Rare 55-million-year-old fossil discovered in Carshalton
EXCLUSIVE This incredible find reveals the small creatures fossilised beneath our feet — water dwellers that lived here millions of years ago. Carshalton’s oldest residents, if you like. The area on the corner of Butter Hill and Mill Lane was once an oyster bed, at a time when, incredibly, parts of Carshalton were submerged beneath […]
How things have changed – Carshalton High Street in 2008
*Historical* It was 17 years ago that the traditional high street was beginning to change, and these photos show a turning point. The independent shoe shop had recently closed, but the greengrocers and butchers were still hanging on. Do you wish it was like it again, or do you remember any of these places? It’s […]
A close look at the Carshalton Coat of Arms
This is Carshalton’s very own coat of arms. It used to take pride of place in the offices of the Carshalton Urban District Council. At this time they were located at The Grove. But what do all these symbols mean? Secret Carshalton has compiled a quick and handy interactive guide so you can be in […]
The Cure’s obscure FIRST album was recorded LIVE in Carshalton
The Cure is an internationally popular band whose hits include Friday I’m In Love, and Just Like Heaven. Lead singer Robert Smith is the only member to have been in the band from the beginning, and he recently appeared on stage with Olivia Rodrigo at Glastonbury 2025. Formed in 1976, the band first became known […]
Carshalton Motor Cycle Club used to meet at the old Fox and Hounds
Start your engines, it’s time for some local history! Carshalton Motor Cycle Club began in 1924, riding the wave of interest in a new sport connected to these two-wheeled wonders. The badge above is dated 1950, and the club still uses the same logo to this day. There are now many motorcycle clubs across the […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]