Three Layers of History, One Suburb

The Groves and Its Late-Victorian Rhythm

The tree-named streets of The Groves conservation area preserve a consistent late-Victorian semi-detached character, and extensions here are judged against that rhythm street by street. We match the pairing and proportion of each semi rather than treating one half of the pair as a separate design problem.

Presburg Road's Queen Anne Estate

Presburg Road is a compact 1880s estate built in a Queen Anne and Renaissance style, where alterations are assessed against the original frontage detailing. It's a small, tightly defined conservation area, and getting the detailing right matters more here than almost anywhere else in New Malden.

Extending an Edwardian Villa or a 1930s Semi

Outside the two conservation areas, New Malden's housing is mostly Edwardian villas and 1930s semis, each with its own roofline and detailing to respect. Kirana Laonipon, our Part II architectural assistant, designs to the specific era of the house rather than a generic New Malden template.

Old Malden's Village Core, Centuries Before the Suburb

The Old Malden conservation area protects the historic village lanes around St John the Baptist Church, a settlement that predates the Victorian railway suburb by centuries. Properties here are considered against that older, quieter character, which is a different test to the one applied in the Victorian and Edwardian streets nearby.

The Same Council as Kingston, Just Down the Line

New Malden falls within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, the same authority covering our Kingston page, though its 26 conservation areas mean a New Malden application is judged against whichever of The Groves, Presburg Road or Old Malden actually applies, not a single borough-wide rule. We identify the right one before drawing anything, so the application is built around what actually governs that street.