Description
Holy Trinity Church was built in 1867-9 at the instigation of Nathanial Bridges, Lord of the Manor of Wallington, who began to develop his lands as the area to the south was rapidly being built up around Wallington. He provided the embryonic settlement with a new church dedicated to his father's memory who had died in 1865. Around the church are cobble walls and yew trees, and the church and parsonage are in a landscaped setting, with yew trees spaced close together in an arc respecting the south-east curve of the church apse, inside a partially demolished curving boulder wall. The trees may date from the original planting of the 1860s; the whole of the south frontage of the church is shown planted with trees in a photograph of 1903.
Practical Information
| Site location | Malden Road, Wallington |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SM6 8AY |
| What3Words | ///freed.cycle.fine |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Sutton |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | toilets in Church Hall when open |
| Public Transport | Rail: Wallington. Bus: 151, 410, A5, 55. |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2004 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Nathanial Bridges and his father John (d.1865) were staunch Anglicans, providing new local schools and attending to Wallington's inhabitants. Bridges, observing the rapid development further south towards Wallington (then Carshalton) station, decided to develop his lands for suburban housing immediately after his father's death, but first provided the embryonic settlement with a new church dedicated to his father's memory. In November 1866 Samuel Simpson was contracted to build the church for £3,955, which was to be completed by July 1867 when it was handed over to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. It was designed by E Loftus Brock, architect and surveyor to Nathanial Bridges. By 1870 the Parsonage was built by the same builder and architects, costing £1650, and it shares characteristics found on other houses of the estate Bridges built from 1867 -1881. By 2004, re-landscaping had taken place as part of refurbishment of the church and its environment.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ287644 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Church of England |
| Site Management | Church |
| Dates | 1867-9 |
| Designers | Loftus Brook, Architect and surveyor |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Church |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Sutton |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Holy Trinity Wallington |
| Tree Preservation Order | Yes |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Wallington Green once belonged to the Lords of the Manor as wasteland, and marks the centre of the old village of Wallington. It may have originated as a bowling green, a name it is referred to on later C18th maps. The Duke's Head on the south side of the Green is of C19th date but was the site of an older pub, formerly called Bowling Green House and was privately owned until the 1830s when Young and Bainbridge brewers bought and extended the original building. Wallington War Memorial stands on the green, and there are flower beds and a few mature trees but no walnuts for which it was once famous.
Elms Pond Open Space and Lakeside are landscaped lakes that were associated with Wallington House, which was demolished in 1928. Elms Pond became part of the Elms estate in 1799 and was landscaped c.1805. Although the Manor House has gone, there was a clause in the 1790s to ensure preservation of the land as open space. The form of the present landscape with fountains, borders, yews etc. was made between 1928-1930. The lakeside was extended in length in the C19th and now has a wooded perimeter. The site has many fine trees. Elms Pond was restored in c.2004.
Carshalton Park is a former medieval deer park and was once part of the extensive Carshalton Park Estate owned for much the C18th by the Scawen family, who also owned the neighbouring Stone Court estate from 1729. Both estates were inherited by Thomas Scawen who undertook landscaping works, although his new house here was never realised. After his death in 1774 Carshalton Park had a number of owners and later became a public park when it was acquired by Carshalton UDC. Remnants of earlier landscaping include a C17th grotto.