TREASURE DESCRIPTION: A grotto structure at the head of a formal canal which marks the start of the Carshalton branch of the River Wandle. Grade Listing Number: 1065628
Carshalton Park was owned by the Scawen Family from the late 17th Century to 1781. Thomas Scawen designed the Grotto. Now it is owned by the London Borough of Sutton. Nationally important as it is an early example of the ‘grotto’ form of landscape architecture of which few constructed before 1700 survive. Although in most years the Grotto and canal are dry, notable exceptions have been the winters of 1986-7 and 2013-14. The Grotto represents a rare and significant means of marking the start of this branch of the Wandle. A channel from the canal originally fed the mill pond for the Grove Mill which had the only overshot wheel on the Wandle. The original decoration of sea shells, coloured glass and statues have disappeared. Now only the brick construction remains. A number of structural surveys are held by Sutton Local Studies and Archives Centre which include historical descriptions of the structure. No drawing exists, but photographs from the early 20th Century show the poor state the Grotto was in at that time.
These treasures were made as part of The Building Exploratory, Wandle Treasures project. This project was part of the wider Living Wandle Landscape Partnership Scheme, funded by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund.
