🎥 History sleuth tracks down family of long-lost photo album
*Video* A chance purchase led Chris Pocock on a journey through time. He discovered this beautiful leather-bound book, packed with nostalgic Victorian images from the 1880s, and just had to find out more… So Chris began to trace the story of the album’s owner, Lydia Wiles. Lydia taught at the Female Orphan Asylum, which was […]
Britain’s Best Beer Brewed in Beddington
*News* On the edge of the borough of Sutton is a brewery and tap room belonging to Anspach and Hobday. ‘London Black’, likened to Guinness, has topped the ‘We Are Beer’s Top 50 UK Beer 2025 list‘. The awards recognise the best beers across the UK, and the people behind it organise the London Craft […]
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 […]
The Gunpowder, the Canon and the Bridge
*Historical* What does this ornate bridge in Beddington Park have to do with gunpowder and a canon? We’ll tell you. The bridge was commisioned by Canon Alexander Henry Bridges (that’s the Canon bit). He was rector of Beddington 1864-1891 and an honorary Canon of Winchester Cathedral. The bridge has brick terracotta tiles originally made in […]
A motorway next to Beddington Park? They’d even started building it…
Yes, it was a genuine proposal to cut up swathes of Surrey to build a motorway into London. And did you know, they even started building it? Hidden parts still exists – this includes part of the carriageway and an abandoned bridge that you still drive under today. If you come off the M25 at […]
Entire Rock Aristocracy Descend on Beddington for the Funeral of Guitar Legend Jeff Beck
The funeral of the late, great Jeff Beck took place at St Mary’s Church in Beddington on Friday 3 February 2023. There’s probably never been such a star-studded occasion in the area, and passers-by described it as ‘surreal’. Attendees included Eric Clapton, Kate Bush, David Gilmour, Brian May, Ronnie Wood, Tom Jones, Harry Enfield, Vic […]
10 incredible facts you never knew about Carew
Carew Manor is a large and grand brick-fronted mansion situated in Beddington Park. Its long and varied history dates back at least 700 years, to the time when it was home to the influential Carew family. We’ve collected some entertaining facts and figures about Beddington’s fascinating listed building. Some of which you may have not […]
A brief chronology of Carew Manor from 1352 to present day
If you’re confused by the timeline of Carew Manor, that’s not surprising. It’s been rebuilt or remodelled at least 6 times. Here’s a quick look inside and out at Carew Manor in Beddington Park. A brief timeline of events, and the various buildings that make up the current area. It was home to the powerful […]
The short-lived Grange building that once stood in Beddington Park
The current Grange restaurant, below, is designed in a traditional style loosely based on the original late 19th century house (circa 1880) that once stood here and sadly burnt down in January 1960. However, in 1967, a few years after the old house burnt down, a modernist style building was chosen to replace it (top […]