Place Name
A somewhat grand name to describe this street which was laid out on the lip of a hill – just 40m or 130 ft above sea level – before it rises to Putney Heath. But it also marked something else. This is one of the streets of the Dover House Estate which was developed by William Willett Ltd of Sloane Square, and was designed along garden city principles. Laid out over the western half of the former Putney Park, it was originally called the Roehampton Estate. It was purchased by the London County Council in 1919 and was a split development, with private housing to the south of Crestway and social housing to the north. When the LCC development was completed sometime around 1927, it brought a huge influx of people to the area some 4,400 people occupying 1,212 homes, marking a huge turning point for Putney. The estate’s ideals however remained in tact and it was widely acclaimed as a good example of social housing.
