Sutton Lodge, Sutton One-Place Study

Sutton Lodge is a Grade II listed building and reputedly the oldest still standing in Sutton. The house was built by brewer, John Wells, in 1762 and was said to be the perfect haunt for the future King George IV to have trysts with his many mistresses. Whether this is apocryphal or not, remains to be seen but if true, the Lodge has a very interesting and bawdy past – very different from its current use as an old persons’ day centre!

My interest in the history of the Lodge and goings-on there are severalfold. I live nearby and pass the building on a daily basis. The Lodge was also owned by a Surrey farmer in the mid-nineteenth century whose surname, Overton, matches that of some of my ancestors who also lived in Surrey. Whether we are related or not, I do not know – genealogical research remains incomplete. Finally, the grounds of Sutton Lodge are home to a very old mulberry tree, which is thought to be at least 200 years old. The tree itself is of important historical interest and is listed by Morus Londinium, a project of The Conservation Foundation.