TheLondon Borough of Sutton (pronunciationⓘ) is anOuter Londonborough in southLondon, England. It covers an area of 43 km2 (17 sq mi) and is the 80th largest local authority in England by population. It borders theLondon Borough of Croydon to the east, theLondon Borough of Merton to the north and theRoyal Borough of Kingston upon Thames to the north-west; it also borders theSurrey boroughs ofEpsom and Ewell to the west andReigate and Banstead to the south. The local authority isSutton London Borough Council. Its principal town isSutton.
The borough has had some of the schools with the best results in the country.
Low levels of recorded crime have been a feature of the borough, being among the lowest inLondon.
The London Borough of Sutton was one of the four "vanguard areas" selected in 2010 for theBig Society initiative.[1]
The area of the modern borough broadly corresponds to the fiveancient parishes ofBeddington,Carshalton,Cheam,Sutton andWallington, all of which were historically in the county ofSurrey.
The parish of Sutton was made alocal government district in 1882.[2] The neighbouring parish of Carshalton was made a local government district the following year.[3] Such districts were reconstituted asurban districts under theLocal Government Act 1894. Another urban district was created in 1915 covering the two parishes of Beddington and Wallington.[4]
The Sutton Urban District was enlarged in 1928 to take in the neighbouring parish ofCheam, at which point the urban district was renamed 'Sutton and Cheam'. It was then incorporated to become amunicipal borough in 1934.[5] Beddington and Wallington Urban District became a municipal borough in 1937.[4]
The modern London Borough of Sutton was created in 1965 under theLondon Government Act 1963, covering the combined area of the formerMunicipal Borough of Sutton and Cheam,Carshalton Urban District andMunicipal Borough of Beddington and Wallington. The area was transferred from Surrey to Greater London to become one of the 32 London Boroughs.[6][7]
The 2014 Family Hotspots Report, on the best places in England and Wales for families to live, placed three areas within the borough among the top 10 places in London. The areas were identified as postcodes SM1, SM2 (Sutton town) and SM3 (Cheam).[8][9] ARightmove study in 2015 found that Sutton was the fourth happiest borough in which to live out of 33 in London.[10] It achieved the same placing in the 2016 survey.[11] A Trust for London andNew Policy Institute report noted that Sutton had the highest rate in London of pupils achieving 5 A* – C GCSEs.[12] In December 2014 Sutton was described by a senior Government official as the most "normal place in Britain".[13] In connection with this, the leader of Sutton Council described the borough as "quietly brilliant", and noted that 91% of residents say it is "a great place to live".[14]
An Ipsos MORI poll in 2014 found that 97% of residents felt safe in the borough during the day, and 71% felt safe at night, a higher figure than in 2011.[15][16]
In 2014, a survey byeMoov (Property Hot Spot Index) found Sutton to be the easiest place in the country in which to sell a property.[17] It was shown in a national detailed Land Use Survey by theOffice for National Statistics in 2005 that the London Borough of Sutton had the highest proportion of land taken up by gardens, 35.1%, of any district in England.[18]
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Sutton includes the areas:
Neighbouring areas of Surrey & Greater London | |
|---|---|
The local authority is Sutton Council, based at theCivic Offices on St Nicholas Way in Sutton.
Since 2000, for elections to theLondon Assembly, the borough forms part of theCroydon and Sutton constituency. The seat has only returned assembly members from theConservative Party and the current member isNeil Garratt.
Sutton is divided into two parliamentary constituencies,Sutton and Cheam andCarshalton and Wallington with one member of Parliament each:
| Party | Member of Parliament | Constituency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Luke Taylor, replacedPaul Scully in the 2024 General Election | Sutton and Cheam | |
| Liberal Democrats | Bobby Dean, replaced ConservativeElliot Colburn in the 2024 General Election | Carshalton and Wallington | |
Descriptions of a selection of the borough's cultural institutions and attractions are set out below.
