Sutton is the central town in the London Borough of Sutton, a town which lies south of the capital at the lower edges of the North Downs yet only ten miles from Central London. (estate agents in Sutton)
Sutton was originally in Surrey but moved into Greater London during the reorganisation of 1965. Recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, Sutton is located on what was then the London to Brighton turnpike road which led to its early development as a significant village. The road from London to Banstead Downs through Sutton was notorious for highwaymen in the 18th century.
Sutton became a town in 1847 when the railways arrived, and Sutton’s population doubled between 1851 and 1861. Sutton then joined with Cheam to form a municipal borough in 1934 before becoming part of Greater London in 1965.
In 1847, the famous Swedish opera singer, Johanna Maria Lind, was visiting friends in the area and so enchanted the local population with her singing that a pub built in 1854 on the corner of Lind Road was named the Jenny Lind after her. It has recently been renamed The Nightingale, still retaining a connection to the singer who was known as the Swedish Nightingale.
Sutton is currently home to several large international companies and is one of London’s most important shopping and retail destinations. The world-famous Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research lie within the Borough of Sutton, and there are plans to create a giant cancer research hub to rival the largest in the world.
Sutton is renowned for its small district centres many with a village atmosphere not often seen in urban locations so close to London.
Sutton is a hub for filming with episodes of the popular police series, ‘The Bill’ regularly filmed in the town. ‘The Return of Mr Bean’ was also shot in Sutton and the sitcom ‘Phoneshop’ was filmed on Sutton High Street.
Part of rock history, The Rolling Stones were spotted by a music promoter when playing at a pub in Sutton High Street in 1963 who signed them up for a residency at Richmond’s Crawdaddy Club and the rest, as they say, is history. Faithful to its rock roots, the Boom Boom Club in West Sutton regularly hosts rock gigs with some classic names in the line-up.
Property Types in Sutton
Most of the property in Sutton dates from the Victorian and Edwardian eras, reflecting the impact of the arrival of the railway during the 19th century. There are also some fine Art Deco properties from the 1930s in Grove Avenue plus lots of other houses and buildings from the decades between the wars. Sutton also has a garden suburb built by the famous sausage and ice-cream maker, Thomas Wall, before the First World War. There are building styles representing every decade throughout the 20th century.
Half an hour from Central London, Sutton is popular with young families as the schools are excellent, property prices are affordable, and there is plenty of green space for recreation and leisure pursuits.
The average price in Sutton over the last year was £515,313*. The majority of sales in Sutton during the previous 12 months were flats selling for an average price of £275,867*. Terraced homes sold for an average of £423,507* with semi-detached properties fetching £540,729*. Overall, sold prices in Sutton were up 5% on the previous year. The average monthly rental price in Sutton is £1,168*.
Demographics in Sutton
In the 2011 census, the population of Sutton was recorded as 190,146. Around 78% of people living in Sutton were born in the UK, and the average age is 38.
Schools and Colleges in Sutton
Several OFSTED graded ‘Outstanding’ primary schools in Sutton include Manor Park in Greyhound Road, Westbourne in Anton Crescent and St Cecilia’s RC Primary in London Road.
There are also several rated ‘Outstanding’ state secondary schools that are a big attraction to families moving to Sutton. These include Glenthorne High, co-educational from 11-18, Cheam High also co-educational and St Philomena’s RC which is girls only from 11-18.
Carshalton Boys Sports College has been awarded a ‘Good’ OFSTED rating. Sutton has some popular grammar schools and two of these, Sutton Grammar and Wilson’s School, which are both boys only, have been graded ‘Outstanding’ by OFSTED.
There are three private prep schools in Sutton, one of which is co-educational. Greenacre takes girls through from 3 to 18, and the other independent school is also all girls and is Sutton High, part of the Girls’ Day School Trust.
Local Attractions in Sutton
Sutton is quite rightly boastful of its outstanding green spaces; the borough has 1,500 acres of open space and the largest regional park outside London.
