Coulsdon, United Kingdom

From 1782 to 1921, it was owned by three generations of the Byron family, who had already purchased the sub-manor of Hooley.

In 1801, the Byron family moved to live at Hooley House. Then, having sold a large amount of land in 1838 to the 'London to Brighton railway company', they moved from Hooley House to Portnall's Farm.

In 1850, Hartley Farm was demolished and Coulsdon Court was built by Thomas Byron. It was said to have been constructed of the last bricks to be made locally at Crossways (at Coulsdon Road, Old Coulsdon). In 1854, to avoid the court, he adjusted the paths of some local roads, and created a gated drive from the public road.

In 1863, Edmund Byron inherited the title. After his use of the inclosure acts was curtailed when he lost a case in 1877 at the Court of Chancery, large areas were sold in 1883 to the Corporation of London. The importance of this event was reported in The Times. He also sold and gave away various plots.

In 1921, Edmund Byron died. The remaining lands owned by the Byrons were sold. Land and manorial rights were passed to the Coulsdon and Purley Urban District Council.

For many centuries, the lands contained several farms and manors and only on the coming of the railway were a few wealthy people from outside the traditional borders attracted to build grand houses, by 19th century descriptions, such as:

This parish, which is situated on the road from London to Brighton, occupies an elevated position, and commands extensive and varied prospects.

Until 1921, the Byron family had largely maintained this tradition, despite sales of earlier land. The sales in the 1860s increased the number of landowners. Most housing in Smitham (Bottom/Valley) and the clustered settlement of Old Coulsdon, as well as the narrower valley between them, was built in the 80 years from 1890 to 1970. The area developed mixed suburban, and in its centre urban, housing:

The whole aspect of the parish has been completely transformed during the last twenty years by building. It was a little while ago entirely rural with a few new houses scattered along the line of the railway and up the valley towards Caterham, whence another deep depression in the chalk runs down to Smitham Bottom. Now there are continuous rows of villas and cottages and shops from Croydon to south of Coulsdon station.

The valley and routes in Smitham Bottom encouraged some early settlements. An inn, the Red Lion, appears on the Bainbridge map of 1783. The coming of the railway and improved road links encouraged buildings along the sides of the major roadways and close to the stations. Since 1921, the sales of the old estate lands have replaced a countryside of discrete farms with thousands of suburban dwellings.

Coulsdon segregated its long-haul from its local traffic with the construction of the Farthing Way A23 bypass, which opened in December 2006 as part of the Coulsdon Town Centre Improvement Scheme.