It was a busy start to the lunch for our Chairman Michael Fisk, first presenting Gerald Bridge with a bottle of champagne to celebrate his ninetieth birthday and then welcoming not one but two new members to the Club, Alfred Kessler and Tony Hayes both receiving the usual brown envelope.
After enjoying a fine lunch of honey mustard glazed gammon followed by an excellent brandy snap filled with seasonal fruits and ice cream we settled down to a talk from John Phillips on our local Cheam landmark, Whitehall.
It is not known exactly when the original house was built or even if in fact it was originally a house but it is generally thought to be from around 1500. It may have originally been intended as a meeting or ‘council’ house, alternatively it may always have been a house and home. Over the years the original Tudor structure was added to with extensions dating to the time of the Stuarts and the Victorians.
The white weatherboarding was added sometime in the 19th century and when it was used as a Council House by the Bishop of Chichester it probably gained the name Whitehall.
From 1742 to 1963 the building was occupied by just one family, the Killicks. It was purchased by Sutton Council in the late 1960's and opened as a museum in 1978.
Many thanks for a most informative talk John, we will have to arrange a visit soon. Whitehall is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday and free tickets can be ordered through the Sutton Borough website.
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