Ewell, SurreySold

Linden Cottage

The house remains largely untouched by modern intervention, retaining a myriad of period features

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This charming arts and crafts detached cottage was built in 1929 as part of the garden city movement, which saw carefully considered towns spring up across Surrey. Set among mature trees, the towns were planned around local amenities and parks. The cottage remains largely untouched by modern intervention, retaining a myriad of period features. It is set in a large mature garden, flanked with the linden trees that give the house its name and carefully planted with specimen trees and shrubs. Stoneleigh Station is a short walk away, with quick rail links to London.

Setting the Scene

Ewell is an ancient village on the Surrey borders with finds dating from the Stone, Bronze and Iron Age. The original village was part of an extensive settlement on Stane Street, the Roman road from London to Chichester. The convenience of its location continues into modern times as it offers an easy commute to London with the benefits of a host of local shops nearby. For more information on the area, please see the History section below.

The Grand Tour

Located on a quiet road, the stucco façade of the house is framed by two mature linden trees and is set behind a lovely front lawn, adjoining workshop with original doors and a planted rockery; the rocks are reputedly from dismantled Nonsuch, Henry VIII’s once nearby palace. A pretty porch runs along the front of the house, perfectly placed for catching the evening sun.

The original arts and crafts door opens into a central hallway that draws the eye to the dining room on the right. A bay window lets in an abundance of natural light and beautiful metal-framed French doors, with hand-blown original glass, open onto the west-facing porch. Many period features remain throughout, including original fluted glass in the interior doors, picture rails, moulding and original ironmongery door and window furniture. As the house remains in largely original condition, it may require some updating.

The elegantly proportioned living room also benefits from a door leading directly onto the large garden. Adjacent is the kitchen; full of charm and personality, it is the hub of the home fitted with hand-built cabinetry from the 1960s; original 1920s quarry tiles run underfoot.

The garden room is at the rear of the plan; a later addition, it lives up to its name and provides a bright and airy living area on even the dullest day.

A pretty front bedroom on the ground floor could also be used as an office or nursery. Upstairs a large space is broken into three separate areas and could offer a large bedroom with adjoining dressing room and a smaller bedroom.

A back hall leads onto a utility area housing various white goods and interior access to the workshop which is large enough to accommodate a car. Both the workshop and the back hall benefit from skylights. Here, there is an additional downstairs bathroom and an additional garden-access door.

The Great Outdoors

Set back from the street, Linden Cottage is surrounded by ample space. The garden is mostly lawn with some mature plantings of shrubs and specimen trees; it has two outbuildings. Fondly known as The Boathouse, the larger outbuilding was previously used as storage for the treasured 14ft family dinghy. The current owners have memories of the wide side-garden allowing the much-needed space to navigate the boat’s return into the back garden after a day of sailing. A prominent and mature false acacia tree (robinia pseudoacacia) provides a beautiful splash of vibrant green throughout the spring and summer months.

Out and About

Ewell is within easy reach of Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, including Headley Heath managed by the National Trust, an area of open heathland, woodland and chalk downland just a 20-minute drive away.

Stoneleigh rail station is a 10-minute walk away and offers a quick, regular train journey to Waterloo station with the train line also extending to Dorking and Guildford in the other directions. Wimbledon is a 13-minute train journey from Stoneleigh giving more access to the London rail network. Near the cottage are a variety of bus routes further connecting the area to Surbiton, Kingston and Morden.

For greater journeys, Gatwick is an easy 40-minute drive away.

The area enjoys many good schools, including Epsom College and Nonsuch School for Girls as well as leafy green parks. Nonsuch Park is a short walk from the cottage and offers a vast area of open green space and natural woodland with weekly Park Runs. There is a diverse range of local shopping facilities within a 10-minute walk and the local Waitrose is a 7-minute drive away in Worcester Park. Nearby Epsom offers an even greater range of shops and restaurants and of course the eponymous Epsom Racecourse.

Council Tax Band: F

Please note that all areas, measurements and distances given in these particulars are approximate and rounded. The text, photographs and floor plans are for general guidance only. Inigo has not tested any services, appliances or specific fittings — prospective purchasers are advised to inspect the property themselves. All fixtures, fittings and furniture not specifically itemised within these particulars are deemed removable by the vendor.

History

The village of Ewell was a significant settlement that developed on the old Roman road which ran from Southwark down to Chichester. Recorded as “Etwell” in the Domesday Book, it was an area of abundant springs due to the geological clash between the soft South Downs chalk and London clay that run through the area.

In later times, the area was home to Nonsuch, Henry VIII’s favourite building enterprise at the end of his life. Nonsuch remained unfinished at the time of his death but was purchased and completed by the Duke of Arundel and subsequently sold back to Elizabeth I, who also favoured it heavily in her lifetime. Charles II finally gave the house to his former mistress, Barbara Villiers, who pulled it down and sold it in pieces to pay off her substantial gambling debts. The grounds of the palace are preserved as Nonsuch Park.

The advent of two railway stations in the mid-19th century was instrumental in the area’s development as a suburb of London. The area grew extensively in the 1930s with the housing boom. Many of the existing homes were purchased as plots and were designed to the needs of their new owners.