The Old Dean is a suburb of Camberley in Surrey, England. The area starts approximately 1 km NNE from the town centre. The estate is built on the Olddean or Old Dean Common falling within the district of Surrey Heath Borough Council. It is bordered to the north by Barossa Common; to the east by Swinley Forest; to the south by the A30 (London Road); and to the west by Diamond Ridge Woods. Properties in this area, built in the 1950s and 1960s, are mainly semi-detached and terraced, with a number of maisonettes on the northern edge of the estate. It was originally a council estate, however, under the Conservative government's right to buy scheme, a proportion of these properties are now in private ownership. History Most of the estate was built in the 1950s on the Old Dean Common for residents of heavily bombed areas of Greater London that were in Surrey, not the County of London between 1894 and 1965 and were made homeless after World War II, expanded by the Camberley Urban District, with county assistance, to be used in part as a London overspill estate. Many of the roads on the estate reflect this, being named after the London boroughs which paid for the expansion (the others are named after places on the common). They are Carshalton Road, Esher Road, Kingston Road, Mitcham Road, Surbiton Road, Sutton Road, Wallington Road, and Wimbledon Road. When the estate was first constructed, the portion between the A30 and Upper College Ride, was littered with demolished concrete blockhouses and military installations, such as Nissen huts. An "ideal" playground for the dozens of children who moved there in the early 1950s. In the early 21st century more affordable housing was added. The Second World War Free French Forces From October 1940 until May 1945, the Old Dean Common was considered Free French soil with French as its official language, serving as a camp for Charles de Gaulle's Free French Army. The camp housed barracks and training grounds, initially consisting of tents, but by February 1941 had expanded to Nissen huts and a flag pole, and later a parade ground and other wooden structures. Charles de Gaulle, Leader of the Free French, was known to visit the camp and inspect his troops. In addition the UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill was also known to have visited the camp on multiple occasions. The