Walks & Talks May- September 2026

With thanks to local historian Andrew Skelton for writing this post to highlight the Spring/Summer season of Heritage Walks and Talks around the borough. Some are  organised by Sutton Heritage and Sutton Parks teams, and others are arranged by a variety of local community partners. There's certainly lots on to keep your minds and bodies active!

I was delighted the recent Local History Symposium held at All Saints Parish Church, Carshalton, in late April, welcomed an enthusiastic audience of eighty people! Attendees were guided through the historical aspects of local archaeology, education, local industry, social entertainment and genealogy by six local speakers. A number of the subjects touched upon at the Symposium will be referenced in the upcoming Heritage Walks and Talks programme. With May being  local and community history month, it feels apt to be writing and sharing our vibrant programme of activity.

Now it is time to get out and about to sample our local heritage on the move, and to share it with an even wider audience!

Tours last approximately 1 to 2 hours. Full details of these events are available on the individual provider’s websites.

We look forward to seeing you there!

- Andrew Skelton

May

Kicking off the programme in May, at the end of the month Andrew Skelton will head out west to the site of West Cheam manor, under Cheam Library, to lead a tour of the manor and its environs before walking down picturesque Park Lane to relate the complex history of its cottages.

Saturday 30 May, 2pm start
£5

Details and booking available here: A Walk Around Cheam Manor.

June

June is London Festival of Architecture Month, and Sutton’s contribution celebrates its interesting suburban architecture when the mid to late 19th-century development of South West Sutton, mostly the work of developer E H Rabbits, is reviewed in detail.

Sunday 14 June, 10.30am
Meet outside Sutton Station
£5

Details and booking available here: Hunting for Rabbits: the Victorian Development of South West Sutton, 1850-1890.

Later in June, Andrew, as Chair of The Friends of the Grove, Carshalton, will be looking in detail at Stone Court and the area around it, including parts of Mill Lane and North Street.

Tuesday 23 June, 7.30pm
Meet outside Stone Court
Sutton Parks / Friends of the Grove event
Free
Booking essential. Email: dawn.fielding@sutton.gov.uk

July

In July, Andrew will be returning to All Saints to conduct a ‘monumental’ walk around the church and churchyard, looking at the commemorative sculpture erected to the Great and Good of Carshalton.

Thursday 9 July, 11am start
£5
Check the All Saints Church website for booking details.

The major heritage event this year will be the public viewing of Carshalton House, St Philomena’s School, perhaps the jewel in the crown of Sutton’s heritage estate.

With origins in the medieval period and an involved history, there are 60 places on three tours of the house, which boasts decorated interiors from the late 17th to the 19th centuries.

Sunday 19 July
Tours at 1pm, 2.30pm and 4pm
£7.50
Details and booking available here: Carshalton House Guided Tours.

August

August begins with an exploration of West Street, which was the business heart of the village into the 19th century and still boasts the most complete pre-1850 streetscape in the borough.

This early morning walk will pass along West Street, West Street Lane and North Street. It is limited to over 16s and has only 15 places.

Sunday 9 August, 10am
£5
Details and booking available here: The Heart of Carshalton: a historical walk down North and West Streets.

Far in the south of the borough, John Phillips will be leading an antiquarian exploration of The Oaks Park, looking at the site of the Earl of Derby’s house and its setting in the park.

Wednesday 12 August, 7pm
Free
Booking essential with Sutton Parks. Email: dawn.fielding@sutton.gov.uk

John will follow this up with a similar walk around Beddington Park and The Grange, with its origins in the Tudor Deer Park and elaborate Victorian and early 20th-century garden.

Sunday 23 August, 2pm
Free
Booking essential with Sutton Parks. Email: dawn.fielding@sutton.gov.uk

September

With both London Open House and Heritage Open Days taking place between Friday 12 and Sunday 20 September, there will certainly be a lot to celebrate and explore in September! Details of these events will be released later, in the meantime, a date for your diary is as follows:

Before that, there will be a linear walk along Love Lane between Gander Green Lane and Cheam Library, looking at the landscape and including the open spaces at Quarry Park and Seears Park.

Sunday 6 September, 2pm
Sutton Parks event
Booking essential. Email: dawn.fielding@sutton.gov.uk