*Historical* Wilderness Island is nature reserve situated in Mill Lane by Butter Hill Bridge and it’s run by the London Wildlife Trust. The island once had a Victorian woodland garden, reached via the ornate white bridge, pictured above.
You can still see remains of the old footbridge on both sides of the River Wandle. Everything is now much more natural, but I’ve taken recent pics best I can for comparison (the ivy covered brick entrance is on the Wilderness Island side).
The boy canoeing in the Wandle is called Charlie and he’s probably around 10 years old. He went on to command the 123rd Machine Gun Company and was known as Major Charles Frederick Dingwall. He was gassed in May 1918 on the ramparts of Ypres, which sadly led to an untimely death in 1941 aged 48.
You can see Shepley House in the distance (which stood roughly at the end of where Shepley Close is now – see pic), which was owned at this time by the Dingwall family. Young Charlie is pictured here with his Aunt Audrey.
These pictures are reproduced with kind permission and are under strict copyright of the Dingwall family, and a special mention to members of the Secret Carshalton Group on Facebook for drawing attention to the remains of the old bridge.
🗝 Johnnie is also trying to find this wooden plaque that was on the wall inside the old War Memorial hospital in Carshalton. The building still stands at the top of Carshalton Park. It was to commemorate his Great, Great Grandparents (the parents of Charlie in the canoe).
The hospital was converted fairly recently by a Weston Homes contractor. Do you know this company, or have links with clearance companies that may know more? If you can track it down, a reward will be offered.
Hi
I lived in Mill Close backing onto The Wandle. I remember The Boat House, though rather derelict. On The Croft, the bit of open land between Mill C and River Gdns there was (hopefully still is) a large London Plane by the river bank. I suspect this was part of the formal planting of Shepley House and should be recognised and protected as such.
John
Hello, Thank you for the article above including some information about Shepley House. Would anyone know of the Tylor family’s occupation of or connection to Shepley House. I have seen it mentioned as the address of my g.g.grandparents Alfred and Isabella Tylor (Times obituary for Alred Tylor, 1885). Their daughter married the son of John Bright the Liberal statesman. I have a photograph of the wedding party in gardens with quite an assembly of political figures, but without a view of a house which would be in the 1870’s. Many thanks ! Kaspar Stuart.
I wonder if they’re connected to the family that designed this pump in Carshalton. Maybe a bit of a stretch, but plausible: https://www.secretcarshalton.com/historic-water-pump-hidden-in-plain-siight-at-pound-street-in-carshalton/
How very interesting yes I have seen Albert Tylor, sometimes documented in official records which is clearly incorrect as ‘Taylor’. I would be very interested to firstly see the photograph you have of the wedding party and any additional information you have on what you know about Shepley House when your family lived there. I can share photographs that a friend of mine and I have collect over the past few years.
I am the great great grandson of the family who owned Shepley after yours.
All the best,
Johnnie Dingwall
I am writing a book about the growth of the suburbs in my area which incudes Wrythe Recreation Ground (I am also chair of the Friends of Wrythe Rec). Alfred Tylor left a legacy in his will for the development of the Recreation Ground for local young people, and he was also instrumental in local educational philanthropy including a new boy’s school to replace the one in West Street. I have also come across the marriage of Isabella Tylor (Junior) to John Bright MP’s son William, and I would be interested in a photo of the wedding party, or similar. John Bright not only helped William Cobden to repeal the Corn Laws but he was also a Minister in Gladstone’s government, as well as being a prominent Quaker. Alfred Tylor was a polymath and businessman owning a colliery in South Wale and a brass foundry, but also being a Fellow of the Geological Society, writing several books on geology. The Science Museum has several articles about him.