TheSound Lounge, agrassroots concert venue, opened in December 2020 in Sutton High Street in the former premises ofRoyal Bank of Scotland. It hosts live performances of blues,Americana, folk androots music. The venue includes aplant-based,carbon-neutral café, and hosts visual art exhibitions, theatre and dance.[19][20][21] The site also incorporates a vinylrecord shop (one of two branches of theUnion Music Store).[22]
In July 2021 the venue became the country's first grassroots music venue to be certified as carbon neutral. A wide variety of measures have been put in place to achieve neutrality. In addition to the fully plant-based menu for the café, these include getting all energy from renewable sources, not sending any waste to landfill and maintaining an allotment garden on site for zero-carbon produce for the café.[23]
The Charles Cryer Studio Theatre is situated on the High Street (number 39) inCarshalton Village.[24] It was opened byPrince Edward in 1991.[25] As well as drama and musicals, productions included comedy and dance. With material ranging from Shakespeare to Chekov to panto and children's favourites, the theatre's aim was to balance popularity with quality. The theatre also served as a concert venue for local bands and played host to the popular local Rockshot festival. The theatre is named after the man who led the campaign to open the Secombe Theatre,Sutton, listed below.[26] In August 2016 Sutton Theatres Trust, which owned the theatre, went into administration and it closed.[27] However, at a meeting in October 2018, the local council confirmed that the theatre would be brought back into use, following a successful bid to run the venue (on a 25-year lease) by Cryer Arts Ltd. The company plans a range of events, including music, film and theatre.[28][29]
The Secombe Theatre (named after SirHarry Secombe) was in Cheam Road, adjacent to the Holiday Inn Hotel. The theatre was opened by Sir Harry, who lived in Sutton for over 30 years of his life.[30] The theatre was created out of a former Christian Scientist church building originally dating from 1937.[31][32] The main auditorium seats 396 (or 343 if the orchestra pit is in use), and there is a large multi-purpose function room attached. The Secombe Theatre is operated in conjunction with the Charles Cryer Studio Theatre, named after the man who led the campaign to open the Secombe Theatre. (The Charles Cryer Theatre is in a converted hall in nearbyCarshalton – see entry above). Productions at the Secombe have ranged in content from modern productions to new twists on older, more established plays. Some productions have been produced locally, while others have come as part of touring groups. From time to time comedians and musicians have appeared at the theatre.[33]
In 2014, because of local council budget cuts, the venue was, along with its sister theatre, theCharles Cryer Theatre inCarshalton, identified by theTheatre Trust as one of 33 theatres in the country for inclusion on its "At Risk" register.[34] The risk of closure spurred celebrity intervention in favour of the two theatres: writer, actor, comedian andBBC presenterTim Vine, called on Sutton Council to reconsider its proposals.[35] On 10 November 2014 the local council announced that four organisations submitting outline bids to take over the two theatres had been invited to submit full business cases by 12 December. The council worked with theTheatres Trust and Sutton Centre for Voluntary Services to help bidders through the bidding process.[36] On 15 January 2015 the bid by the new "Sutton Theatres Trust" (STT) was given approval by the council's environment and neighbourhood committee to take over the theatres, thus saving them from closure.[37] In August 2016 the Trust went into administration and the theatre closed permanently.[27]
Beddington Park is the location of Carew Manor which was the home of the Beddington branch of the Carew family. TheGrade I listed great hall,[38] with itshammerbeam roof, survives from the Tudor house along with part of the early 18th-centuryorangery built around the orange trees planted bySir Francis Carew in the 16th century and claimed to be the first in England. In the grounds is an early 18th-centuryGrade II* listeddovecote.[39] Archaeologists discovered a Tudor garden including agrotto at Carew Manor, believed to have been created by Sir Francis Carew in the 16th century. There are tours of the great hall organised by the London Borough of Sutton Museum & Heritage Service.
TheGrade II* listed 14th-century flint parish church of St Mary's occupies a prominent position in Beddington Park, immediately south of what is now Carew Manor School and which was from the late Middle Ages the seat of the Carew family. It contains an organ screen byWilliam Morris. The church is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:[40]
TheRiver Wandle is a 9 miles (14 km) long river which flows through four southwest London boroughs, including Sutton. It passes throughCroydon, Sutton,Merton, andWandsworth where it joins theRiver Thames. The river changed from being a mainly rural one lined with a scattering of watermills at the beginning of the 19th century to a heavily built-up one by the 1930s. In the second half of the 20th century the river changed again, as the local authorities made improvements to its visual appearance and restored it as a habitat for wildlife.[41] Much of the River is accessible using theWandle Trail, which passes through Sutton borough atBeddington,Hackbridge andCarshalton (includingGrove Park in Carshalton Village).
