Coombe, Kingston upon Thames

Location

Coombe lies east of the Norbiton area of Kingston upon Thames. The neighbourhood was part of the former Municipal Borough of Malden and Coombe prior to local government re-organisation in 1965. It now shares borders with the boroughs of Merton, Sutton, Wandsworth and Richmond. To the north lies Richmond Park; to the east, Wimbledon Common.

History

Coombe centres on what was originally Coombe House, a large residence built in the 1750s. The house, now demolished, was located at the southwest corner of the intersection of present-day Coombe Lane (A238) and Traps Lane. Its red brick boundary walls can still be seen on the west side of Traps Lane.

The neighbourhood has a long history. Roman coins and other ancient remains have been found in the area around Warren Road. Coombe appears in Domesday Book as Cumbe. It was held partly by Hunfrid (Humfrey) the Chamberlain and partly by Ansgot the Interpreter. Its domesday assets were: 1½ hides; 4 ploughs, 12 acres (49,000 m²) of meadow, herbage worth 4 hogs. It rendered £8.

The Neville name has long been associated with the neighbourhood. In 1215 King John gave Coombe to Hugh de Nevill, and the area was known as Coombe Nevill by 1260. At the beginning of the 14th century the manor was held by William de Nevill. The 1911 Ordnance Survey map identified an estate known as Coombe Nevile at the intersection of George and Warren Roads and owned by Commander L. Chetwynd. The present-day cul-de-sac known as Coombe Neville is in the same location. Neville Avenue is a short distance away, south of Coombe Lane.

16th century records speak of a gallows in Coombe, most likely near what is now Kingsnympton Park estate; this was reputedly the scene of public executions.

In the early 1700s a public house known as the Fox and Coney was established at the intersection of George Road and Kingston Hill (A308). It was rebuilt in 1728 and soon thereafter was renamed the George and Dragon, operating as such until 1985, when it became the Kingston Lodge Hotel.

By 1761 Coombe was owned by John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer, an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales and her son Prince William.

Coombe Warren was a wild woodland on the ridge known as Coombe Hill. It was used for hunting and public fairs. 'The Coombe Wood Highwayman', Jerry Abershaw, frequented the area in the late 1700s. Being based at the "Bald Face Stag" pub, he sheltered in the woods. An 1835 map placed Coombe Warren in an area now bisected by Warren Road between Kingston Hill (A308) and Coombe Lane (A238). Portions of the Warren are now covered by the Coombe Hill estate and Coombe Wood Golf Course.

In 1822 the Admiralty opened a semaphore station in the Warren, which was part of the semaphore line from London to Portsmouth. The station has disappeared, but survived in the name of "Telegraph Cottage."

At the time of the 1865 Ordnance Survey, the area west of Warren Road remained largely open country. By 1911 two golf courses were in place, as were a number of large estates located along George Road, including Coombe Croft (now Rokeby School for Boys), Coombe Ridge (now Holy Cross Preparatory School), Coombe Court, Coombe End, Ballard Coombe and Fairview.

Numerous German bombs struck Coombe during World War II.

Today

Coombe is a prestigious residential location, and house prices in the area are commonly into the millions. It includes the Coombe Hill estate. Once the site of now-demolished Coombe Warren, a 19th century property built by architect George Devey, Coombe Hill estate today consists of Coombe Hill Road and cul-de-sacs such as Greenwood Park and Devey Close; and neighborhoods along Warren Road, George Road and Golf Club Drive.

Notable buildings

Grade II-listed buildings and ancient monuments in Coombe include:

Notable residents and visitors