Have you ever wondered about the stories behind your road? Have you ever walked through what seemed like small and unimportant avenues and imagined how it would look like five centuries ago? History can be found even in what appears insignificant, and this is the story of only one of London's historical roads: Broomfield.

The history of Broomfield Road dates all the way back to the 19th century when it was owned by the Earls of Egmont. Bob Philips, who is a local of Broomfield Road, mentions in his book “The History of Broomfield Road” that the seventh Earl, Charles George Perceval who owned Broomfield Road at the time, sold that land along with his other holdings in Tolworth and Surbiton in 1890.

The story behind this sale entails Charles George Perceval (The seventh Earl) selling his estate in Tolworth, possibly in order to leave as much of his inheritance away from his “disreputable heir”. The land is then purchased by a successful businessman named Charles Schwind. Bob Philips explained, “I don’t fully understand this but in some way, Charles Schwind used Georgie Birdie as a middleman in this transaction.”

By 1890, the majority of Tolworth was owned by the Schwinds who began developments in the northern corner of their new estate. These roads then developed into the roads they are today:  Egmont, Broomfield, and Derby.

There are thousands of roads in London similar to Broomfield with extensive history, perhaps leading all the way back to Medieval England. Bob Philips who has dedicated years to discovering the history of Tolworth and his road states that “Working on that book was a revelation to me, on so many levels: the richness of the history of our grey little suburb; the richness of local history as a pursuit; delight in writing”. Therefore, regardless of where you live, whether in the tranquil suburbs or a loud city, remember that there is a story or history at every trivial corner that will spark curiosity in our daily, mundane routines.