Kingswood House in Dulwich is one of the most surprising places I have visited in London.
I had not actually even heard of it until I was messaged recently by the new team there (more on that later) and they invited me to visit. It is a fascinating spot, not just for its architecture, but also for the brilliantly eccentric array of people who have lived at this grand manor house over the centuries.
Naturally, my interest was piqued, I accepted and hopped on the train to Sydenham Hill.
You can see on the map below where Kingswood House is located.
The King’s Coppice
If we went back just over 200 years, this area of South Dulwich was pretty much entirely woodland. It was known as the King’s Coppice. The name brings to mind romantic images of medieval kings out hunting, but,, in fact it is thought to have been named after someone called Edward King who owned the land here. Slightly disappointing I know.
The name was first recorded in 1576 and it was part of the Dulwich Manor, used for harvesting wood. From the early 1600s it was owned by Dulwich College.
The Origins Of The House: A Queen’s Lawyer
In the early 1800s a man called William Vizard gained a 63 year lease on the land and had Kingswood Lodge built from 1811-1814.
William Vizard was the solicitor to Queen Caroline and involved in divorce proceedings between her and her husband George IV. He managed to defend the Queen by quashing a Parliamentary bill aimed at dissolving their marriage.
You can find out a bit more about their incredibly dramatic relationship in my blog post here on Queen Caroline’s Bath.
The core of the house today is this early 19th century construction.
Bovril Castle
The house then passed through various private hands over the course of the 19th century, lived in mostly by rich merchants and lawyers.
Our next significant stage in the history of the house is when, in 1891, the house was acquired by John Lawson Johnston.
Johnston was in the dietetics (nutrition) business. He is best known for inventing the beef extract Bovril, from which he made his fortune. He was nicknamed Mr Bovril and Kingswood House became ‘Bovril Castle’ to the locals.
Johnston remodelled the house to pretty much what it looks like today with the assistance of the architect Henry Lanchester. They went for a baronial Tudor, or ‘Jacobethan’ aesthetic, a style popular for grand manor houses in this period.
He added the grand entranceway, the battlements and a new north wing.
Johnston was also apparently a fervent supporter of the Jacobite cause. There is a portrait of Bonnie Prince Charlie in the ‘Culloden Room’.
A Jacobean room was also installed with an incredible Jacobean style plaster ceiling.
The Flying Russian Prince
Johnston died in 1900 and by 1908 executors had granted a sub lease of the house and estate to probably the most bizarre character to live here; the wonderfully named Prince Serge Vincent Constantinovitch de Bolotoff. His widowed mother Princess Maria Wiazemsky also stayed with him along with her daughter, two younger sons and seven servants.
He was a 21 year old Russian nobleman and early aviation enthusiast (he claimed to be the fifth man to ever fly an aeroplane).
The prince was the first entrant into the Daily Mail competition in 1908 to be first person to fly the English Channel. He designed a triplane for this but it never really worked, you can see a picture of it here.
These Russian aristocrats were however living a bit of a lie, as they were heavily in debt. This was apparently partly due to issues with accessing their Russian income, which included a trust from the Tsar of Russia. In 1913 Princess Maria was also declared insane.
Parties and War
In 1912 a businessman called William Dederich gained the lease but first had to arrange for the De Bolotoffs evicted. They were eventually turfed out and lived in another house nearby.
William Dederich held many big parties at the house, one of his guests being explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.
Other features that can be found in the house today include the old billiards room and a ‘palm court’ for relaxing and entertaining.
The house was still, at this time, surrounded by gardens for entertaining with ponds and paths.
During World War One the house was used as a convalescent hospital for Canadian soldiers and after the war was a nurses home for a few months.
The Shipping Magnate
In 1919 Sir William Vestey purchased the property.
Vestey made his fortune in the food canning business. He then set up the shipping company the Blue Star Line and pioneered refrigerated shipping. He was made a lord in 1922 and became Baron Vestey of Kingswood.
The Vestey’s were well liked by the locals. Baron Vestey regularly made the grounds available for Sunday school outings and sports and Lady Vestey lent cars to local groups for trips to the seaside.
During World War Two the RAF had a barrage balloon in the grounds and the house was used as offices for Baron Vestey’s army company.
In terms of bomb damage to Kingswood House, thankfully it was relatively minor but a parachute mine did drop into the grounds which blew out all the windows and brought down some ceilings.
A reinforced ceiling was put into the basement to fit it out as an air raid shelter, which you can still see today.
Baron Vestey died in 1940 and Kingswood House was inherited by Lord Vestey’s eldest son, Samuel. Samuel’s principal dwelling was Stowell Park in Gloucestershire and it is unlikely that he ever lived at Kingswood.
The Post-War Transformation
Kingswood house was dilapidated and run down after the war and subsequently became the nucleus of the Kingswood Housing Estate.
The LCC acquired the site by compulsory purchase after the war and built a council estate in the grounds in the 1950s to house 789 families. Kingswood House was kept, at the heart, as the community centre and library. The property was then Grade II listed in 1972.
That is how it has remained really up until the last few years. Marriages have taken place in the house since 1996 but it was generally fairly under utilised.
In July 1998 the inaugural meeting of the Friends of Kingswood House took place, a group of people looking to help preserve the mansion. Below are a few more photos of the house today.
As you can see, lots of the rooms in the house are not in a great way, however there is a plan…
An Exciting New Lease of Life
The most recent stage in Kingswood House’s fascinating history started in 2022 when an organisation called Kingswood Arts CIC (a subsidiary of Hartshorn Hook Enterprises) took over the venue to turn it into a community arts centre.
Hartshorn Hook Enterprises produce immersive theatre shows such as the Great Gatsby, Doctor Who, Time Fracture and Peaky Blinders. They often put on their shows in heritage buildings and sites and are well versed in these sorts of locations.
As per their website, their aim with Kingswood House is to “offer a range of free and affordable activities, events and performances for young people and families, involving music, drama, dance and visual arts… support and give voices to marginalised communities and those who face barriers to accessing arts and culture.”
I met brothers Jack and George Hartshorn who are the force behind the plan. They are both brilliant, energetic and inspiring figures and clearly care a great deal about the house, its history and importance to the local community.
I also met their dad who is carrying out restorations and repairs, so it is a real family endeavour!
When I visited in February 2023, they were all hard at work getting the house ready for April 2023 when they launched the site. It has now launched so I am very much looking forward to visiting again, to see how it looks and follow the progression of the new chapter in this extraordinary site’s story.
You can find more about them and the ongoing project here.
The ‘Scooter Club’?
One last thing!
The Hartshorns are constantly finding out new things about the house including old blocked up passageways and even items squirrelled away in the nooks and crannies of the building. They found this brochure for the ‘South Thames Scooter Club’ that once met here.
Give it a read and see whether you think it is actually for a scooter club…
And on that note, thank you very much for reading. More of London’s incredible historical sites below…
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Love your book. This Kingswood article, fascinating.
Finally, your book has arrived! Looks brilliant.
Looking forward to your book arriving here in the U.S.A.; I pre-ordered it and can’t wait to read it. Thank you for your post on the Kingswood House, what a fascinating history! I am so happy to know that it is being restored and will be open for future visitors.
THIS IS JUST THE MOST INTERESTING INFORMATION. SUCH WONDERFUL DETAIL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. PATSY
This is a great piece of work thank you for the history lesson!
We lived in Julian House & Blackstone House on Kingswood estate from 1984 to 2004.
As a child we spent most of our time in the children’s library in Kingswood house which was the billiard room and used to play football on the grass outside.