The story of the mysterious ‘Wizard Man of Sutton’
Few local characters became as instantly recognisable as the ‘Wizard Man of Sutton’. For decades he was a familiar sight on Sutton High Street: dressed in flowing robes, wearing a skull cap, adorned with rings, and carrying a tall staff often topped with a dragon motif. Whether encountered in and outside shops, walking steadily through […]
The tragic yet inspiring legend of ‘Paper Jack’
Who was Paper Jack? A well-educated son of a prosperous London businessman, he worked as a surveyor and helped to map a portion of the Brighton Railways. During the war, he was employed by the War Office decoding Secret Service documents. He married Ellen Miriam Brandon in 1917. They lived together on Brighton Road 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 […]
Prince Edward returns to Sutton to visit the YourSpace community garden
*News* The Duke of Edinburgh visited YourSpace in Cheam on Saturday 26 July. Prince Edward has been the Patron of the London Gardens Society since 2022. He met with garden volunteers, as well as the Alzheimer’s Support Group, Tennyson Care Home residents, DofE award participants, and others. The YourSpace project opened in 2014, bringing an […]
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 […]
The forgotten spot in Carshalton where England’s famous landscape artist John Constable once painted
There’s no plaque commemorating the spot, but by the corner of an old walled garden by Oaks Park was the location of a Smithy (a blacksmiths workshop). It was here that John Constable painted White Horse, a famous piece of art now in New York. The Smithy was located at the junction of Fairlawn Road […]
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 […]
The World-Famous Rock Stars who Surprisingly Performed in Carshalton Park
We thought we’d look back at some of the amazing musical events that have taken place locally over the years. Looking back, which of these big names do you recognise… Goth-rockers The Cure (Friday I’m In Love, Just Like Heaven etc.) played at a Carshalton Park Open Air Concert in 1979, soon after the […]