We stopped for a quick visit to the town of Sutton on our way to an overnight stay in Leatherhead, so didn’t have time to have a proper look round the town. Sutton is the main town in the London borough of Sutton. Originally a village, it grew in population with the arrival of the railway in 1847. The Waterstones is located in a modern building in the High Street.
Murals
The first is the Twin Towns Mural, which celebrates the town’s links to their twin towns of Gagny in Paris, Gladsaxe in Copenhagen, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf in Berlinand Minden in Germany. The artists are Rob Turner and Gary Drostle.
The second, by the same artists and called Sutton Heritage Mosaic is located opposite the Waterstones and measuring 9 x 5 metres, this was unveiled in 1994 and, as the name suggests, reflects the town’s heritage. At the centre is Nonsuch Palace, a Tudor building built for Henry VIII in 1538, and the outside edges depict coats of arms and local buildings.
The Millennium Dial armillary
This artwork was funded and presented to the town by the Rotary Club. It functions as a timepiece (we didn’t know this until we’d left, so we didn’t see if we could actually tell the time by using it!). The inscription on the piece reads:
“Service Above Self” *
Rotary Armillary
This Armillary was presented to the people of the London Borough of Sutton in grateful thanks for their generosity in supporting Rotary Charities and to mark the new Millennium. The Rotary Club of Cheam has joined with the Rotary Clubs of Carshalton, Carshalton Beeches, Sutton, Sutton Nonsuch and Wallington. December 2000
The Project was made possible by the following Sponsors: Securicor plc. Holiday Inn Sutton London. The Crown Agents. South Sutton Neighbourhood Association. Sutton & Cheam Society.
The London Borough of Sutton.
*Service Above Self is the Rotary Club’s motto.
Currently reading: The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman and The Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights – short stories by various authors
Janet's Adventures in Waterstones 