Derby Lodge

Around 1850 the farmland which stretched from Sheen Common to the Upper Richmond Road was sold off and divided into twenty plots, mainly of one or two acres. Derby Lodge was one of the first houses to be built on this land.

William Morley from Derbyshire bought five of the plots and proceeded to build Derby Lodge, an Italianate-style villa with a tower, on the west side of the newly-constructed Derby Road. The house was approached by a drive with a lodge at the entrance from the Upper Richmond Road.

Morley fell into financial difficulties and was forced to sell his land and the development which resulted was quite different from that originally envisaged. A new road, Stanley Road, was constructed through the grounds of Derby Lodge with a loop to circumvent the house. 33 plots of freehold land were offered for sale by auction in 1866. The houses on the west side of Derby Road and on both sides of Stanley Road were built as a result. Later the Derby Arms public house was built on the Upper Richmond Road between the two roads.