.

Use the Back button to return here.

Nowadays we are better placed for transport! Transport for London have an excellent informative website. Here

For local news, Putney has its own website. Here

A new local bus service runs from just beyond our entrance gates, down into Putney, and then across Putney Bridge into Fulham, and on into the West End. It leaves at 2 minutes past the hour and half-hour - and a seat is guaranteed

Underground trains and mainland trains from Putney head into the West End and the City. Click here for a selection of tube maps of London (nearest station is East Putney in the lower left corner) - this is quite a large file, so may take a few seconds to load

Waterloo Station, and the Eurostar train service to Continental Europe, is about 30 minutes away by cab

The A3 road also gives a quick escape from London at weekends. For those planning a trip - whether to Tooting or Toulouse - there is a very powerful trip planner run by the RAC

This link to the BAA gives real-time updates on incoming flights at main UK airports. Heathrow and Gatwick are both only 45 minutes away

Within a tight circle around us are Richmond Park, Putney Heath and Wimbledon Common. 3,000 acres of open spaces, trees, streams and ponds, ready for walking and exploring

For an authoritative weather forecast for the UK, and overseas, try the Met Office

StreetMap is another useful site - enter a London street name or any UK postcode and you will get a relevant map - you can zoom the image by changing scale and then print as needed.