Honeywood Museum
Honeywood Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Honeywood Museum is a Grade II listed building next to the picturesque Carshalton Ponds in the heart of Carshalton's Conservation Area. The family-friendly museum re-opened in May 2012 after a complete refurbishment following an HLF grant. It has beautifully restored period details including the Edwardian Billiards Room, Drawing Room and Bathroom. There are exhibitions which tell the fascinating history of the house and the people who lived there, and an on-going diary of events which illuminate the history of Carshalton, the Borough of Sutton, and a fascinating range of topics beyond. Look out for the delightful collection of Edwardian toys on display in the Childhood Room and visit the lovely tea room and the Museum's shop with its wide range of publications and unusual gifts. Entry is FREE.
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
89 reviews
Excellent
49
Very good
27
Average
10
Poor
2
Terrible
1
FIL M
London, UK387 contributions
Dec 2022
My friend and I popped in on the way to another event. Although this is a small museum it does have some interesting artefacts and history of the local area.
Well worth a little visit. They have decorated it beautifully for Christmas as well.
Well worth a little visit. They have decorated it beautifully for Christmas as well.
Written December 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cath Y
Cullompton, UK144 contributions
Sep 2021 • Solo
Poped I today ,soepcal interst to me,I wS only intersted in the local element off the museum, but lost off information about carlshton and surrounding areas,which is what I wanted.
Helpfully lady giv me some imformatio I wanted ,it free so worth a vist if in area ,had a few coffee in tea room while in area,lovely seating opposite ponds ,weather could have been nicer.
Lovely walk in area including wandal walk
Helpfully lady giv me some imformatio I wanted ,it free so worth a vist if in area ,had a few coffee in tea room while in area,lovely seating opposite ponds ,weather could have been nicer.
Lovely walk in area including wandal walk
Written September 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hughol
London, UK240 contributions
Feb 2013 • Couples
We have just visited Honeywood since it reopened and they have done an absolutely wonderful job with the renovation. It is a lovely building with stunning views over Carshalton ponds. The exhibitions are beautifully presented and contain lots of interesting information on local history. There are plenty of things to keep children entertained and the shop has some great gift ideas - it is well worth a visit if you are in Carshalton and even better entrance is free. What is a real shame is that the cafe is so basic and uninspiring - in the right hands it could be turned into a beautiful vintage tea-room.
Written March 1, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sysolly
Norwich, UK206 contributions
Sep 2021 • Couples
We booked the Honeywood Museum Garden as part of Open House London, we arrived expecting to see a Victorian house with a garden on a lake but instead we walked through the museum into basically a walled garden. The guide explained that Carlshalton was built on a spring line and how the garden was drained using a number of culverts, where the stones used on the small walls bordering the garden came from but the only flowers in evidence were in a few poorly planted pots! The guide said that lockdown had effected the work in the garden but surely some annual Victorian flowers could have been planted in the flower beds. It was later to become apparent that the photo we saw on Open House London was of the front of the museum, a real disappointment.
It would have been helpful if the guide had started the tour in the museum itself as she constantly referred to exhibits and the history of the house.
It would have been helpful if the guide had started the tour in the museum itself as she constantly referred to exhibits and the history of the house.
Written September 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jean F
Great Bookham, UK235 contributions
Sep 2020 • Friends
This is a review of the café at Honeywood, which is nicely situated overlooking Carshalton Ponds, with plenty of outside seating. Following the coronavirus lockdown, I met a friend here for lunch, chosen especially because we could sit outside. A very mixed experience, queue outside to order your food, indicate your choice of table which is then 'sterilised'. It was quite busy, so we had to choose a table located on a narrow strip of grass between a footpath and the water. Table and chairs were sprayed and we were told to wait 30 seconds. Obviously they didn't dry in that time, so we wiped them down with tissues - not a good experience as frankly they needed a jolly good clean. Thankfully our toasted paninis were hot and delicious, safely served on thick paper plates. Afterwards I tried to use the one unisex loo, the door didn't bolt and the floor was filthy - I didn't go further! Rather a shame, this place could have so much going for it, but needs more care and attention. We won't be back.
Written September 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tania H
London, UK6 contributions
Jul 2013 • Family
Looks so inviting and is....but the scones were served ice cold like they'd just come out the fridge.
