Wallington’s abandoned Cold War nuclear bunker
*Historical* This small and cramped underground bunker was built to house Royal Observer Corps (ROC) volunteers. Unused for over 30 years, several ‘Urbex’ investigators have visited the site to document it. It’s situated on the Little Woodcote estate at the bend on the Oaks Track (map below). During the Cold War with Russia between 1947 […]
INSIDE Beddington’s 300-year old mansion house
It’s a rare survivor of an original suburban mansion house. Many were pulled down in the 1960s. Brandries Hill House was built in the early 1700s and purchased by Francis Baring circa 1790. He founded Barings Bank, which went on to be the world’s oldest merchant bank, until its infamous collapse in 1995. Read more […]
Sutton looks to avoid potential hosepipe bans
*News* Healthy water supplies mean Sutton could survive the UK’s driest spring start since 1956. Reservoirs in parts of the country are at their lowest level in 10 years. Yorkshire Water have already begun introducing hosepipe restrictions. We’ve had three heatwaves so far this summer, which for London means a run of 3 days of […]
A big iron ring! The little-known history of Carshalton’s Mill Lane
In the 17th Century, Carshalton had a location with the grand name of Pall Mall – still the name of an upmarket area in Central London. You may perhaps think it was the name for a grand drive, but no – it’s much more down to earth than that. The site of Mill Lane was […]
That unusual building on Wallington crossroads
*Historical* This distinctive purpose-built gas showroom (now the British Heart Foundation) is on a busy junction in Wallington on the corner of Woodcote Road and Stanley Park Road. Gas was big business when this showroom opened sometime between the late 1920s and early 1930s. It’s a building reminiscent of warmer climes (architectural style is most […]
Popular botanical farm cafe pushes back re-opening once again
*News* The cafe attached to a botanical farm at Little Woodcote Estate on the Carshalton/Wallington/Surrey border was due to re-open on 30 June 2025, but has faced further setbacks. The Naturally Thinking cafe has been closed since 2023, and it looks like it won’t open again until the end of March 2026. This is due […]
Forgotten railway tracks from Sutton’s industrial past
*Historical* This is all that’s left of a small railway connected to a patchwork of waterways belonging to a long lost, but once major local industry. It was here in Hackbridge, on the edge of the borough that edible wild watercress was grown on a commercial scale – and this is the only place left […]
Did Tom Humphrys eat himself to death? The mysterious 1742 memorial
*Historical* This is just one of the theories surrounding an unusual headstone in the ancient graveyard at All Saints, Carshalton. We’ll never know for sure how he died, but the inscription gives a fascinating insight… According to the report in an old book, Tom was a barber, most likely in Carshalton village. By all accounts, […]
Popular play castle loses final battle
*News* A popular children’s play area in The Grove will be removed due to expensive repairs being required, having lost the battle with nature. The castle was created in the early 1990s, and unusually, is built over an old air raid shelter. Maintenance of the structure has been entrusted to the council contractor, Idverde. Councillor […]