Domewood History
In the early 1930s, Svend Aage Dohm, a former Danish banker and businessman, acquired a substantial tract of land in the Parish of Horne, known as Thorney Park. The sales brochures of the time described it as "one of the most delightful locations hereabouts," featuring two road frontages and being part of an originally larger estate that had been subdivided for sale. Thorney Park encompassed approximately 97 acres and was purchased by Dohm along with land in Bakers Wood, Mill Wood, and Charts Gill.
Upon acquiring Thorney Park, Dohm divided it into two parts: Old Domewood and what is now known as New Domewood. He retained New Domewood for personal use, ensuring access from his future residence, Domewood Cottage. The land now recognised as Old Domewood was transferred to his newly formed company, Domewood Lake Estates Ltd, established in 1933. This division was intended for residential development, and Dohm initiated the construction of estate roads aligning with water supply pipes laid out to serve the upcoming properties. Several successful planning permission applications were swiftly approved, with the first being 1410/6034/8/33, followed by 1725/6348/11/34 for 22 properties in 1934.
An estate plan accompanying the applications for 22 houses displayed several plots picked out by prospective buyers, each identified by name, along with the existing properties. New buyers had the option to select an exterior in a mock Tudor style from a brochure, an original copy of which is preserved at the London Metropolitan Archives. The properties were marketed as woodland cottages in an "old-world" style, with the cost of a newly constructed "Tudor Cottage" on the estate roughly around £600. Many of the properties served as weekend lodges for wealthy Londoners who were now able to access the countryside by motor car.
By 1939 however, several plots remained undeveloped. Ownership of the plots and roads had shifted from Domewood Lake Estates to Sir William Pearson Smith, who passed away that year. Domewood Lake Estates by then owned only around 1 acre on the estate according to Rolf Dohm, the son of Svend Dohn and later Managing Director of Domewood Lake Estates. The remaining plots were to be sold on the orders of Sir William's executors and described in advertisements as having "frontages to an excellent road," and likely to be of interest to builders, available either collectively or as individual plots with frontages ranging from 30 to 200 feet and advertised by Powell and Partners as "unique remaining woodland sites" with bus service nearby! The plots went under the hammer on 18th September 1939 but with not all plots sold. Further sales were reported by Powell and Partners in the West Sussex Gazette of 1945.
Development of Old Domewood had been held back by inadequate sewerage facilities, with only one collector available for a large area, the council had put a temporary block on building until such a time that a proper public sewerage system was in place and due to the excessive cost to public funding could not be justified. As those who have lived in Domewood for many years will know, the public sewerage system was not installed until some 60 years after the inception of the estate. Domewood residents must hope that the promised free installation of high-speed internet is not likewise delayed!
During the Second World War, New Domewood was utilised for Army hutments. Post-war, development proposals for the 37-acre New Domewood faced resistance from Old Domewood residents, who argued that such development would alter the character of the area. Finally, in 1954, development permission was granted to South County Freeholds, the then-owner, despite ongoing objections.
A couple of other interesting facts about Old Domewood are that the land of Fir Tree Cottage was put up for development as a Petrol Station in 1933 by Svend Dohm and that a gravel pit existed on land to the left from the Snowhill entrance before turning to the left as mapped out in Dohm's application to build Domewood Cottage.