History
When Frederick Rogers bought 143 acres (0.58 km2) of land from the Earl of Derby on 9 January 1923 it was for the purpose of developing Keston Park.
The land was known as the Keston Lodge Estate. Keston Lodge was the dower house to Holwood House and was occupied by Lady Ashton. It was probably regarded at the time as a separate part of the Holwood Estate and was divided from it by the public footpath which runs from Farnborough Common, almost opposite Hilda Vale Road, to Westerham Road, near to Fishponds Road.
Keston Lodge itself later became the Keston Park Hotel. It was taken down in the 1960s. The site is now developed as Keston Park Close. The stables of the old Keston Lodge remained until the late 1970s when they too were demolished to make way for three new houses in Forest Ridge. Keston Lodge was approached through the present entrance to Forest Ridge/Forest Drive on Croydon Road. The drive ran up the line of Forest Ridge, curving back around the stables to the left to come out in front of the south side of the house. An unfenced road is shown on early maps on the line of the present Forest Drive and this was probably the main link between Keston Lodge and Holwood House.
Holwood Park Avenue lies on the line of the north carriageway from Holwood House. According to some early maps the north carriageway was used as the principal entrance to Holwood House. There was a further access onto Croydon Road and another lodge house at Poynters Lodge near Gap House. Access is now gained to Holwood House along the west carriageway which comes out into Westerham Road at Bowens Lodge.
As well as Holwood House (Grade II listed and now called Holwood Mansion ) and the old lodges, there are still some physical remains of the Keston Lodge Estate. There are also three fishponds on Keston Common, adjacent to Fishponds Road. The ponds were constructed in the early nineteenth century to provide a water supply to Holwood House, and are now part of popular recreational area and part of Keston Common. Jesmond Cottage, now renamed Bushwood at 30 Forest Drive is older than the rest of the houses on the Park. Close behind it are the walls of the old kitchen garden and greenhouses which used to serve the estate. The garden and greenhouses covered a substantial area and incorporated two ponds in the run of the stream between Forest Drive and Forest Ridge.
Further west is the old pavilion which dates from the time when the lower part of Longdon Wood was a cricket ground.
Read more about this topic: Keston, Keston Park
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