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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Carshalton Pigeon Man becomes Instagram Sensation
EXCLUSIVE Meet Gaz – better know by the handle @Woodywoodpigeon. What started as a small hobby, has now really taken on wings. Gaz loves pigeons and photographs them daily for other pigeon-followers to enjoy across the world. He even helps care for birds with an illness or a disability. Secret Carshalton found out more. So […]
Was there ever actually a village green in the heart of Carshalton?
*Historical* This is a road sign you may easily miss. It’s in Carshalton High Street and points towards a public car park and a row of old houses. But what was The Green referring to and how did the name come about? Here’s some theories. Theory 1: Before where the car park is, there was […]
The first governor of Sutton’s oldest school was also vicar at All Saints
I finally got to see the fine Victorian building for myself that was purpose built for Wilson’s School in 1883. The school that was in the old building in Camberwell, pictured above, finally moved to new premises in Wallington in 1975. Wilson’s School is a high ranking and multi award winning grammer school and is […]
London’s largest Lavender Field becomes International Attraction
🦋 On the southern tip of Greater London and touching the northern tip of Surrey is a dramatic lavender field that draws visitors from far and wide. It’s been a long time since going here, so I popped along to take a look. Though the postal address is Banstead, Surrey – the field sits within […]
Uncovering Honeywood’s forgotten garden
This is all that is left of an old greenhouse that once stood in the rear garden of what is now the Honeywood Museum. It’s interesting to see the old tiles and structural features that survive from when the area was part of the garden of a private home (scroll down for more pics). Circa […]