Sutton

The outer-London borough of Sutton is a story of ancient villages like Cheam, Hackbridge and Wallington, swallowed by suburbia as Victorian railways made daily commuting to London possible. The likes of actor-playwright Noel Coward and paralympian David Weir have called the borough their home.

Carshalton’s location on the River Wandle brought mill-based industries to the area at least 1,000 years ago. It was also known for trout, walnuts and, until the 1900s, lavender and mint crops. Next to Carshalton Ponds is Honeywood Museum, a 17th-century home which was restored and reopened in 2012.

Famously absent is the ornate Nonsuch Palace. Built by Henry VIII in 1538, it was demolished 144 years later so its owner, the Duchess of Cleveland, could pay gambling debts by selling the building materials. Fragments of the palace were excavated in the late 1950s in Nonsuch Park, and are now part of our collection.