Dingwall Road, Carshalton

Image: © Christopher Hilton Taken: 4 Jul 2014

South of Carshalton village centre, Fountain Drive - the former entrance driveway - climbs towards the site of the former Queen Mary Hospital. Here, two roads approach it as if to cross it - East Drive from the west and Dingwall Road to the east - but each is blocked to road traffic by a wall. There is a degree of social separation across the entrance driveway - Dingwall Road lies within an apparent former council estate, whilst East Drive comprises more expensive private housing – and this reflects the fact that originally the walls were a solid barrier even to pedestrians. During the Second World War gaps were created in the walls to facilitate access to and from the hospital from the nearby residential areas; after the War it was intended to reinstate the barriers but local pressure prevented this, residents finding that the hospital’s entrance provided, for instance, a swift route to Carshalton Beeches station. Pedestrians are allowed through to this day, but there has never been an open road crossing. My thanks to John Hyde (http://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/122976 ) for making this layout clear.

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