Little Holland House inCarshalton Beeches was the home of the artist Frank Dickinson (1874–1961). Dickinson'sArts and Crafts style interior was influenced byJohn Ruskin and textile designer and artistWilliam Morris. The house contains many of his art works. Admission is free and the house is open 1.30–5.30pm the first Sunday of each month plus Bank Holiday Sundays and Mondays.[42]
Sutton Library is situated close to the top of the town, near St Nicholas Church and the Holiday Inn Hotel, and is part of a complex which contains theCivic Offices, home of Sutton Borough Council, and the Sutton College of Liberal Arts. It is the largest library in the borough. Originally opened in 1975, it was extensively refurbished in 2004 to meet changing customer needs. It was the first public library to appoint a library writer-in-residence; the first to establish a CD and video lending library; and the first to offer a full public library service on Sundays.The library is arranged over four storeys, and the lending and reference facilities extend to a reader's lounge; café and shop; IT facilities; opportunities to listen to music; and a children's library themed around the world's environments.[43]
TheSutton Life Centre is an £8 million community facility designed to improve life chances for younger people and encourage good citizenship. Its key feature – the lifezone – is a virtual street, a room with screens on all walls showing real-life scenes from Sutton's streets. It also has a library, a café, aclimbing wall, and community, eco, sports, youth and media zones.[44] It tries to encourage community engagement and involvement. It was opened on 27 October 2010 byDeputy Prime MinisterNick Clegg.[45]
Honeywood is a large house at the western end ofCarshalton Ponds. At its earliest it dates from the 17th century but has been much extended and restored, particularly in the period 1896 to 1903 when a large Edwardian wing was added to the south side. It now houses the London Borough of Sutton's main Museum and has a local history collection, including objects that date back to the Bronze Age. The museum has recently been refurbished, reopening in May 2012 with enhanced features. Among others improvements, there are now expanded displays about the river Wandle and its influence on the life of the area, including an interactive map.[46]
Arts Network Sutton "promotes, champions, nurtures and acts as a voice for the arts" in the borough. Taking over from the former Sutton Arts Council, it was put in place in April 2014, and launched by the Mayor of Sutton in June. It co-ordinates the arts locally and works together withregional and national arts bodies, informs the local arts community about arts initiatives,seeks out funding for local projects and runs events.[47]
There are a number of examples ofpublic art in Sutton town centre, ranging from building-height murals, to sculptures to anarmillary. These are all fully described in the article on the town ofSutton itself. Of particularborough-wide note is one of the murals, which is in the form of a mosaic measuring 9 metres (30 feet) in height and 5 metres (16 feet)approximately) in width, and covering the whole of a three-storey wall in the town square near theWaterstones bookshop. It was made from vitreous ceramic tesserae (small tiles made of glass and clay), and put in place in 1994. It was commissioned to celebrate Sutton's heritage, and shows several aspects of the borough's heritage and local history in a geometric pattern of nineteen panels. The centre-piece is the depiction of Henry VIII's palace at Nonsuch. Other panels depict armorial bearers from the old local families, as well as industrial and architectural heritage.[48]