In Carshalton Road, Manor Park is a town centre park with a playground, outdoor gym, and an eco-friendly cafe built from straw bales giving the building a potential lifespan of 200 years. It was London’s first energy-efficient building to use this method of construction.
Rose Hill Park West in Rosehill offers tennis courts, a bowling green, and a cafe.
Extending to 760 acres, Banstead Heath is an ideal haven for walking, cycling and horse riding and is one of the four Banstead Commons two of which are designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Sutton is proud of its location as a place where town meets country. The Sutton Community Farm is a local community project with a seven-acre smallholding, open since 2010 and designed to increase accessibility to sustainable food and provide a shared space for people to meet and make new friends. The farm supplies fruit and veg boxes with local delivery.
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Shopping Facilities and Leisure in Sutton
Sutton has a Business Improvement District called Successful Sutton. It is working hard to keep businesses thriving and the high street units full and busy, preserving Sutton’s separate identity in the face of stiff competition from Wimbledon and Croydon. There are still independents such as Warrenders Jewellers, Barnes & Fadden Home Furnishings and Sutton Music Centre.
One of Sutton’s most iconic shops is Pearson Cycles, which claims to be the oldest bicycle shop globally. This fact has been verified by the Guinness Book of Records. Family run, Pearson Cycles has been a name on Sutton high street since 1860, and it still produces its own bikes.
The St Nicholas Shopping Centre is the destination for all the leading brands and Sutton’s smaller Times Square complex is undergoing refurbishment currently. A new Sainsbury’s store has now opened at the Old Gas Works development at the northern end of the high street.
The St Nicholas Shopping Centre houses Sutton’s cinema, the Empire multiplex and for the energetically inclined, Sutton Sports Village has a range of facilities including a Trampoline and Play Park. Located just a short walk from Sutton Common train station, the centre also boasts a state of the art gym, cycle studio and six indoor tennis courts.
Pubs and Restaurants in Sutton
Sutton is home to all the usual chains including Pizza Express, Zizzi and Nando’s. For the ultimate French cuisine, visit Brasserie Vacherin, an award-winning French bistro and fish grill complete with Parisian trappings and interiors.
For something a little more unusual, head to the Category B Prison, HMP High Down, just a ten-minute drive from Sutton. Housing The Clink restaurant, this facility offers a unique dining experience with all the dishes on the menu cooked by prisoners participating in The Clink Restaurants’ training scheme aiming to educate and reduce reoffending levels.
Pub grub lovers will not be disappointed at the food offered by The Grumpy Mole in nearby Cheam which has an international menu in a traditional cosy pub setting. Real ale enthusiasts will want to head for The Hope, CAMRA Greater London Pub of the Year in 2012 and 2013 which is run by a local collective and offers simple fare but a great selection of real ales and craft beers.(estate agents in sutton)
Upcoming Developments in Sutton(estate agents in sutton)
Sutton’s most extensive new development is Sutton Point, a mixed-use scheme in Sutton Court Road near Sutton station. There are 332 one to three-bedroom flats in two tower blocks, an 80-bed hotel and 59 serviced flats surrounding a new public square.
At the far end of Sutton High Street is a Linden Homes development called The Quarter which is on the six-acre Old Gas Works site. This is a complex of 181 private and investor apartments, 9 retail units and 5 separate townhouses. Located on the high street with easy access to shopping and amenities, these are high-quality eco-friendly new builds with high specification interiors and fittings.
Travel connections from Sutton(estate agents in sutton)
Trains from Sutton station to Victoria and London Bridge take just over half an hour and the Thameslink service to St Pancras via Blackfriars and Farringdon takes about 50 minutes.
Sutton has two other stations, Belmont and West Sutton which are also in Zone 5, Sutton Common is in Zone 4. Sutton Common has train services to London Bridge which take around 55 minutes and the Thameslink service to St Pancras. From Belmont station, the journey time is about 45 minutes to Victoria.
Sutton and Merton councils are lobbying for an extension of Tramlink from Wimbledon to Sutton and then onto the London Cancer Hub.(estate agents in sutton)
There are also plans to extend the South London tram service down to Sutton.
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