Whiteley Village Foundation

Reproduced from an article published in "Surrey County" magazine, June 1994 (updated)

On 24 January 1907 the wealthy owner of a large Bayswater department store, William Whiteley, was shot dead by a young man claiming to be his illegitimate son.

Although Whiteley's prosperous business had earned him the nickname 'The Universal Provider', it was a surprise when the contents of his will were disclosed. In addition to various small bequests, Whiteley had specified that the then considerable sum of £1,000,000 be used to purchase freehold land '... as a site for the erection thereon of buildings to be used and occupied as homes for aged poor persons'.

Four years later the £40,000 purchase of the 225-acre Burhill Estate, between Weybridge, Walton-on-Thames and Cobham, initiated the creation of Whiteley Village and a fitting memorial to the generosity of its benefactor.

To ensure that the money was appropriated in accordance with his wishes, the astute Whiteley had also nominated eight trustworthy persons to act as Original Trustees, two of whom were his sons, Frank and William. Dissension over a suitable site on which to build hampered initial progress, and a number of possible locations, including Shirley Park, near Croydon, were considered before the heavily wooded Burhill Estate was eventually chosen.

William Whiteley had obviously devoted a great deal of thought to the needs of the elderly when devising the proposed village, for his will states that the site was to '... be in as bright, cheerful and healthy spot as possible'. Moreover, the buildings erected were to be of 'good and substantial character and of a plain and useful design and shall be well lighted, ventilated and drained and so placed as to be protected as far as possible from the north and east winds'.

Acting upon the advice of their newly-appointed consulting architect, Walter Cave, the Trustees invited six renowned architects to submit plans for the village layout. Those presented by R Frank Atkinson were duly selected, but subsequently altered to such an extent that only the original octagonal layout of the village centre is recognisable today.

Also surviving are the single-storey 'Model Cottages' designed by Walter Cave and built alongside the West Avenue approach to the village in 1913. These, however, were thought to be too spacious for elderly occupants and consequently the cottages built later were somewhat smaller. Even so, the proposed standard of accommodation, which consisted of a living room with alcove bed recess, a scullery containing a gas stove, small bath and sink, a larder and a WC, was quite adequate.

Cave and six other leading architects, three of whom had previously submitted plans for the village layout, were chosen to design the eight blocks of cottages which would form the octagonal village centre and provide homes for nearly 300 pensioners. In order to avoid an institutional appearance by encouraging variations in style, one block was entrusted to each architect, except Sir Ernest George, ARA, who, for some obscure reason, was required to design two.

Each of the eight 'sections', as they are still called today, were to comprise sixteen single-occupancy cottages, four two-storey cottages (one pensioner per floor), six double cottages (for married couples) and a nurse's cottage.

While the site was being cleared, essential services installed and road laid, the Trustees made plans for a host of useful amenities and facilities. In addition to a church, village hall, library and a recreation ground, an infirmary, clubhouse, allotment gardens and even a telephone exchange were proposed.

Building officially began on 21 July 1914, when the then Bishop of London, the Rt Hon and Rt Revd Arthur Foley Winnington-Ingram, PC, KCVO, DD, Chairman of the Trustees from 1907 to 1946, laid the foundation stone of an imposing monument to William Whiteley in the centre of the village.

Work progressed rapidly during the early years of the First World War and, in 1917, application forms were sent to 376 pensioners following their response to an advertisement circulated by the Trustees. However, most of the 244 applicants who returned their forms failed to meet William Whiteley's definition of suitable villagers as being 'persons of good character and of sound mind and not affected by an infectious or contagious disease and not having been convicted of any criminal offence and being male of not less than 65 years and being female of not less than 60 years of age'. Preference was also to be given to 'persons or the wives of persons who have been engaged in commercial or agricultural pursuits'.

Miss Eliza Palmer obviously fitted the bill for, on 10 October 1917, the retired nurse became the first resident villager and received a bible to commemorate the occasion. By the year's end 42 pensioners were in residence and being well cared for by Whiteley Village's first Lady Warden, Miss Gabbett, and two nursing assistants. Shortly before Miss Gabbett retired due to ill health in 1919, overall running of the village was transferred to Mr HE Cooke on his appointment as Agent and General Manager, the post which is known today as that of Warden.

