The village was originally called just Hampton or East Hampton. It became a very popular area for the rich to build their houses in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Putney Park Lane is taken as the dividing line between Putney to the east and Roehampton to the west. The huge chunk of land between Richmond Park and Roehampton Lane down to Kingston Road is taken up by the houses and flats of the council-built Alton Estate. On the other side of Roehampton Lane is Roehampton village with cottages which are Georgian in Ponsonby Road and Victorian in Medfield Street. The other streets near Queen Mary’s Hospital, such as Nepean Street and Umbria Street, are generally large semi-detached Edwardian houses. Dover House Road runs north through the centre of the area and includes the Dover House Estate built by the London County Council as a cottage estate and now a conservation area. Many of the streets between Dover Park Drive and Putney Park Lane are private, some no more than made-up tracks, and contain Edwardian through to 1920s houses.

Roehampton Lane is a busy main road and houses are set well back. There are mansion blocks in Roehampton Close. Other streets run by Roehampton golf course, such as Roehampton Gate which has detached houses from the 1930s, and Roedean Crescent, with detached houses in large gardens.