Honeywood Museum

About the museum

Honeywood Museum stands at the western end of Carshalton Ponds in the Carshalton Conservation Area and is a Grade II listed building. Behind a front that is mostly 19th and early 20th century is a 17th century flint and chalk building, thought to date from around 1680, with a stream flowing beneath it. The present house was long known as Wandle Cottage and took the Honeywood name after an earlier house of that name was demolished in the 1880s.

Over the years it was home to merchants and later to Victorian and Edwardian families. In 1902 and 1903 John Pattinson Kirk added a large extension with a billiard room and drawing room. The council bought the house in 1939, used it in the Second World War for air raid precautions and later let it for offices and social uses.

By the end of the 1980s the building was in poor repair, and the council chose it for a heritage centre for the borough. The first stage opened on 1 December 1990, the house gained museum status in 2007, and a lottery-funded refurbishment was completed in 2012. Today it is owned by the London Borough of Sutton and run by council staff with volunteers, supported by the Friends of Honeywood Museum. Its displays cover the house and its residents, the Borough of Sutton, Carshalton from the Domesday Book onwards and the River Wandle.

Highlights

• Grade II listed house by Carshalton Ponds
• Billiard Room and Victorian scullery
• Childhood Room with Edwardian toys
• Displays on the Borough of Sutton and the River Wandle
• Tea room and Friends' shop

Permanent exhibition

• Honeywood Museum permanent displays – Displays on the history of the house and its residents, the Borough of Sutton, the development of Carshalton and the River Wandle, plus a Childhood Room of Edwardian toys.

Founded

1990

Operated by

London Borough of Sutton (supported by The Friends of Honeywood Museum)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free; some activities carry a small charge.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The ground floor, including the shop and tea room, is fully wheelchair accessible, but access to the floors above is restricted. A wheelchair accessible toilet and a portable baby changing stand are available. There is a Blue Badge parking bay in Honeywood Walk next to the museum. Only service dogs are allowed inside; dogs are welcome in the tea room's outside seating area. Visitors with special needs are asked to call or email before their visit.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

The museum welcomes families, with school-holiday activities, play sessions for under-threes, quiet sessions for children with special educational needs and themed trails. The Childhood Room has traditional toys to play with, family backpacks are available from the welcome desk and sensory packs with ear defenders and fidget toys can be borrowed. There is room for buggies, baby changing facilities and a tea room with highchairs and a children's menu. Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Getting there & parking

The museum is the white building at the end of Honeywood Walk, facing Carshalton Ponds opposite the Greyhound Hotel in Pound Street.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

An independent tea room serves savoury food and home-made cakes, and the Friends' shop sells local history books, cards and small gifts. Free tap water refills are available.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Weddings / ceremonies

Sutton Council staff handle enquiries about using the museum for events and weddings.

Plan your visit