[3] A large area of common land, consisting of heathland on top of Weald Clay,[4] straddled the border between the counties of Surrey and Sussex north of Crawley.

This tree was eventually cut down in the 1840s,[6] but its name survives in a retail park and industrial area near the present Manor Royal estate in the north of Crawley.

[7] Most of the heath, including the section in which the village developed, was north of the county boundary, on the Surrey side, and this area was in the Parish of Charlwood.

[9] Although it was known about in the Domesday era,[2] Lowfield Heath does not appear to have been named until the 14th century, when a man called Lowe lived locally.

[5][10] In the early 18th century, an Act of Parliament granted by King William III authorised the construction of 10 miles (16 km) of roadway from Reigate to Crawley.

These were at the extreme southwest corner of the heath, west of the London Road, and still survive as listed buildings;[14][15] they have been converted into offices in the Amberley Court development within the County Oak industrial area.

Many of its buildings were timber-framed, but its "architectural highlight",[5] St Michael and All Angels Church, was built of yellow sandstone in 1867 by the architect William Burges.

[16] Also at this time, when Crawley was experiencing a period of Victorian-era growth, demand for bricks led to temporary brickyards being set up in and around the village.

[21] The aerodrome, as it still was, had been effectively at risk of closure until 1948, despite the local council's promise to develop it, and Stansted was expected to be chosen by the Government as the site for London's second airport.

The road was diverted and upgraded in 1956, the same year as construction work started on the airport:[21] the section running northwards from Crawley became a dual carriageway, and approximately 200 yards (180 m) south of the village crossroads, the road was diverted sharply to the east at a new roundabout, continuing straight across an undeveloped section of the heath and around the newly defined perimeter of the airport until it met the London–Brighton railway line, at which point it turned north again.

Charlwood village remained in Surrey, but a large part of its former parish was transferred to West Sussex, including all of the land covered by Gatwick Airport.

Built in 1948 on the Charlwood Road, the club attracted members from the village and surrounding areas, but slowly declined as the population fell.