Sutton New Town

Local History

The aim of this website is to collate information on the Sutton New Town area. Most of the research carried out so far has focused on St Barnabas Church and those remembered in the War Memorial Chapel at the Church. The hope is to gradually add to the website to form a comprehensive history of the area.

The New Town area developed as the population of Sutton increased and spread out from the High Street.  The establishment of the railway with easier links to London; the development of mains water, with the water works in Carshalton Road and the Lord of the Manor selling land for property development, all led to the expansion of the area east of the High Street.  Many affluent families built large houses at Benhilton and merchants and stockbrokers moved their families into the new villas. This led to an increase in service industries; butchers, greengrocers, laundries, dairies, coal merchants and new tram lines.  Consequently there was an increase of work in the New Town area and a need for homes for the workers. New Town was brought by different developers and for varying needs. This led to individual stages and arrangements of house building, schools, shops and Public Houses. St Barnabas Church was built to serve the needs of the growing population. Plans were in place to create the parish of St Barnabas by 1882 with the parish incorporating sections from three existing parishes: Sutton, Carshalton and Benhilton.