William Pett, part of the so-called Pett Dynasty, was a master shipbuilder whose family were leading shipwrights for 200 years. He supplied oaks from Petts Wood to his shipyards on the River Thames at Deptford and Woolwich. (Both Deptford and Woolwich were naval dockyards – Deptford was the first Royal Naval Dockyard, and Woolwich was known as the King’s Yard).
A growing London
Between the wars, developer Basil Scruby wanted to create a garden suburb, which would give a semi-rural environment to London commuters. Having purchased 400 acres of land the other side of the railway line for development, the locals became increasingly concerned about the threat of further development.
When Petts Wood came on to the market there was strong local feeling that it should not be developed. With donations from local people, the 88 acres of woodland were purchased to save them from development, donated to the Trust to protect and dedicated to the memory of William Willett, the local advocate of daylight saving. This area of woodland is known today as the Willett Memorial Wood.