Wallington is a town in the London Borough of Sutton situated 10.3 miles (16.6 km) south south-west of Charing Cross. Prior to the merger of the Municipal Borough of Beddington and Wallington into the London Borough of Sutton, it was formerly part of the county of Surrey.
History
The name "Wallington" derives from the Anglo Saxon "Waletone", meaning "village of the Britons".
Wallington appears in Domesday Book of 1086 and was held by William the Conqueror. Its domesday assets were: 11 hides. It had 2 mills worth £1 10s 0d, 11 ploughs, 8 acres of meadow. It rendered £10.[1]
The historic village was situated somewhat to the north of the current town centre around what is now Wallington Bridge over the River Wandle.
What was then called "Carshalton" railway station was opened in 1847 in the open fields to the south of Wallington because the owner of Carshalton Park objected to it being built near to Carshalton village. This acted as a spur to the development of the area and in the 1860s Nathaniel Bridges created a prestigious housing estate of gothic revival villas (architect E. L. Brock) and a new church (Holy Trinity). This southward development continued towards Woodcote and by the time of the first world war the section of Woodcote Road to the south of the station had become the new high street.
The Municipal Borough of Beddington and Wallington was created in 1915 and a town hall (architect Robert Atkinson) and public library were built in Wallington town centre in the 1930s, as was the fire station in Belmont Road.
Wallington County Grammar School (for Boys) was opened on London Road, close to Beddington Park, in 1927.
Wallington was an important centre for the production of lavender oil until about the time of the first world war. This is remembered in a number of ways, for example:
- There is a large sculpture at the junction of Woodcote Road and Stafford Road representing a lavender plant.
- The Christmas lights also represent lavender plants.
- One of the local lavender farmers - John Jakson of Little Woodcote Farm - lent his name to a public house in Woodcote Road.
Today
In 2007 Wallington has been enjoying something of a mini boom with new retailers being attracted to the town, including Tesco Express, Café Nero and SpecSavers. These are in addition to existing High Street names such as Sainsburys, Boots, Woolworths, WH Smith, Dorothy Perkins, Greggs, Lloydspharmacy, Peacocks and Lidl. In addition, many major banks and building societies are sited in the town.
A farmers' market is held on the second Saturday of each month. This is usually located outside the old town hall, but occasionally in the car park at Shotfield.
Transport
Wallington is well served by bus, coach and rail connections, and it is possible to reach London's two major airports - Heathrow and Gatwick - in less than an hour by car, or a little longer if you use public transport.
Bus
A variety of bus services are available from Wallington. These include:
- 463 - to Coulsdon, Beddington, Mitcham
- 127 - to Purley, Carshalton, Mitcham, Tooting Broadway
- 151 - to Carshalton, St Helier, Sutton, Cheam, Worcester Park
- 154 - to Croydon, Carshalton, Sutton, Morden
- 157 - to Crystal Palace, Croydon, Morden
- 410 - to Crystal Palace, Norwood, Croydon, Beddington
- 455 - to Beddington, Waddon, Croydon, Purley
- S4 - to Roundshaw, Sutton, St Helier
- X26 - to Croydon, Carshalton, Sutton, Kingston, Heathrow.
Coach
National Express services 025 from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport and Brighton, and 027 from Victoria to Chichester also serve Wallington.
Rail
Services operate from Wallington to London Bridge and Victoria via West Croydon and to Epsom and beyond via Sutton.
The northbound platform extends over the bridge that crosses Woodcote Road. The road immediately below this bridge regularly floods during heavy rain and achieved some notoriety on 20 July 2007 when it was severely flooded, making it impassable for several hours. [2]
Famous residents
- Mervyn Peake once lived in Woodcote Road, Wallington but his house has since been demolished to make way for a block of flats.
- Eileen Shanahan, Irish poet, lived with her family in Blenheim Gardens.
- Jeff Beck of The Yardbirds lived on Demesne Road.
- Will Owen, Member of Parliament for Morpeth, Co. Durham, also lived in Wallington.
Education
Primary Education
Secondary Education
See the London Borough of Sutton article for details of education in the borough.
References
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