On the 22nd March 1842, when Charles Dickens wrote: ‘I must take a cottage on Putney Heath or Richmond Green or some other wild and desolate place’, he could not possibly have foreseen the changes which were about to take place. Indeed in the mid-nineteenth century Putney was still a peaceful unspoilt village far from the bustle and uproar of central London. This tranquil village with it’s arable fields and market gardens, surrounded by it’s parkland of heath and common which largely drew its life from the proximity of the meandering River Thames, seemed ripe for Victorian expansion. With the opening of the railway line in 1846 and its new found accessibility, Putney suddenly became more popular and local landowners and builders seized the opportunity to create new streets of houses and cottages.
The early years of the 20th century heralded a new burst of housing activity whereupon the property market remained relatively quiet until the late sixties and early seventies which witnessed the arrival of modern blocks of flats on either side of the Hill attracting younger people to the area for the first time.
Throughout the ups and downs of the last twenty five years local property prices have held up remarkably well as a sound indication of the many varied delights and attractions of being a Putney resident.