IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Sandiford Road, SUTTON, SM3 9RS

The Pyl Brook is a tributary of the Beverley Brook which in turn feeds into the River Thames upriver of Putney. The Pyl Brook runs underground for part of its course upstream before emerging above the ground in Hamilton Avenue Recreation Ground west of Kimpton Road. At the time of the 1866 Ordnance Survey Map, this part of the Pyl Brook was surrounded by small fields, bordered by trees and hedges. The rural outlook changed within 30 years as the 1896 Ordnance Survey Map showed a gas holder, a sewage works and a cemetery to the north. Some 20 years ago there was just a footpath alongside the Pyl Brook and a strip of wildlife habitat between Kimpton Road and the A24 at London Road. Recently Hamilton Avenue Recreation Ground has been created and added to Kimpton Open Space which runs as far as the A24. In May 2011 the revitalised Pyl Brook was re-opened after major works were carried out to re-route and re-landscape this section of the brook and create a meander just upstream of here. This bridge over the Pyl Brook is on the western edge of Hamilton Avenue Recreation Ground.

The Pyl Brook is a tributary of the Beverley Brook which in turn feeds into the River Thames upriver of Putney. The Pyl Brook runs underground for part of its course upstream before emerging above the ground in Hamilton Avenue Recreation Ground west of Kimpton Road. At the time of the 1866 Ordnance Survey Map, this part of the Pyl Brook was surrounded by small fields, bordered by trees and hedges. The rural outlook changed within 30 years as the 1896 Ordnance Survey Map showed a gas holder, a sewage works and a cemetery to the north. Some 20 years ago there was just a footpath alongside the Pyl Brook and a strip of wildlife habitat between Kimpton Road and the A24 at London Road. Recently Hamilton Avenue Recreation Ground has been created and added to Kimpton Open Space which runs as far as the A24. In May 2011 the revitalised Pyl Brook was re-opened after major works were carried out to re-route and re-landscape this section of the brook and create a meander just upstream of here. This view of the Pyl Brook looks upstream with the route of the original footpath on the left and back gardens of houses in Hamilton Avenue beyond the trees on the right.

The Pyl Brook is a tributary of the Beverley Brook which in turn feeds into the River Thames upriver of Putney. The Pyl Brook runs underground for part of its course upstream before emerging above the ground in Hamilton Avenue Recreation Ground west of Kimpton Road. At the time of the 1866 Ordnance Survey Map, this part of the Pyl Brook was surrounded by small fields, bordered by trees and hedges. The rural outlook changed within 30 years as the 1896 Ordnance Survey Map showed a gas holder, a sewage works and a cemetery to the north. Some 20 years ago there was just a footpath alongside the Pyl Brook and a strip of wildlife habitat between Kimpton Road and the A24 at London Road. Recently Hamilton Avenue Recreation Ground has been created and added to Kimpton Open Space which runs as far as the A24. In May 2011 the revitalised Pyl Brook was re-opened after major works were carried out to re-route and re-landscape this section of the brook and create a meander just upstream of here. This view from a bridge over the Pyl Brook looks upstream towards Hamilton Avenue Recreation Ground.

Pyl Brook is a tributary of Beverley Brook and is seen here with the Kimpton Industrial Park on the right.

Richmond Plastics and other businesses from Kimpton Road.

Hamilton Avenue Recreation Ground is a relatively new park created as part of Kimpton Open Space. Some 20 years ago there was just a footpath alongside the Pyl Brook and a strip of wildlife habitat between Kimpton Road and the A24 at London Road. The Pyl Brook is a tributary of the Beverley Brook which in turn feeds into the River Thames up river of Putney. The Pyl Brook runs underground for part of its course upstream before emerging above the ground here. At the time of the 1866 Ordnance Survey Map, this part of the Pyl Brook was surrounded by small fields, bordered by trees and hedges. The rural outlook changed within 30 years as the 1896 Ordnance Survey Map showed a gas holder, a sewage works and a cemetery to the north. In May 2011 the revitalised Pyl Brook was re-opened after major works were carried out to re-route and re-landscape this section of the brook and create a meander. The aim is to reduce flooding in the area and, with suitable planting of the banks and margins of the new meander, to increase the biodiversity of the area. As can be seen the planting has certainly thrived.

