*Historical* This is Wallace House that stood off Pound Street in Carshalton. It was lived in by the sisters known locally as ‘The Misses Wallace’.
The two sisters were highly regarded as in the 1880s they set up a special ‘soup kitchen’ to help the poor of the district. Carshalton experienced poverty and social disparity, characteristic of the Victorian era.
There was no national social security system to provide a safety net for those in need.
Carshalton, despite its village character and wealthy residences, contained areas of “squalid tenements” in backyards, such as Swan Yard off West Street, or Wandle Mount which was where the main car park in Carshalton now is.
Soup kitchens were most active during particularly difficult times, such as cold winters and periods of high unemployment, to provide immediate relief.
They operated using large-scale cooking equipment to produce large batches of soup to be distributed to the hungry.
Wallace House was owned by the sisters’ brother, James and it had been in the same family since at least 1789.
Wallace House was considered by historians to be one of the most interesting in the area – and parts were believed to have dated back to the 15th century.
The grounds consisted of 5 acres, and some was landscaped to provide a level garden and then a cellar built into the hillside. The road now slopes up considerably at this point. They kept four cows on their meadow.
There were 3 wells present, and the owner refused to connect to the mains water supply.
The old photo of the house is dated 1909. Wallace House was demolished in 1910, soon after the photo was taken. It is shown viewed from the west, Pound Street is on the left side.
The name of the road, Wallace Crescent – and this home named Wallace House is a reminder of the history.
You can see still the old boundary wall to the property in Wallace Crescent and behind Carshalton Park Road. It’s exact location is marked in red on the maps above. The red dot is the Windsor Castle pub.
© Secret Carshalton and London Borough of Sutton Museum and Heritage Service.
I’ve been researching my husband’s family tree and I believe this house is connected to my husband’s ancestors. So far, I’ve got 7 doctors over the generations – with Samuel Wallace (1789-1817) at the top of the family tree. His will states he was a surgeon and apothecary in Carshalton. Most if not all of the people from Samuel down for the next 2 generations were born in Carshalton. His 2 sons, were doctors, John R Wallace (1794-1864) & Robert T Wallace (1781-1864) Now to try to work out which of the sisters were the “Misses Wallaces” – Bridget (died 1857), Frances (d. 1855), Elizabeth (d. 1874), Mary (d. 1879), Ann (d. 1807) or Bliss (d.1882). Any local historians with more information about the family / house here that might be able to help me establish a link please?
Thank you for sharing. This is really interesting. Is there a record / any information as to WHY the house was demolished?
Really interesting such a shame this house was lost