GARDEN SUBURB OF PETTS WOOD.

Petts Wood takes its name from the Pett family, master shipwrights and marshalls of the fleet from the reign of Henry VIII and mentioned in Pepys' Diary.

The family are believed to have planted the wood, previously divided between the parishes of Chislehurst and Orpington. The boundary separating them ran through the old manor house of Towncourt, so those "beating the bounds" entered through a door of the house and exited by a window.

In 1587 William Pett's will referred to the lease of "a sappy wood called Hawkeswoode with three hundred oakes growing upon the same..."

The wood and surrounding area became known as Petts Wood and developed during the 1930s - a time when many of the London suburbs were created - in a manner inspired by the Garden City movement and the pioneering work of Ebenezer Howard.

City accountant Adolphus Chudleigh bought the Town Court estate for his daughter and her farmer husband. Most of the land was unsuitable for farming, however, and the railway traversing drew Chudleigh's attention to the possibility of developing a new community.

He gradually acquired more land and went into partnership with developer Basil Scruby and architect Leonard Culliford.

Culliford drew up plans for a road system sympathetic to the landscape and designed "model" houses to set visual standards for later development. Plots were sold to speculative builders, subject to covenants that regulated the use and appearance of the buildings to be constructed.

Scruby arranged for the advance servicing of plots with drainage, gas, water and electricity and negotiated the construction of Petts Wood station - the hub of the whole development.

Once a site had been agreed with Southern Railways, its immediate environs became the obvious starting point for building the new Garden Suburb.

Station Square was laid out in 1928 and Scruby used covenants to restrict commercial activity on the estate. The estate office was built in the square to encourage shops and other commercial premises there.

Constructed in mock Tudor style - which would set a pattern for the other buildings - the office handled the sale of land and houses in Petts Wood. Early photographs show the building with courtesy cars parked outside, to take prospective buyers to view the new houses.

With the square almost complete by 1930, a large plot behind the estate office remained vacant. Three years later Scruby made an agreement with Charrington's Brewery to build a hotel on the land. Opposition from residents subsided with the news that it too would be built in mock Tudor design by Sidney Clarke and called the Daylight Inn.

The name commemorates the work of famous Chislehurst resident William Willett who was inspired to promote the concept of daylight saving time while on his early morning rides before Petts Wood was developed. Sadly he died before his idea was adopted.

For some years now the estate office has been left empty and neglected. Along with the Daylight Inn it is now locally listed. The council has designated the square as a conservation area and is therefore anxious to restore and preserve its character.

The mock Tudor building has been rescued by Bernie Stamp who has purchased the site and is lovingly and painstakingly restoring it and transforming it into a first-class restaurant.

Its excellent position in the centre of Station Square will make it an ideal place for a quiet evening enjoying good food in a historical setting.

Mr Stamp is replacing the modern windows and doors with reproductions of the originals which had been removed. Guests will be able to dine inside the restaurant or enjoy eating al fresco on a paved area to the front of the property. Shrubs will provide privacy from the road and subdued lighting will help to create a pleasant ambience.

It is hoped the oldest building in Petts Wood will become an attractive centre-piece for the area and one that will bring more people and trade to keep the Garden Suburb thriving for years to come.

Susan Deane

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000.Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.