Whitehall is a timber framed and weatherboarded house in the centre ofCheam village. It was originally built in about 1500 as a wattle and daub yeoman farmer's house but has been much extended. The external weatherboarded appearance dates from the 18th century. In the garden there is a medieval well which served an earlier building on the site. Now anhistoric house museum, the building features a period kitchen, and house details from theGeorgian,Victorian andEdwardian eras.[49] The museum temporarily closed in 2016 to allow for a £1.6m refurbishment of the building. It reopened in 2018 with improved facilities.[50] Jill Whitehead, chair of the council's environment and neighbourhood committee, said: "The redevelopment of the Whitehall Museum is of major significance to the borough as it is one of our oldest and most historic buildings."[51]
Within the London Borough of Sutton there are 147Grade IIlisted buildings, sixGrade II* listings, oneGrade I listing, 4 'B' listings and 6 'C' listings.[52]
The proportion of Black, Asian and ethnic minorities in general living in the borough has almost doubled each decade since 1991: in 2019 Council data put the non white population at 26.8%, and the total White population at 73.2%.White British is the largest ethnic group at 62.6; this is down 10% from the 2011 census. The Filipino community is the largest foreign-born population in Sutton, closely followed by the Sri-Lankan (Tamil) community.[53]
| Ethnic Group | Year | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 estimations[54] | 1981 estimates[55] | 1991 census[56] | 2001 census[57] | 2011 census[58] | 2021 census[59] | |||||||
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| White: Total | – | 98.4% | 159,123 | 96.2% | 158,902 | 94.1% | 160,351 | 89.2% | 149,449 | 78.6% | 143,145 | 68.3% |
| White:British | – | – | – | – | – | – | 150,515 | 83.7% | 134,854 | 70.9% | 120,014 | 57.2% |
| White:Irish | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3,664 | 2% | 3,219 | 1.7% | 3,118 | 1.5% |
| White:Gypsy or Irish Traveller | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 193 | 0.1% | 130 | 0.1% |
| White: Roma | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 321 | 0.2% |
| White:Other | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6,172 | 3.4% | 11,183 | 5.9% | 19,562 | 9.3% |
| Black or Black British: Total | – | – | – | – | 2,321 | 1.37% | 4,601 | 2.5% | 9,120 | 4.8% | 12,465 | 5.9% |
| Black or Black British:African | – | – | – | – | 621 | 0.4% | 2,208 | 1.2% | 5,471 | 2.9% | 7,441 | 3.5% |
| Black or Black British:Caribbean | – | – | – | – | 1,179 | 0.7% | 2,054 | 1.1% | 2,742 | 1.4% | 3,450 | 1.6% |
| Black or Black British:Other Black | – | – | – | – | 521 | 0.3% | 339 | 0.2% | 907 | 0.5% | 1,574 | 0.8% |
| Asian or Asian British: Total | – | – | – | – | 6,138 | 3.6% | 9,711 | 5.4% | 22,035 | 11.6% | 36,787 | 17.4% |
| Asian or Asian British:Indian | – | – | – | – | 2,732 | 1.6% | 4,133 | 2.3% | 6,454 | 3.4% | 12,618 | 6.0% |
| Asian or Asian British:Pakistani | – | – | – | – | 504 | 0.3% | 1,216 | 0.7% | 2,595 | 1.4% | 6,177 | 2.9% |
| Asian or Asian British:Bangladeshi | – | – | – | – | 375 | 0.2% | 578 | 0.3% | 1,183 | 0.6% | 1,778 | 0.8% |
| Asian or Asian British:Chinese | – | – | – | – | 762 | 0.5% | 1,211 | 0.7% | 2,240 | 1.2% | 3,989 | 1.9% |
| Asian or Asian British: Other Asian | – | – | – | – | 1,765 | 1.0% | 2,573 | 1.4% | 9,563 | 5.0% | 12,225 | 5.8% |
| Mixed or British Mixed: Total | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3,725 | 2.1% | 7,134 | 3.7% | 10,162 | 4.9% |
| Mixed: White and Black Caribbean | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,205 | 0.7% | 2,298 | 1.2% | 2,777 | 1.3% |
| Mixed: White and Black African | – | – | – | – | – | – | 358 | 0.2% | 838 | 0.4% | 1,268 | 0.6% |
| Mixed: White and Asian | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,274 | 0.7% | 2,286 | 1.2% | 3,068 | 1.5% |
| Mixed: Other Mixed | – | – | – | – | – | – | 888 | 0.5% | 1,712 | 0.9% | 3,049 | 1.5% |
| Other: Total | – | – | – | – | 1519 | 0.9% | 1,380 | 0.8% | 2,408 | 1.3% | 7,077 | 3.4% |
| Other: Arab | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 976 | 0.5% | 1,392 | 0.7% |
