A short history of Sutton
The London borough of Sutton is situated on the lower slopes of the North Downs. It was originally an ancient parish in the county of Surrey; however, its position on the London to Brighton turnpike led in 1755 to the opening of coaching inns, spurring the village’s growth. The downside, however, was that the road from London became a haven for highwaymen.
In 1847 Sutton was connected by rail to Central London and grew into a town. Together with Cheam, it became a municipal borough in 1934 and part of Greater London in 1965.
The town is 10 miles south-west of Charing Cross and 11 miles from the City of London. Sutton Borough itself covers: Hackbridge, Beddington, Belmont, Carshalton, Wallington, Cheam (and Cheam Village) and Worcester Park. Nearby towns include Croydon, Epsom and Kingston.
Sutton is home to The Royal Marsden Hospital, which opened its doors in 1851: the world’s first hospital dedicated to cancer diagnosis and research.
Green areas in the Borough include Sutton Green, Banstead Downs (an SSSI area), Nonsuch Park, Beddington Park, and many others including Manor Park with its 1921 war memorial, its fountain and eco-friendly café. There are also two nature reserves.
Sutton is recorded in the Domesday Book as Sudtone (Old English for ‘south farm’) with 30 houses and 200 people. Currently, its population is nearly 59,000 inhabitants.
Looking around Sutton itself (and mostly upwards) its architecture is mainly Victorian, reflecting the influence of the railways. Sutton Police Station is Edwardian. The most dominant church buildings in the town are Trinity United Reform and Methodist Church, and St Nicholas Church, while Carshalton has the imposing All Saints Church which often features local art exhibitions.
The Council Offices house a large, well-used Library and an adult-learning College. There is a multi-screen cinema in the town centre, opposite the St Nicholas shopping centre. Music venues in the borough include The Sound Lounge, Cryer Arts Centre and the Boom Boom Club and there is a Sutton Symphony Orchestra as well as a wide range of restaurants, cafes and bars in the town and throughout the borough.
The borough is blessed with many fine schools, some regularly appearing in the ‘high-performing secondary schools’ charts. For sports enthusiasts, there is Sutton United F. C. as well as cricket, rugby, bowling, hockey and many other clubs.
u3a Sutton (Surrey) covers 20 wards in the London Borough of Sutton.
- Beddington
- Belmont
- Carshalton Central
- Carshalton South & Clockhouse
- Cheam
- Hackbridge
- North Cheam
- South Beddington
- St Helier East
- St Helier West
- Stonecot
- Sutton Central
- Sutton North
- Sutton South
- Sutton West & East Cheam
- The Wrythe
- Wallington North
- Wallington South
- Worcester Park North
- Worcester Park South.