The Woodcote

Following the expedition noticed at reference 1, a week or so we decided to walk the bounds of Woodcote End House, to see if we could tidy up our understanding of the various parts of the Woodcote estate. Where by walking the bounds I mean walking around the triangle formed by Woodcote Road and Madan's Walk.

So, first up we have Woodcote Hall, opening onto Woodcote Road, flats for some time now.

Next, Woodcote Close, with an antique brick wall for its southern boundary, complete with one small and one large opening. No doubt a listed wall, like the one crumbling away on the edge of Clayhill Green, no doubt a source of considerable expense for the houses to which it belongs. Woodcote Close now containing what I think is an upscale housing estate dating from between the wars, but can't be sure as they have not allowed the StreetView camera car in. Head on south down Woodcote Road, following the wall until it breaks to allow access to the handsome house snapped below.

Woodcote End House, the one whose garden still stretches across to Madan's Walk. 

Complete with a rather grand, if semi-detached coach house. At least I think the coach house once belonged to the house as it is mentioned on the fancy bit of slate on the gate post.

Round what was the 'Ladas' at the bottom, to be greeted by the grand looking Westgate House, also now flats. I think the name was dreamed up by some agent when selling the house, there being no west gates in Epsom. The sort of thing you might get in a much larger and older town.

So quite a cluster of substantial houses, and we have not included Woodcote House, a bit further down the road, formerly known as the Dagghouse or the Dog House, I think for its kennels. Perhaps before the arrival of the railway, Epsom was just the right distance from London for grocers and such like who had made good there and who wanted a stake in the country, not too far from work.

Back up Madan's walk to take another look at the listed gates, once a back entrance to Woodcote End House. On closer inspection in bad condition. Maybe now it would cost more to restore them than to replace them.

Closed by inspecting the gates to the Ashley Centre, which, on a good day, might have been the gates above. Large old building left, small old building right, so they would not have been out of place. Too late now - unless there is a very busy, newly retired somebody prepared to make the necessary push. Prepared for the long haul.

So we have a clutch of substantial houses on the northern fringes of what might once have been part of the estate now called Woodcote Park, the home of the RAC golf club. A rather grand establishment, although the one time I visited I was surprised at how homely the bar and function room area were. They sold, as I recall, top quality warm beer and very decent cigars.

Visit their site at reference 2 to make a start on the history, to lift the snap above, and from there to to the excellent reference 3. I learn that Woodcote Park belonged to Chertsey Abbey before the Conquest and eventually got mixed up with Horton Manor to the west, presumably something to do with the Horton Manor House mentioned at reference 4.

The place went through various hands, not seeming to stay in one family for very long. At one time those of Lord Baltimore, at about the same time the royal governor of the colony of Maryland. Another was one Louis de Teissier, a refugee from the French revolution who seems to have made good over here. To be found at reference 5, from where it can be seen that the Woodcote Park was once very grand indeed. The RAC got it just before the first world war. Burnt down and rebuilt between the wars.

Various parcels of land were sold off over the years, presumably including the triangle this post started with. And resulting in the name being scattered all over this part of Epsom. BH contributed the map above, and interested readers are invited to map it onto gmaps. I think Woodcote End House etc are to the north east of the Woodcot Park there marked.

PS: not knowing a mainland Baltimore, I thought to check, to find that it is almost the southernmost point of what is now Eire. Lord Baltimore was of the Irish peerage, although at least partly resident in England.

Reference 1: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2021/03/madan.html.

Reference 2: https://www.royalautomobileclub.co.uk/about-the-club/history/history-of-woodcote-park/.

Reference 3: https://eehe.org.uk/?p=29903.

Reference 4: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/08/wellingtonia-15.html.

Reference 5: https://eehe.org.uk/?p=25514.

Reference 6: http://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.com/2008/01/emetics.html. Our one and only visit to Chertsey. It looks as if we were there on invalid buggy key business, rather than abbey business.

Reference 7: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/09/army-navy-co-op.html. The source of the map snap above. Jolly good value for a tenner indeed.