| Other: Any other ethnic group | – | – | – | – | 1519 | 0.9% | 1,380 | 0.8% | 1,432 | 0.8% | 5,685 | 2.7% |
| Ethnic minority: Total | – | 1.6% | 6,289 | 3.8% | 9,978 | 5.9% | 19,417 | 10.8% | 40,697 | 21.4% | 66,491 | 31.7% |
| Total | – | 100% | 165,412 | 100% | 168,880 | 100% | 179,768 | 100% | 190,146 | 100% | 209,636 | 100% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1801 | 3,838 | — |
| 1811 | 4,220 | +10.0% |
| 1821 | 4,856 | +15.1% |
| 1831 | 5,514 | +13.6% |
| 1841 | 6,169 | +11.9% |
| 1851 | 6,425 | +4.1% |
| 1861 | 11,807 | +83.8% |
| 1871 | 17,190 | +45.6% |
| 1881 | 22,573 | +31.3% |
| 1891 | 27,883 | +23.5% |
| 1901 | 39,454 | +41.5% |
| 1911 | 55,828 | +41.5% |
| 1921 | 75,509 | +35.3% |
| 1931 | 102,132 | +35.3% |
| 1941 | 134,002 | +31.2% |
| 1951 | 175,821 | +31.2% |
| 1961 | 172,817 | −1.7% |
| 1971 | 169,879 | −1.7% |
| 1981 | 167,566 | −1.4% |
| 1991 | 171,373 | +2.3% |
| 2001 | 179,667 | +4.8% |
| 2011 | 190,146 | +5.8% |
| 2021 | 209,602 | +10.2% |
| Note:[60] | ||
The London Borough of Sutton was one of the four "vanguard areas" selected in 2010 for the Government'sBig Society initiative. Sutton was chosen because of its reputation for having a strong sense of community, its active voluntary sector and track record of devolving power to its neighbourhoods.[1]
The London Borough of Sutton has some schools at both primary and secondary levels which perform exceptionally well. Five of the state secondary schools aregrammar schools.
Schools in the borough were set to receive the fourth largest funding increase in the country in 2015/16.[67]
In May 2014 it was announced that grammar schools in the borough planned to set aside a number of additional places specifically for Sutton borough pupils. Nonsuch High School for Girls and Sutton Grammar School for Boys had already agreed this new policy at the time of the announcement, while the other three grammar schools in the borough were set to follow suit.[68]
Sutton College of Learning for Adults (SCOLA), originally named Sutton College of Liberal Arts, is a college offering over 1,000 part-time courses at its borough-wide centres. its main centres are inSutton andWallington.
The London Borough of Sutton is home to a number of notable environmental projects, including the following.
The acclaimedBedZED (Beddington Zero Energy Development) housing complex is located on London Road, SM6, about 500 yards north ofHackbridge mainline railway station. It uses a number of innovative technologies to enable it to operate with zero energy use. It was designed by the architectBill Dunster to support a more sustainable lifestyle. The project was led by the Peabody Trust in partnership with Bill Dunster Architects, Ellis & Moore Consulting Engineers, BioRegional, Arup and the cost consultants Gardiner and Theobald.
The 99 homes, and 1,405 square metres of work space were built between 2000 and 2002. It is the UK's largest and first carbon-neutral eco-community. The buildings are constructed of materials that store heat during warm conditions and release heat at cooler times, and where possible, they have been built from natural, recycled or reclaimed materials. The first residents moved in (to the Helios Road part of the development) during March 2002.
BedZED receives power from a small-scale combined heat and power plant (CHP). In conventional energy generation, the heat that is produced as a by-product of generating electricity is lost. With CHP technology, this heat can be harnessed and put to use. At BedZED, the heat from the CHP provides hot water, which is distributed around the site via a district heating system of super-insulated pipes. Should residents or workers require a heating boost, each home or office has a domestic hot water tank that doubles as a radiator.
The CHP plant at BedZED is powered by off-cuts from tree surgery waste that would otherwise go to landfill. Wood is a carbon neutral fuel because the CO2 released when the wood is burned is equal to that absorbed by the tree as it grew.
