Carshalton Stories

03/09/2026

Did you know there are TWO London to Brighton cycling events every year? 🚴‍♂️🚴‍♀️

I know… I always thought there was just one! 🤷‍♂️

Both are around 54–55 miles and start at Clapham Common, but there are a few differences between them.

The first event of the year took place on Sunday 21 June, sponsored by . Some roads were closed, with delays expected between 5:15am and 11am. The main purpose of the event is to raise money for the British Heart Foundation and its partner charities. ❤️

The second takes place on Sunday 13 September, run by . Road closures and delays are expected between 6am and 12 noon. Charity fundraising is optional, and riders can raise money for any UK charity.

So, if you’ve done one or both, how do they compare? 🤔 On paper, they look very similar - same starting point, almost the same distance and the same destination!

And, most importantly… I’m hoping are doing their breakfast BBQ again! 🙏🔥

Have you ridden either of them?

03/09/2026

I uploaded a post about Carshalton Lolli-pop ladies a month or so ago… An overwhelming response to how great they are or were - and so many memories shared!

BUT, one name kept cropping up, who I had left off my original post and that was BRENDA KINGSMILL of Green Wrythe Primary School 😬

Green Wrythe School wrote [July 2026]: “For an incredible 40 years, Brenda has helped keep our children safe as they travel to and from school, whatever the weather. Through rain, wind, snow and sunshine - she has greeted generations of families with a smile and a friendly wave.

Thank you, Brenda, for your dedication, kindness and commitment over the past four decades. You have made such a difference to our school community, and we are so grateful for everything you do.

Congratulations on this amazing milestone!”.

One mum wrote: “She’s not giving up either... To quote Brenda ‘here’s to 40 more years!’”

In December 2010, Brenda was a winner of one of Sutton’s first Community Leadership Awards, which recognise those who go out of their way to make the borough a better to place to live and work.

When presented with her award in 2010, Brenda, who lives in Carshalton, said: “I’m amazed. I do it just to keep the children safe… I saw an advert in the local paper 25 years ago and it went from there.”

Apologies again to Brenda for missing her off my original post… here’s to another 40 years 😉👏

02/09/2026

You may have noticed a small N&C cast-iron plaque embedded in the pavement outside the historic Fox & Hounds pub on Carshalton High Street. Well, it turns out this isn’t just an old bit of street furniture - it’s a Victorian boundary marker!

The initials “N&C” stand for Nalder & Collyer’s Brewery, the prominent Croydon-based brewery that once owned and supplied pubs across South London and Surrey. In fact, another local pub, , uncovered and restored a Nalder & Collyer’s Brewery sign earlier this year.

🏛️ Marking private land: The cast-iron plaque marked the boundary between the brewery’s private property - in this case, the pub’s original forecourt and the public highway or council pavement.

⚖️ Protecting ownership: These markers helped make it clear that the land immediately in front of the pub was privately owned, even though it was accessible to the public. This was particularly important in preventing long-term public use from creating confusion over where private property ended and the public highway began.

🍺 The brewery connection: Nalder & Collyer purchased the freehold of the Fox & Hounds in 1849 and, like other large breweries of the period, installed boundary markers at a number of their tied houses across the region during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Swipe through the images ➡️ and you’ll spot some other fascinating local examples of boundary markers - including one belonging to H.M. Postmaster-General, another from The Grove (1887), previous posts showing The Sun restoration of a N&C sign and finally a stone plaque set into the corner of the footpath between the Fox & Hounds and CryerArts

That final plaque relates to party-wall ownership. In the 18th and 19th centuries, markers like this were sometimes used to make it clear that a wall was not jointly owned and therefore was not a “party wall”.

It reads:

NOT A PARTY WALL
BUT BELONGS TO
THE OWNER OF
NALDER & COLLYER

Sadly The Fox & Hounds will be bulldozed in the near future making way for apartments and retail units. The building is condemned and is no longer structurally sound.

02/09/2026

Miss Hill on the Hill is a true local legend

02/09/2026

What started as pub-focused artwork has grown into something much bigger - from landmarks to greeting cards and more - and the page has naturally evolved with it.

