Lionel Dibdin

1881 - 1933

Lionel Dibdin bought Camilla Lacey in early March 1933
in order to, through his property development company,
develop the gardens into what was to become Camilla
Drive, Westhumble.

Lionel Dibdin was then killed in what was then the worst
disaster in British aviation history on 28th March 1933.

Lionel and Cecily Dibdin were returning from a short holiday just after he had bought the estate,
Camilla Lacey, near Box Hill in Surrey.

On Tuesday, 28th March 1933, their plane, The City of Liverpool crashed in flames . The plane was on route from Cologne via Brussels to London and came down in Dixmude, Fanders, killing 15 people.

This left his property development company to develop
Camilla Drive.

Lionel worked as a land dealer and estate developer laying
out estates in the Surrey and Sussex Counties. These estates
were often based on large houses and he seriously took into
account the environment and amenities. He was renowned for
his sympathetic estate design, not destroying the existing
properties on an estate and designing the road layout to fit the
existing trees. These estates still exist and properties highly
valued in 2007. He was a man of great foresight in his estate
development.
There are records of 9 estates that Lionel Dibdin’s Company
purchased and developed in the South East, the last project
being Camilla Lacey (Leladene) which was developed by his
company after his death, along the lines of his philosophy
although the original house has recently be demolished.

Estates:

Broome Park - South of Betchworth, Box Hill
Garrats Hall - Banstead Surrey
Harefield Estate - Middleton Nr Bognor Regis
Inner Wyke Estate - Felphan Sussex
Longcroft Estate - Banstead Sussex
Pippbrook Mill Estate - Dorking
Roundle Estate - Felpham Sussex
Stoneleigh Park Estate - Worchester Park Surrey
Camilla Lacey - Westhumble Box Hill

Sadly Lionel was not able to develop the site and to see his dreams for the area realised because of his tragic death in a plane crash on 28th March 1933, only a few weeks after he had acquired the estate.

The House - Camilla Lacey, previously Leladene,- has a wonderful romantic history associated with a writer Fanny Burnley and strong connections with Juniper Hall.

Link to Articles on the future of Camilla Lacey/Leladene

Lionel Dibdin had a son Peter Dibdin:

Peter was born in 1913 the second son of Lionel and Cecily Dibdin. His older brother, Stanley who was born in 1910, died when Peter was four years old.
Brought up at Avondale in Wallingford, He was educated at School Epson College and joined his father’s property company when he was 18 years old. There is a document about Indentures to his Father on 1st June 1931 at 18 Mulgrave Rd Sutton for three years. He studied with British Tutorial Institute the President of which was coincidentally Sir Robert Dibdin JP. He took exams for The Chartered Surveyor’s Institution and exams for College of Estate Management.

Tragically in 1933 before he completely his indentures his Father and Mother died in a plane crash
Before he reach the age of 21 and obviously in a very vulnerable situation.
On 2nd Oct 1933 he was Articled to Maurice Andrews 18 Mulgrave Rd Sutton for 2 years at a pupil Chartered Surveyor. On 2nd October 1935 he completed Articles.
One must assume that he was not settled in his late Fathers company and the suggestion is that he did not inherit a position as a partner which probably would have happened under Lionel.
In October 1935 he was looking for employment elsewhere once his “indentures” were finished.
From the age of 21 he took considerable interest in stocks and share and in July 1935 he bought 4 Houses in Sutton as investment properties. These and other investments were inherited by his sister Joan (Dibdin) Guise on his death.

Peter died at war in 1943.

The Press in 1933