The development has attracted wide interest and acclaim over the past decade since it was built, and, has won numerous awards. Among other examples of recognition, it was shortlisted for theStirling Prize for architecture in October 2003, and won awards from the London Evening Standard and RIBA in 2002.
The Sutton Ecology Centre is located in the Carshalton Village part of Sutton borough.[69] The Grounds are a 1.3 hectareLocal Nature Reserve andSite of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation, Grade 1. It is owned by Sutton Council and managed by the Council together with the Friends of Sutton Ecology Centre.[70][71][72]
It is an area of mainly open space where visitors can find out about wildlife habitats, alternative energy, recycling, composting, and organic gardening. The centre's activities include running educational visits for schools and community groups, as well as events and volunteer days.
The history of the Ecology Centre is that the grounds were until the late eighties known as the "Lodgelands", named after the old gardens of The Lodge in Carshalton. They were used as a tree nursery until the early 1980s, when they became surplus to requirements. After a prolonged public debate, it was agreed in 1987 to preserve the area as an open space for public use.
The Environmental Fair is held in Carshalton Park on August Bank Holiday Monday.[73]It features over 100 stalls and showcases local sustainability initiatives. It also includes music, performing art, poetry, children's activities, campaign groups, local craft, interactive demonstrations, and a farmers' market. Music is performed from three stages and across the genres from rock to folk. The main stage is a natural open-air amphitheatre. There is food and a bar with real ales. The fair attracts on average around 10,000 people. It is organised by EcoLocal with a team of volunteers.
Sutton Community Farm, the only one of its kind in London, is located in theWallington part of the borough. A non-profit social enterprise, it occupies a 7.5 acre small-holding of a type originally given to ex-servicemen following the First World War.[74]
The London Borough of Sutton has provided funding to grow the green economy by creating alow carboncluster ofgreen businesses. The project includes the establishment of a "Green Business Network", the provision of training, and the creation of employment opportunities for assessors, surveyors, designers and installers.[75]
The café inManor Park, Sutton has a range of environmental features, in particular itsstraw-bale construction. It was built in 2010 using UK produced straw-bales and natural sustainable materials, a type of construction which means that the building could last for longer than 200 years.[76] It was London's first energy-efficient building to use this method of construction.[77]
St Helier Hospital and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children in the London Borough of Merton and London Borough of Sutton is run by Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust along with Epsom Hospital. It is located next to the large St Helier estate and close to the major intersection known as Rosehill. The hospital offers a full range of hospital services including a 24-hour accident and emergency department. The site is also home to the South West Renal and Transplantation Service and the Queen Mary's Hospital for Children, a dedicated children's hospital. St Helier Hospital is a major teaching hospital for St George's, University of London, and is the second main teaching site for the clinical years of the medicine degrees outside of St George's Hospital.[78]
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Sutton has rail services to central London stations, includingLondon Victoria,London Bridge andSt Pancras International. Sutton borough has access to theLondon Underground with theNorthern line in neighbouring Merton borough reachable by bus. TheLondon Overground network, completed c. 2010, is 5 to 10 minutes away from Sutton atWest Croydon station.
TheSutton & Mole Valley Linesrailway route south from Sutton links the borough to Sussex and Surrey to the south, and to central London to the north, providing regular, direct services to stations includingClapham Junction, London Victoria,Dorking,Epsom,Horsham,Wimbledon andWest Croydon. Also running through Sutton is theSutton Loop Line which linksSt Albans and St Pancras International directly with the stations on the loop. The main station for all these services isSutton railway station to the south of the town. The station is the largest and busiest in Sutton. Passenger rail services through Croydon are provided byGovia Thameslink Railway under theSouthern and Thameslink brands.[79]
TheTramlink service runs to the north of the borough and a short part of the line falls within it, including two stops:Therapia Lane andBeddington Lane.Transport for London spent several years developing plans for aSutton Link, which would connect the service to Sutton town centre; however, in July 2020, it announced that plans had been 'paused' following financial negotiations with the Government in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.[80]
A sizeable bus infrastructure which is part of theLondon Buses network operates from a main hub on the Sutton one-way system.[81] Services are operated under contract byLondon General,London United,Metrobus and Transport UK London Bus.Route SL7 is the longest route in London, operating from Croydon toHeathrow Airport viaKingston.