It’s no longer just about pubs (although they’ll always be part of it 🍺). It’s about the past, present, and future stories of Carshalton.

I was born and raised here, just like many of you - Others have moved here to build new lives, and more are discovering the area every day. This platform celebrates the ever-evolving village oasis that is Carshalton and our surrounding areas.

I don’t monetise from local businesses - everything I share comes from a genuine love of the area and a desire to see local people succeed.

Let’s keep the community alive. 💛

Special thanks to Vellum Mill Gallery Calladoodles Logo Fiasco Records thepalmerstoncarshalton for stocking my artwork and STR Design & Print for printing my artwork right here in Carshalton! 🍻 Thanks to all the places that display my Carshalton Pub and Landmarks maps - and to all those that engage with me, I’m learning new stuff every day!

If you’ve read down this far and have anything you want me to explore locally / additions to maps / content ideas / anything - dm me!

I was proud this year being part of the Carshalton Festival which was is still being displayed at The Palmerston on Mill Lane - my local artwork can also be seen here Carshalton Pub Crawl

01/09/2026

Carshalton’s Boundary Stones

Photos are:

Carshalton parish boundary stone at the end of Westcroft Road dated 1792.

Carshalton Urban District Council boundary marker dated 1898, which is located just west of Woodcote Park Golf Club. It stands on the Woodmansterne boundary line.

In 1792 the Parish Council ordered a set of boundary stones to be erected all round the edges of the parish.

As far as is known, only one of these original stones survives. You can see it mounted on a wall at the Wallington end of Westcroft Road, on the right-hand side, marked C.P. (Carshalton Parish) 1792.

These square-topped stones seem to have lasted about a century. In the 1890s the Carshalton Urban District Council erected a new set of stones, with rounded tops. These were placed at various places round the boundaries of the urban district - along Woodmansterne Road, at the top of Wrythe Lane, and around Love Lane and Green Lane, and by the river at Beddington Corner - but there must have been many more in other places.

Beating the Bounds

Before maps were widely available, villagers needed to remember exactly where their parish (local area) ended and the neighbouring parish began.

So, every few years, the villagers would walk around the parish boundary. This was called “beating the bounds.” To help children remember important boundary points, there was a strange tradition: a boy from the parish would be beaten at each important landmark. The idea was that the pain would make him remember the location for the future!

The tradition was very old and came from medieval times. It was connected with a religious ceremony called Rogationtide, when people walked through the fields and prayed for good crops.

The walk usually happened before Ascension Day and was not done every year. By law, because the parish paid for it, it could happen at most once every three years.

Thank you Doug Shaw for the 1898 Woodcote Boundary stone image 📸

Have you got photos or information on other local boundary stones?

01/09/2026

The clean-up following the Carshalton EcoFair, organised by EcoLocal, is well underway.

Speaking to one volunteer this morning - “Even though a huge amount of rubbish has already been cleared, it’s shocking to see the sheer volume of waste left behind, that’s not very eco!”.

My photos really don’t capture the scale of the litter - there was so much more than they show.

A big thank you to everyone involved in getting the area cleaned up. ♻️🌿

A great day, so much fun, amazing to see the kids and big kids 😉 hurtling down the hog pit, maybe more cardboard bins about 🤷‍♂️ What did you make of the day and post clean up?

31/08/2026

The Carshalton EcoFair (EcoLocal) is in full swing still, the intermittent rain hasn’t dampened anyone’s spirits today… amazing chatting to as many people as I could, great catching up with people I’d met during Carshalton Festival and Carshalton Artists - such an amazing community event, so much so I’ve only just managed to post 🫢

I wish I could tag everyone but a great day and will follow up with future posts x

31/08/2026

30/08/2026

I popped down to Carshalton Park earlier to see how the Carshalton EcoFair run by EcoLocal was getting on… delighted to see Chris Cheeseman (The Craft Beer Man), folk tent, toilets and the main stage nearing completion 🙌😍

What are you most looking forward to tomorrow?