Crescent Grove, SW4
A History of the Estate
The Crescent and The Grove
Child built a large detached house with an extensive garden (which stretched as far as the present Abbeville Road) at the end of the estate for his own use. This was called Grove Lodge but was demolished in 1936. It was replaced by two new Union buildings for the Builders’ Union and the Post Office Workers’ Union. The latter remained part of the Estate until 1999. In 2016 it was converted to residential use and is now cut off from Crescent Grove by railings.
The central garden is a semi-circle between the semi-detached houses linked by coach houses on the straight side (originally called The Grove) and the terraced houses on the crescent side (originally The Crescent). The railings around this central garden were removed during World II. The garden adjacent to Crescent Lane is known as the Long Garden.
Entering the Estate
The two large houses (known as Denmark Lodge and Crescent Lodge) and the white pillars on either side of the road together form a dramatic entrance to the Estate.
Estate with 40 Properties
Crescent Grove remains a Private Estate with some 40 freehold properties. The Estate is a conservation area and the original houses are all Grade II listed. Number 36, built in the late 1960s, is also a Grade II listed as a rare example of a timber framed house. The common parts of the Estate – the roads, pavements, gardens and trees – are vested in trustees who are the registered owners and responsible for the maintenance on behalf of the freeholders of the properties. Nowadays this is an unusual arrangement.
About the Estate
Further information on the history of the land and the Estate can be found in the booklet A Regency Survival in Clapham by Hermione Hobhouse, originally written when she was a Crescent Grove resident. Click here to find out more.