Sutton is linked into the national motorway network via theA217 andM25 orbital motorway at Junction 8. The M25 skirts the south of the borough, linking Sutton with other parts of London and the surrounding counties. TheA24 passes through the northwestern part of the borough, through North Cheam and onto Epsom, Dorking, Horsham, Worthing, Bognor Regis and Chichester. This follows, in part, the course ofStane Street, an old Roman road linking London and Chichester. TheA232 links Sutton with other towns in the borough, also the boroughs of Kingston, Croydon and Bromley.
Sutton is located about 15 miles (24 km) from bothHeathrow Airport andGatwick Airport. Heathrow is served byLondon Buses route SL7 and Gatwick by theNational Express Coaches A3 route, which stops outside Sutton railway station.Luton Airport, about 40 miles (64 km) to the north, is connected to Sutton bya direct train.Croydon Airport which was partly in the borough of Sutton served as London's main airport in the years prior toWorld War II but closed in the 1950s.
Although hilly, Sutton is compact and has few major trunk roads running through it. It is on one of theNational Cycle Network routes running aroundSouth London.[82] The nearbyNorth Downs to the south, part of which falls within the borough boundary, is an area of outstanding natural beauty popular with both on and off-road cyclists.
In March 2011, the main forms of transport that residents used to travel to work were: driving a car or van, 33.1% of all residents aged 16–74; train, 6.6%; bus, minibus or coach, 6.6%; on foot, 5.6%; underground, metro, light rail, tram, 3.9%; work mainly at or from home, 3.1%; passenger in a car or van, 2.0%; cycling 1.5%.[83] Data from the 2011 Census states that the cycle mode share for people cycling to work had fallen from 2.1% since 2001.[84]
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In total, the London Borough of Sutton has 89 parks and open spaces within it boundaries, representing a total area of 1,500 acres (6.1 km2).
Green spaces range from the compactManor Park inSutton town centre and Sutton Green just to the north of Sutton town centre, through the medium-sizedGrove Park, which forms a notable part of the Carshalton conservation area, to the large and historicOaks Park in the south of the borough. In the west is the largeNonsuch Park, the majority of which (including the mansion) lies in the neighbouring borough ofEpsom and Ewell.
Just to the north of Sutton town centre there is more extensive green space in the form of Sutton Common, which originally (until the beginning of the 19th century) encompassed the aforementioned Sutton Green. Today, a small portion of Sutton Common is given over to a major junior tennis facility. The common extends both to the east and west of Angel Hill.Slightly further in the opposite direction out of Sutton lie Banstead Common and Banstead Downs—these start a few hundred yards from the southern end of the town, and extend for an additional mile south in the direction of neighbouringBanstead.
Manor Park was created in 1914 on a site in the town centre opposite the police station. Its grounds include the Sutton War Memorial, which was added in 1921. A fountain was added in 1924. In 2010 its new café of straw-bale construction was London's first environmentally friendly building to use this building method.
Features of interest in the VictorianGrove Park include a whitePortland stone bridge, known as theLeoni Bridge whereLower Pond meets the park. Upper Mill is recent reconstruction of awatermill that has existed here from Anglo-Saxon times. The cascade is near the footbridge towards the Stone Court corner of the park. The 1.5m fall is now ornamental in design and was reconstructed in the 1960s. Its original purpose was to create a head of water to power Upper Mill.
