Hackbridge watermill extinguishes the Great Fire of London!
Yes, our local area seems to have a link to so many significant historical events. This time, step up Josias Dewey. Mr Dewey was a very successful maker of gunpowder. Before then, it’s amazing how many people were creating gunpowder that never actually went bang. Josias spent at least 40 years in the area developing […]
Huge nostalgic photo covers wall of stylish cafe in Carshalton Beeches
*News* This massive print of old Carshalton Beeches can be found within Love Daniela – a tea room and coffee shop a stone’s throw away from the Beeches railway station. I recently wandered in for the first time and was rather taken with the interior, and what’s the word? Ambience. I’m sure you’d be impressed […]
Hackbridge’s oldest homes are super-cute
*Historical* There’s always something interesting to spot where we live. Situated a short distance from the Wandle and the site of the old Hack Bridge, you’ll find this row of cottages. A handy sign close by explains the history of the place. There’s not a lot of old Hackbridge left so these are a particular […]
Will Sutton Council’s big 15-year plan really make a difference?
When we complain about what’s going on where we live, remember it’s all part of a carefully considered plan. A plan that may be full of facts, but perhaps needing that spark of inspiration from you. Time is running out and you need to complete this initial survey by Tuesday 13 September 2024. But what […]
Beeches house lived in by artist whose portrait of Winston Churchill was secretly destroyed
*Historical* The unusual house pictured below, was known as ‘Four Winds’. It has a red plaque on it that highlights artist Graham Vivian Sutherland once lived here. Graham (1903-1980) was a renowned artist who studied at Goldsmiths in London while living here in Carshalton Beeches between 1922 and 1924. Read on to hear about his […]
Visit Carshalton’s historic Summerhouse – a real hidden gem
*Historical* As far as we know, for the first time ever, this grand little building in Carshalton will be open to the public – as part of London’s Open House Festival 2024. You’ll find it in the garden of Bramblehaw Cottage. The Summerhouse was built at the turn of the last century. This building stood […]
A wander around Watts Gallery Artists Village
*Walks* For a day out visit Watts Gallery Artists Village in Surrey. Set over 3 sites within close proximity to each other, it tells the story of Victorian artists Mary and George Watts, and shows their work. Take a brief tour with us. Let’s start at where they lived… You are free to wander around […]
Inside St Giles’ Cripplegate at the Barbican and the Carshalton connection
If you’ve been to the Barbican centre you would have spotted this ancient church standing out against the brutalist architecture. St Giles’ Cripplegate is an interesting survivor of the Great Fire of London of 1666 and the Blitz of 1940, which for history fans also has a couple of (albeit tenous) links to Carshalton. The […]
Why has the River Wandle at Carshalton Ponds gone a milky green colour?
*News* You may have recently spotted how cloudy the upper pond at Carshalton has been. Why does it look like this? Let’s investigate. This is likely something called ‘Algal Bloom’ and could be toxic. With the spells of very hot weather, and little water movement, the algae builds up. According to the government Environment Agency […]