While the London Museum is closed, we're taking the opportunity to seek out some of London's local history museums. This week, we're in the London Borough of Sutton to visit the enchanting Whitehall museum.
I suspect if you say "I'm off to Cheam today," most of your friends will reply with an "Oh yes. Where's that?". Older friends might make a comment about Tony Hancock, whose most famous radio and TV persona lived in "East Cheam". Otherwise, this pleasant neighbourhood at Greater London's south-western border keeps a low profile.
You really should visit, though. It's a remarkable village with the largest collection of ancient, weatherboarded buildings I've seen anywhere in the capital. It also has the largest population of parakeets I've ever seen. A superabundance of avian shrieks will follow you throughout the village.
Cheam's greatest asset is the confusingly named Whitehall. Today, it's the area's local museum, but the building's history is as important as any of the exhibits it contains. Whitehall was the home and birthplace of James Killick, captain of the famous clipper Challenger. Before that, it was used as a council house, perhaps visited by Elizabeth I during stays at nearby Nonsuch Palace. It's also believed that the Cheam School was founded here in 1645. This institution survives today, now located in Hampshire, and was attended by Charles III and Prince Philip in their youth. Quite a legacy for one small cottage in Cheam.
The Grade II*-listed building has been around since around 1500. It predates Shakespeare, and was a new-build when Henry VIII was still a child. Whitehall has been much enlarged and altered since, but plenty of the Tudor structure remains intact. It is a joy to wander around its three floors.
The building alone would be a reason to visit, but Whitehall contains a number of interesting artefacts. The main 'wow' moment is the model of Nonsuch Palace, a well-named Tudor structure that was built from scratch for Henry VIII. The palace stood about half a mile away in what is now Nonsuch Park. Sadly, it was demolished centuries ago for building material. The model shows us just what a stupendous triumph of architecture we lost. A few fragments of the palace — weathered decorative features — are on show in an adjacent cabinet.
The rest of the museum tells the story of Cheam, an ancient settlement that probably dates back to early Anglo-Saxon times (its name is thought to mean 'village of tree stumps'). We learn that Cheam was once famous for its pottery, but that the local clays were instead turned to brick making once Nonsuch Palace was commissioned. Upstairs, we find a door from the 17th century which has the word 'Remember' scratched into its surface. This is believed to be a reference to Charles I's last word upon his execution. It's evidence of Royalist sympathies within the local community, which lasted dangerously into Cromwell's Interregnum.
The museum is well kitted out for kids, with several dressing-up opportunities, and other diversions. They'll enjoy exploring the attic spaces, which are decorated as they would have looked when the Killick family were resident.
It's possible to unlock a 'bonus level' when visiting Whitehall. Ask at the front desk for the key to the Lumley Chapel (another is held at the nearby library). You can then head across to the churchyard to access one of the most remarkable memorial chambers in London.
The Lumley Chapel is the oldest building in Cheam — a surviving chunk of the medieval church, which has otherwise been demolished. Its age is somewhat debated, but many of the stones may predate the Norman Conquest. That makes it one of the oldest buildings in London, never mind the Borough of Sutton.
Inside, the walls are festooned with expensive memorials to local luminaries. The most impressive is the resting place of Jane Lumley, wife of John Lumley who inherited Nonsuch Palace after the royals had done with it. Her tomb is decorated with panels showing her three children praying inside the palace. Look for the unusual obelisk in the background, which can also be seen in the model of Nonsuch at Whitehall.
Many of the memorials feature colourful representations of a parrot or popinjay. This was one of the emblems of the Lumley family, who must have had some kind of affinity to the then-exotic bird. It's almost as if they foresaw that the emerald birds would one day dominate the skies of Cheam and Nonsuch. Peter Ackroyd would shiver at the historical resonance.
All images by Matt Brown/Londonist
