The Sanctuary
Introduction
The photograph on this page of The Sanctuary by Simon Carey as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
The Sanctuary
Image: © Simon Carey Taken: 6 May 2013
Once part of the old Washington Common this area was purchased by Vera Pragnell in 1922 and developed as a commune for those who wished to escape modern life. The inhabitants lived in caravans, tents, shacks, even a converted London bus without wheels and lived a communal life. However, as the plots of land were developed so to did the individualistic traits of those living in them, eventually the community broke up and the real estate developers moved in. The Sanctuary becoming a private estate called Sleepy Hollow. The view looks along Sanctuary Lane to its junction with Vera's Walk where a small shelter remains as a reminder of the community. Hamfield Cottage is on the right whilst next to the old K6 phone box is Sanctuary cottage, Pragnell's former home.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
50.916814
Longitude
-0.418334