The fascinating facts about Old Warren Farm

Hill forts were among the earliest defended enclosures in Britain. They featured earth ramparts, wooden palisades and even stone walls. One of them lies half a kilometre to the west of Old Warren Farm and is known as Caesar’s Camp.

The name was coined in the 1820s, under the mistaken belief that Julius Caesar built the fort after his invasion of Britain. In 1937, during digging work by the Metropolitan Water Board, archaeologists discovered a horde of Roman coins, perhaps dating back to the first century.

But Mesolithic stone knives, Neolithic flintheads and a bronze axe have also been discovered in the area. Experts now think the fort was constructed between 2000 and 600 BCE to defend the Thames Valley.

Before the mid-nineteenth century, there were few golf courses outside Scotland. But, in 1863, members of the London Scottish Rifle Volunteers began playing the game on Wimbledon Common. A few years later, local residents were allowed to play too, soon outnumbering the volunteer soldiers.

In 1871, the course was expanded to 18 holes and the first tournament took place. But a dispute over the clubhouse caused the golf club to split in two. In 1907, the Royal Wimbledon Golf Club relocated to farmland acquired from Warren Farm, while the London Scottish Golf Club remained on the original site.

Thanks to this falling out, Warren Farm is now surrounded by 240 acres of parks and woods, creating an atmosphere of tranquility and calm.

In 1938, the War Secretary Isaac Leslie Hore-Belisha purchased Warren Farm. He modernised the buildings, leased 14 acres of paddock from Wimbledon council, and kept a herd of dairy cows.

In the Thirties, Hore-Belisha had been Secretary of State for Transport. He not only introduced the flashing light at pedestrian crossings (known as the Belisha Beacon), but also pioneered 30 mph speed limits.

When promoted to the War Office, he introduced conscription in April 1939 – though the Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was still following the policy of appeasement. But, in 1940, he was forced to resign after falling out with senior officers and Cabinet colleagues.

Because Hore-Belisha was Jewish, he remained a target of anti-Semitic propaganda, including the infamous radio broadcasts of ‘Lord Haw-Haw’. In June 1944, a German bomb hit Warren farm, and that July a V1 rocket caused serious damage to the buildings.

Happily, Hore-Belisha and his wife were away at the time. He repaired the damaged buildings and stayed at Warren Farm until his death almost two decades later. Though his political career never recovered, the house remained a sanctuary on the edge of the city, and he was often spotted riding or playing golf on the common.