IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Crescent Drive, ORPINGTON, BR5 1AX

Although the original intention of the inspiration behind Petts Wood, Basil Scruby, was for his "garden suburb" to be built on both sides of the railway, he at first concentrated on the part to the east of the railway. However, money became short because of overstretched borrowings, and as a result Scruby had to dispose of the land west of the railway. This meant that Petts Wood West, work on which started in 1933, was developed without the same level of influence that Scruby had had on Petts Wood East, and with a very different character. Most of it was built by the Morrell brothers, with much greater uniformity and largely less upmarket compared with Petts Wood East, perhaps more typical of the outer suburban development around London at the time. Another consequence was that for many years there was considered to be a clear social divide between the two parts, with many residents of Petts Wood East considering themselves to be superior to those in Petts Wood West. This is Woodhurst Avenue.

When Petts Wood was first developed, the Daylight Inn (see Image) was initially hired as a meeting place for the local Roman Catholics, the first such use being on 24 October 1937. A small building was later constructed on Lakeswood Road, with the first mass being celebrated there on 23 July 1939. The current church was opened in 1963, with the original building being altered for use as a hall. The official consecration and dedication took place 25 years later, in 1988. The extension on the front was added in 1995.

Although the original intention of the inspiration behind Petts Wood, Basil Scruby, was for his "garden suburb" to be built on both sides of the railway, he at first concentrated on the part to the east of the railway. However, money became short because of overstretched borrowings, and as a result Scruby had to dispose of the land west of the railway. This meant that Petts Wood West, work on which started in 1933, was developed without the same level of influence that Scruby had had on Petts Wood East, and with a very different character. Most of it was built by the Morrell brothers, with much greater uniformity and largely less upmarket compared with Petts Wood East, perhaps more typical of the outer suburban development around London at the time. Another consequence was that for many years there was considered to be a clear social divide between the two parts, with many residents of Petts Wood East considering themselves to be superior to those in Petts Wood West. This is Crescent Drive, near its junction with Chesham Avenue.

See Image for info.