“Homes for Fit Heroes.” Does that sound like a slogan from a bygone era? It’s the story of Little Woodcote Estate.
Little Woodcote Estate was born after the First World War. It aimed to provide homes for returning servicemen. This area sits in both the London Borough of Sutton and Croydon. It lies south of Woodcote Green and Carshalton on the Hill.
Imagine this: It’s the 1920s. Surrey County Council is developing smallholdings. They sought to give returning soldiers a means to support themselves. They could live off the land.
The Little Woodcote Estate began construction in 1920. In total 79 cottages were built at a cost of about 87875 Pounds. Each came with a few acres. These weatherboarded semi-detached homes still stand today. Most are no longer used for their original purpose. By London standards, this is the middle of nowhere.
One of the last smallholdings allocated to servicemen disappeared after a nurseryman’s death. Bill Lovett, worked a four-acre plot at Little Woodcote estate for over 50 years. The site was turned into “homes for heroes” by Surrey County Council. This was to provide employment for returning soldiers during the depression of the 1930s.
Bill’s daughter, Vivien Lovett, said that only four smallholdings were operating at Little Woodcote. Many have been sold off into private hands. She is now writing a history of the Little Woodcote estate.
A cottage in Little Woodcote Estate was up for sale. It was built for soldiers returning from the First World War. The three-bedroom home has a thought-provoking history. It provides an amazing opportunity to live a semi-rural lifestyle just outside Croydon.
The semi-detached cottage includes two reception rooms. It also features a study, a dining room, and a kitchen. There is also a separate utility room, three first-floor bedrooms, and a bathroom. The property requires some modernization. The estate agent added it would make a stunning family home in an idyllic setting.
The cottage is surrounded by smallholding farms. They are mostly historic and now have homes on the land. The surrounding area remains rural in character. The entire Little Woodcote Estate now forms part of the Metropolitan Green Belt.
So, as you wander through Little Woodcote Estate, remember its past. Remember the “Homes for Fit Heroes.” Think of the soldiers who once worked this land. Their legacy lives on in this unique corner of London.