The Roaring Twenties heralded an exciting period of growth for the village, where an active social life became the order of the decade for its more than 200 elderly inhabitants. While fans of the silver screen thrilled to silent films being shown in the village hall, determined cricket devotees guarded their crease on the recreation ground turf - weed-free, thanks to Messrs Carter & Co, seed merchants of Raynes Park.

Independence, too, was all-important. The village cart, which had bumped and rattled umpteen pensioner passengers to and from Walton village since the early days, was finally replaced by a motorised omnibus!

In 1921 the Whiteley Village Magazine cost the princely sum of 2d! And, it was rumoured, King George V and Queen Mary would soon be visiting. They did, on Saturday 28 May 1921. Having toured the estate in the royal car, reverently pausing at William Whiteley's monument to meet its creator, Sir George Frampton, RA, and halting to plant two Swiss pines in the churchyard, they were finally treated to a rendition of Muller's May Day by the Village Choral Society - accompanied by Miss May on the piano - before officially declaring the clubhouse open!

Eagerly awaited events on the villagers' annual calendar were decidedly rewarding. Every June the Trustees held a Garden Party (now an Open Day) to which friends could be invited, and on Founder's Day, 29 September, each pensioner received 10 shillings (50p) in compliance with the "Universal Provider's" wishes. Christmas was marked by a gift from the Trustees. In 1926 villagers could choose between 'a portion of turkey and ham with potatoes and sprouts; plumb pudding, mince pie, and custard; box of dates', or 'a tin of biscuits and a tin of tea'!

By the end of the decade Whiteley Village had gained twelve single and four double cottages, a laundry, chaplain and The Sanctuary, a non-conformist chapel.

Having learned to live with the host of minor rules and regulations introduced during the 1930's, Whiteley Village's residents began preparing in 1938 for the outbreak of war. Sturdy air raid shelters were built, an air raid siren installed, and pensioners measured for gas masks. To assist the war effort, villagers made garments for the Red Cross and the Armed Forces. Although a few buildings were damaged by bombs which fell on the estate in 1944, the only official war injury recorded is that of a nursing sister who fell and broke her knee cap while running to report an air raid!

The leisurely pace of village life, quickly resumed after the war, perhaps explains the longevity of some of its residents. In 1961 Mrs Elizabeth Matthews passed away at the age of 105, after becoming the village's first centenarian. The oldest villager was Mrs Montgomery, who died in February 1996 at the age of 108, and who, by a remarkable coincidence, happened to be working in William Whiteley's Bayswater store on the day he was murdered!

After administering to the needs of the elderly since 1917, Whiteley Village is still an idyllic haven of peace for the 400+ pensioners who live there today. The surrounding 150 acres of unspoilt woodland are also a welcome haven for wildlife!

A good community spirit has always been considered essential, and is certainly evident. Joyce Simpkins kindly showed me around the picturesque private estate which has been her home for the past eight years. Joyce pointed admiringly to the wooden cabinet in her comfortable living room which had been lovingly crafted from the trees felled to make way for the cottage homes. Mercifully, many of the age-old towering pines were left to enhance the village's woodland setting, which glows with a profusion of multi-coloured azaleas in spring.

As we strolled the broad grassy walks separating each section of cottages, only the village bus departing on one of its frequent trips to the surrounding towns interrupted the seemingly timeless tranquility. Some villagers hardly ever leave the estate - after all, there is a well-stocked village stores, sub-post office and even a hairdressing salon!

The spacious, parquet-floored village hall is still a hive of social activity. Here, everything from indoor bowling, whist and amateur dramatics to bridge, dance classes and yoga, takes place on a regular basis. Little wonder, then, that one villager submitted the slogan 'Stay sprightly in Whiteley' to a recent competition in the village magazine!

Whiteley Village is a 20th century success story, but what of its future? Although the cottages were thoroughly modernised during the late 1960's, there will always be the need for ongoing maintenance and improvement to the village. Encouragingly, the present Warden, Colonel Tony Ward, enthusiastically points out that "the Trustees are mindful of the requirement to upgrade the facilities of parts of the village to meet the increasing expectations of today's elderly and those of the 21st century, planning for which is actively underway".

Inevitably, the onset of old age affects us all, but unfortunately, even in today's supposedly caring society, benefactors with the foresight and generosity of William Whiteley are, sadly, few and far between!

Updated April 1996