In the late 19th century, Furzedown House was owned by the Seely family, whose main residence was in the Isle of Wight. Later, it became a Teacher Training College and is now part of Graveney School. This lodge for Furzedown House, built in 1860, still remains.
The Furzedown Lodge (above) was originally the lodge for Furzedown House now part of Graveney School. The lodge was designed by the well known architect James Knowles in the early 1860s when the house was owned by Philip Flowers. James Knowles also built the orangery now also part of Furzedown House. As such it is a listed building. When the lodge was originally built the lodge keeper and his family lived there, he would have let people into the grounds , Furzedown Drive would be the drive leading up to the house. After the house and grounds were sold in the early 20th century much of the grounds was used for building but the council bought some of it for building of council houses and the rec. The house became part of Furzedown Training College in 1915. We assume Wandsworth bought the lodge then along with the small bit of common facing Birchwood Road which would originally been part of the grounds of Furzedown House. The lodge was used to house council workers. The old lady who lived there she had worked for the council, if my memory serves me right, as a gardener. She and her partner had tried to buy the lodge but the council would not sell it to them. The lodge is ,next to the house, the oldest building in the area.
The house dates from 1794.
In the more distant past, the inhabitants of the manor of Tooting Graveney had the right of cutting furze and digging gravel.