In Search of a Georgian Grotto


I have returned to Carshalton in the South London Borough of Sutton. I am seeking a Georgian Grotto. My helpers are again, Marq English, Emilie Champion and Maya.

The Grotto, situated in the south-east corner of Carshalton park,was built in about 1724 as an ambitious design for landscaping in the park. The structure is now in a state of disrepair and access into its interior is prevented by locked gates. It originally had an ornamental iron gate, a marble pavement and roof covered with shells. A branch of the River Wandle used to rise in a subterranean chalk chamber beneath the Grotto, and flowed through the centre of the park past the mansion house. In early 2014, following months of heavy rain, the river again flowed from the grotto for a time.

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