World War II

In the Second World War (1939-1945) 450 officers and men of the Army and Royal Air Force were quartered at Hurlingham, together with an anti-aircraft battery and balloon barrage unit. The main Polo ground was also turned into allotments for growing vegetables. The estate withstood 27 bombs and a landmine, with serious damage to both ends of the Clubhouse, including the destruction of the magnificent crystal dome that crowned the East Wing. However, with much-reduced activities and a liberal admissions policy, the Club carried on as an oasis in wartime London.

After the war the polo grounds were compulsorily purchased by the London County Council and became respectively a recreation ground – Hurlingham Park – and a school and council flats – Sulivan Court. The Club was left with the residue of the estate (about 42 acres) as it is today.