The estate and house were owned by William Pitt from
1785 to 1802. However, the present building
designed by Decimus Burton was built around 1825-27 by
merchant John Ward to replace the one occupied by Pitt.
In 1953 the house was acquired by Seismographic Service
(England) Ltd as its headquarters but in the first few
years of this century it was converted into apartments.
Artist's impression of original Holwood House
... created in the 1830s to supply water to Holwood
House. The water was pumped up to the house by a
hydraulic ram which uses the energy released by lowering
a large to quantity of water through a short height to
raise a much smaller quantity through a larger height.
In 1926 the ponds were given by the then owner of
Holwood, Lord Stanley Earl of Derby, to the parish to
form part of the commons.
Although Julius Caesar is reputed to have visited
Keston in 55BC, the huge Iron Age earthwork that bears
his name had been built a century or so earlier.
Nearby Caesar's well was supposed to have been
discovered by Caesar's troops when, in need of water,
they followed two ravens to a spring hidden in bushes,
hence the river whose source is the spring is known as
the Ravensbourne
Bus 388 between Crystal Palace and Orpington Station via Bromley offers a frequent service to and from Farnborough High Street. Bus R4 also passes both Orpington Station and Farnborough High Street 3 or 4 times an hour.
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