Written October 11, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KWH53
London, UK50 contributions
Mar 2019 • Friends
Small museum/house in a lovely location by Carshalton pond, feels like you're in the countryside. Parts of the museum/house are very old and hearing about the history of the house is very interesting. The museum is run by helpful volunteers who give you a typed self-guided tour of the house which is easy to follow. You can easily get around in an hour or two. There's lots of local social history and fascinating facts and photos about real people from the area and the lives they would have lived. Interesting even if you're not from the Sutton/Carshalton area. Lovely little tea room with outside chairs by the pond if the weather is good or inside if not. We had a panini and scones which were fresh and delicious. They also have home made soup on the menu but you need to get in quick for that. All the prices were very reasonable. This museum would be interesting for all age groups and easily accessible by bus or train. A worthwhile afternoon out but there are quite a few staircases to negotiate in the house. Check opening days/hours before you come as they're not open all days of the week.
Written March 29, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Master Jonjon
London, UK344 contributions
Oct 2018 • Solo
... since my exploration of Sutton the Borough, and throughout the period I was asking myself – would there be a local museum for this small, peripheral borough just until recently was engulfed into London? And it turned out that I had come to the right place. You could remember that we had already visited Whitehall for the small town of Cheam and Nonsuch Mansion for a previous glorious palace, and now it’s time for a little bit wider while staying in the present tense.
Find yourself in a historic house with a balance between paintings, history and artifacts. The history section presented Sutton as a fast-evolving town following the 19th century railway boom (the result of which still largely visible today, with it being the largest town of the area). You’d also realize that Carlshalton – just a few miles away – had been pretty much stagnant in terms of urbanization. You would then realize the power of land leases, for back then Carshalton Park’s landlord was reluctant towards laying railways on his land and the result was thus straightforward.
More history was to follow on first floor, where the focus was on Carshalton and its River Wandle. The river was useful as an energy source for watermill factories until the advent of steam engines, which closed them down one by one.
And finally, the museum also housed a number of paintings by local artists (all indexed, in a bulky volume in the snooker room). This would include Frank Dickinson (1874-1961), the owner of Little Holland House (which I was yet to pay a visit to!).
Honeywood was built in the 17th century on an unusual site – right on top of a stream that was too weak to turn mills. Which means that it was there for a different reason possibly for the cold baths that the site would convenient provide.
The ground floor gallery showcased a rich collection of portraits by the photographer Knights-Whittome, who had shot photographic works numbering around ten thousand, for the early 20th century Sutton giving us a fair glimpse into the life here back then. The collection was recovered in his house in 1978, having been abandoned for long and shortly before it was demolished.
~master jonjon
Find yourself in a historic house with a balance between paintings, history and artifacts. The history section presented Sutton as a fast-evolving town following the 19th century railway boom (the result of which still largely visible today, with it being the largest town of the area). You’d also realize that Carlshalton – just a few miles away – had been pretty much stagnant in terms of urbanization. You would then realize the power of land leases, for back then Carshalton Park’s landlord was reluctant towards laying railways on his land and the result was thus straightforward.
More history was to follow on first floor, where the focus was on Carshalton and its River Wandle. The river was useful as an energy source for watermill factories until the advent of steam engines, which closed them down one by one.
And finally, the museum also housed a number of paintings by local artists (all indexed, in a bulky volume in the snooker room). This would include Frank Dickinson (1874-1961), the owner of Little Holland House (which I was yet to pay a visit to!).
Honeywood was built in the 17th century on an unusual site – right on top of a stream that was too weak to turn mills. Which means that it was there for a different reason possibly for the cold baths that the site would convenient provide.
The ground floor gallery showcased a rich collection of portraits by the photographer Knights-Whittome, who had shot photographic works numbering around ten thousand, for the early 20th century Sutton giving us a fair glimpse into the life here back then. The collection was recovered in his house in 1978, having been abandoned for long and shortly before it was demolished.
~master jonjon
Written February 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Annthescribe
Sutton, UK16 contributions
Mar 2016 • Friends
It is a fascinating experience. I have been there several times with friends and grandchildren and the antique children's toys and game sand photos of old Carshalton are fascinating.
Written February 14, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jed103
84 contributions
Aug 2016 • Friends
A great museum, a bit about the local area some different exhibitions, I love the billiards room Great little cafe very friendly we wanted coffee at 4:55 on a Sunday afternoon and then sat and watched the ducks.
Even better it is free.
Even better it is free.
Written August 22, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Honeywood Museum (Carshalton) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Honeywood Museum
- Honeywood Museum is open:
- Thu - Sat 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Hotels near Honeywood Museum:
- (0.03 mi) The Greyhound Carshalton Hotel
- (0.50 mi) The Duke’s Head
- (3.55 mi) Croham Park Bed & Breakfast
- (5.91 mi) The Lilac Door
- (1.27 mi) Premier Inn London Sutton Hotel
- Restaurants near Honeywood Museum:
- (0.03 mi) The Greyhound Hotel
- (0.13 mi) The Sun
- (0.12 mi) The Racehorse Pub
- (0.16 mi) The Hope
- (0.11 mi) The Woodman Wine Bar