*Historical* This is the pleasingly large chimney of the old Bake House in Oaks Park catching the winter sun. The unusual square chimney pots once vented the steam derived from baking bread for a large country house.
🗝 The Bake House was built in around 1889, during the time of Harry Berkeley James. It was once corridor-linked to the now demolished mansion.
The last Oaks family
🗝 Harry Berkley James and his wife Lucy were the last family to own The Oaks, and their third child Adrian was the last family baby to be born on the estate.
The Flamingo man
🗝 Interestingly Harry Berkeley James has a Flamingo named after him – James’ Flamingo. He was a keen naturalist and was the first to catalogue the Chilean birds.
🗝 James had collected 1,382 skins and 678 eggs of chilean birds most likely kept here in Carshalton before being donated to the Natural History Museum on his death.
🗝 Harry died in 1892, aged just 42. The family home was finally sold around 1914.
The address is Oaks Park, Croydon Lane, Carshalton, Surrey SM7 3BA. More about Harry Berkeley James. Top flamingo image © Creative Commons. With thanks to additional research sourced from Paul Williams – books available from the Honeywood Museum. Found this interesting? – we’d love to know in the comments below. We reserve the right to make corrections should new information come to light.
as a child I always wanted to live in the little bake house that , at the time was derelict and covered in ivy behind big walls ….
That must have looked quite intriguing to young eyes. A nice memory.