Leafy Wallington in the London Borough of Sutton in South London is the ideal outer London suburb. Commuting by train into central London is a mere 30 minutes and yet the beautiful Surrey countryside is conveniently close by. In complete contrast and short bus or train ride away are the popular cosmopolitan shopping centres of Croydon, Sutton and Wimbledon, which offer fine restaurants, cinemas, theatres and nightlife.
A day trip to the south coast is easy with Brighton less than an hour away by car and Hastings about an hour and half.
Wallington boasts two main parks. Beddington Park, the larger of the two, has historical links to Carew Manor, which was once a country manor house to the Tudor queen of England, Elizabeth I. The park boasts 15 acres of mature parkland trees and St Marys Church, which was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. There is also a boating lake, an 18th century Dovecote and through it all meanders the River Wandle. Every June, the grounds host a spectacular fireworks display to the music of great classical composers.
In December 2005, Beddington Park was used as the location for a music video – ‘No Matter What You Do’ by singer/songwriter Sally Garozzo. You can watch the video on our VIDEO CLIPS page.
Mellows park to the east of town offers a pleasant recreational area and is home to a small cafe, kiddies adventure playground and the Wallington outdoor bowls club. In summer, regular car boots sales are a popular attraction.
In the centre of town the monthly farmers market is proving very popular and the move of SCOLA (Sutton College of Liberal Arts) to the Old Town Hall, an impressive 1930s building with clock tower, has brought a focal point to the community.
Wallington Square, an early 1960s shopping mall, has been earmarked for modernisation and with Tesco’s Express and Cafe Nero opening in the high street in 2007, Wallington town is seeing something of a revival.
Wallington has a good selection of restaurants ranging from Indian cuisine to Thai and Italian. The Mehfil Restaurant offers authentic Indian cuisine and Pizza Express with its outdoor terrace are particularly popular - visit our EATING OUT page for further details.
Wallington and lavender:
"Step back in time to around 1900 and blue fields could be seen all over Wallington..."
SOURCE: www.carshaltonlavender.org
Wallington and the surrounding areas of Beddington, Carshalton, Hackbridge, Mitcham and Woodcote have a long association with lavender growing, which over recent years has seen something of a revival. The area was once the world’s leading supplier of lavender which was used for scented bags, perfumes, floor and furniture washes, and herbal remedies. Lavender was also used in recipes for jam making, honey and custard - scroll down to see our recipe for lavender custard.
The historical link with lavender is celebrated every winter in Wallington with illuminated lavender street decorations and an 18ft tall bronze lavender sculpture by Guy Portelli (who was recently featured in the BBC TV series 'Dragons' Den') has become a local landmark.
Radio Jackie – Local Radio for North Surrey & South West London
Radio Jackie started life as a pirate station in 1969. Today, it is a legal station and one of the most successful local community stations in the UK, broadcasting a 24 hour mix of popular hits from the 60s 70s 80s and 90s plus regular local news bulletins, traffic reports and information.
Visit the Radio Jackie website
Listen to Radio Jackie
The Radio Jackie Marshmallow Fluffy Bunny Experiment
Wallington at War:
With Croydon Airport (then London’s only main airport) just a few miles away, Wallington was certainly in the firing line during World War Two. At the start of hostilities the airport was closed to commercial traffic and the RAF moved in for the duration. The airport was a prime target of the German Luftwaffe and areas close by often suffered the consequences. Homes, transport infrastructure and factories were often damaged or destroyed during air raids.
Visit the Croydon Airport Society website
Recipe for Lavender Custard:
Ingredients:
- 3 Free Range Egg Yolks
- 2 Free Range Eggs
- 2 oz Caster Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon of Honey
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 1 Split Vanilla Pod
- 1/2 Pint of Fresh Cream
- Fresh Finely Chopped Lavender (remove any woody storks first)
Method:
Wash the lavender thoroughly and place in a bowl
Whisk together the eggs, yolks, sugar and honey
Bring to the boil the cream, vanilla, cinnamon, and half the lavender
Once boiled pour onto the egg mixture, stir well and return to the heat
On a slow heat whisk or stir continuously till the mix thickens. This is the egg cooking To test it is ready the mixture should coat the back of a spoon
Once ready pour over hot or cold dessert, perhaps garnish with mint or sprinkle with remaining lavender and dust with icing sugar