Oaks Park has a long history. It was substantially laid out for theEarl of Derby in the 1770s, but its villa dates back to around 1750 and is in that era's fashionable landscape style, with trees forming a perimeter screen and placed in artful clumps to suggest a natural landscape.[85]
Nonsuch Park nearCheam in the west is the last surviving part of the Little Park of Nonsuch, a deer hunting park established byHenry VIII of England surrounding the formerNonsuch Palace. The name "Nonsuch" was given as, it was claimed, there was "none such place like it" in Europe.[86]
The main parks in the borough are:
Sutton also contains a large number ofLocal Nature Reserves:[87]
There are two historic lavender fields in the borough: at Oaks Way, Carshalton Beeches is a non-profit community project that manages three acres of lavender. The other, a 25-acre commercial site in Croydon Lane called Mayfield, is popular with tourists. It is located just within the Carshalton South and Clockhouse ward within the London Borough of Sutton.[90] This area was once famous as the "Lavender Capital of the World". From the 18th to the early 20th centuries the North Downs of Surrey, with its chalky free-draining soil, ideal for lavender growing, were at the centre of worldwide production of lavender. It was a very prosperous part of the local agriculture. Blue fields could be seen all over Mitcham, Croydon, Wallington, Banstead, Carshalton and Sutton.[91] The scale of the operation can be understood from the fact that theDaily News in 1914 was able to state:
At Carshalton Beeches in every direction the low hill sides of the farm beyond Beeches Halt are swept with the bloomy pastel tint of the lavender flowers.
Football clubSutton United F.C. are based in Sutton atGander Green Lane and play in theNational League.Sutton Common Rovers, who play in theCombined Counties League Premier Division South, also share the ground with Sutton United. Carshalton has two football clubs:Carshalton Athletic F.C. (home ground at The War Memorial Sports Ground, Colston Avenue, and play in theIsthmian League Premier Division) and Carshalton FC (at Beddington Park).
Wallington has aNon-League football clubCrescent Rovers F.C. who play at the Wallington Sports & Social Club.
Sutton and Epsom RFC is arugby union club based at Rugby Lane, inCheam, London, having been formed in 1881. The Club run six Men's teams and two women's sides, plus they have one of the largest and best run mini and junior rugby sections in the country
TheCroydon Pirates despite their name play just inside the borough of Sutton, atWaddon and are one of the most successful teams in theBritish Baseball Federation.
Sutton Cricket Club[92] is based in Cheam Road, Sutton, (entrance in Gander Green Lane.) The club's 1st XI plays at the highest level of the sport available to it, the England & Wales Cricket Board's, 'Surrey Championship Premier Division'.
Round Towers GAA, Senior Gaelic Football Club,[93] Sean Treacy's Hurling Club[94] and Croydon Camogie Club.[95]
Rosehill boasts an ETTA premier level Table Tennis Club, Rosehill TTC[96] who play in the Sutton & District League and the Thames Valley League.
Cheam Hockey Club is afield hockey club that competes in theLondon Hockey League.[97][98]
At theWestcroft Leisure Centre, inCarshalton there are health and fitness facilities including two swimming pools, sports hall, squash court and fitness centre.[99] There is also a children's play area called Kid's Kingdom. Westcroft is also home to Sutton Pumas basketball club.
In 2012 Westcroft underwent a major renovation costing £11 million, bringing improved swimming facilities, a dance studio and beauty treatment rooms. There are eight courts in the sports hall, providing facilities for activities including badminton, gymnastics, trampolining, basketball, football, netball and volleyball.
In addition, Carshalton Library moved to the Westcroft centre, as part of the renovation.
There are also two public basketball courts in the Rosehill district of Sutton borough.
The Sutton and Epsom Weightlifting Club meet at Sutton Arena near to St Hellier's Hospital to the North of Sutton.
Sutton has atemperate climate in common with most areas of Great Britain, it is similar to that ofGreenwich inInner London: itsKöppen climate classification isCfb.[citation needed] Its mean annual temperature of 9.6°C is similar to that experienced throughout the Weald, and slightly cooler than nearby areas such as the Sussex coast andcentral London.[100] Rainfall is considerably below England's average (1971–2000) level of 838 mm, and every month is drier overall than the England average.[101]
The nearest weather station is atGatwick Airport.[102][103]
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Sutton'stwin towns are as follows:[104][105]
In addition, there is a friendship link with:
TheSutton twin towns mural on a building in Sutton town centre is made up of individual paintings of all the twin towns. It was created in 1993. The building is at the junction of Sutton High Street and Sutton Court Road.[106][107]
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