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| Putney Heath |
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Putney Heath is part of Wimbledon and Putney Commons, the remains of extensive common lands in the area.. In the 18th century it was a notorious place for duels and highwaymen and Tibbet's Corner, the site of a gallows, now lies in the centre of a roundabout. Many famous people held duels here, including William Pitt the Younger, who was Prime Minister at the time. The Heath has areas of woods and grassland and a number of ponds including Scio Pond. There are a number of memorials on the Heath, including the war memorial to the north near Putney Heath Road, and a memorial to the Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment. An obelisk by George Dance was erected in 1788 to commemorate an experimental fire-proof house created by David Hartley in 1776, near Tibbet's Corner. Opposite the Green Man Pub in the north east is the former Pound, or enclosure, for stray animals. Within the Heath itself is an area enclosed for a bowling green in the late C17th by the Lord of the Manor, Earl Spencer. The popularity of bowling led to further greens being added and their existence is recalled in the road name Bowling Green Close. |
