Southfields 1867

Detailed map of Southfields; London sheet 123. Introduction by Pamela Taylor. The map covers the area from Putney Heath eastward to Merton Road, and from Wincanton Road and Brathway Road southward to Ryfold Road and St Luke's church. Development of the 'Wimbledon Park' Estate followed the sale of the land by the 4th Earl Spencer to John Augustus Beaumont in 1846. By the 1860s an estate of 'stately villas' had been built. These are shown on the 1867 map, in their leafy grounds, while further east 'South Field' is largely rural, and aspects of Capability Brown's park can be seen. This is a most attractive map, with a few large houses shown at the top on Putney Heath: Fireproof House, Highlands, Bristol House. At the foot is an area called Parkside. Fine villas line the east side of the Heath - Belmont, Albermarle Lodge, etc - and also on Inner Park Road and Victoria Road. Further east 'South Field' is almost entirely rural, while to the south are remnants of Capability Brown's landscaping, with The Lake. The short directory Wimbledon Park lists the gentry who lived here.

Reduced from the original Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 map to a scale of approximately 1:4,340 (or about 15" to the mile). Published by Alan Godfrey Maps, Leadgate, Consett