The factory is a treasure trove of plasterwork. Every square inch is filled with materials, moulds or devices geared to producing decorative elements such as cornices, columns, ceiling roses, architraves, picture frames, dado rails and the like. Traditional craftsmanship is still paramount as most of the work is done by hand rather than by computerised machine. Two longstanding techniques are still employed - composition mouldings and fibrous plasterwork. Composition, known colloquially as "compo" and resembling putty, is pressed into reverse moulds (as seen here to produce an egg-and-dart moulding). It remains flexible whilst pressed into position but hardens once fixed in place. The company claims to have over 11,000 boxwood moulds. Fibrous plaster consists of a plaster cast reinforced with fabric, often hessian, to which timber laths are affixed. The cast is fixed to the wall or ceiling using adhesive, screws or wires and rackets. The company can trace its roots back to 1763 when Thomas Jackson began trading in Tottenham Court Road. The Jacksons' presence continued until 1947 and after several changes of ownership, including being subsumed into Skanska UK, the company currently operates as an independent business. During all that time, it has worked on the Royal Pavilion, Buckingham Palace, SS Great Britain, numerous London theatres and Windsor Castle. More information can be found at their website: www.georgejackson.com . The factory is not routinely open to the public - this picture was taken during a visit organised by the Georgian Group.

The factory is a treasure trove of plasterwork. Every square inch is filled with materials, moulds or devices geared to producing decorative elements such as cornices, columns, ceiling roses, architraves, picture frames, dado rails and the like. Traditional craftsmanship is still paramount as most of the work is done by hand rather than by computerised machine. Two longstanding techniques are still employed - composition mouldings and fibrous plasterwork. Composition, known colloquially as "compo" and resembling putty, is pressed into reverse moulds. It remains flexible whilst pressed into position but hardens once fixed in place. The company claims to have over 11,000 boxwood moulds. Fibrous plaster consists of a plaster cast reinforced with fabric, often hessian, to which timber laths are affixed. The cast is fixed to the wall or ceiling using adhesive, screws or wires and rackets. The company can trace its roots back to 1763 when Thomas Jackson began trading in Tottenham Court Road. The Jacksons' presence continued until 1947 and after several changes of ownership, including being subsumed into Skanska UK, the company currently operates as an independent business. During all that time, it has worked on the Royal Pavilion, Buckingham Palace, SS Great Britain, numerous London theatres and Windsor Castle. More information can be found at their website: www.georgejackson.com . The factory is not routinely open to the public - this picture was taken during a visit organised by the Georgian Group.

The factory is a treasure trove of plasterwork. Every square inch is filled with materials, moulds or devices geared to producing decorative elements such as cornices, columns, ceiling roses, architraves, picture frames, dado rails and the like. Traditional craftsmanship is still paramount as most of the work is done by hand rather than by computerised machine. Two longstanding techniques are still employed - composition mouldings and fibrous plasterwork. Composition, known colloquially as "compo" and resembling putty, is pressed into reverse moulds. It remains flexible whilst pressed into position but hardens once fixed in place. The company claims to have over 11,000 boxwood moulds. Fibrous plaster consists of a plaster cast reinforced with fabric, often hessian, to which timber laths are affixed. The cast is fixed to the wall or ceiling using adhesive, screws or wires and rackets. The company can trace its roots back to 1763 when Thomas Jackson began trading in Tottenham Court Road. The Jacksons' presence continued until 1947 and after several changes of ownership, including being subsumed into Skanska UK, the company currently operates as an independent business. During all that time, it has worked on the Royal Pavilion, Buckingham Palace, SS Great Britain, numerous London theatres and Windsor Castle. More information can be found at their website: www.georgejackson.com . The factory is not routinely open to the public - this picture was taken during a visit organised by the Georgian Group.

The factory is a treasure trove of plasterwork. Every square inch is filled with materials, moulds or devices geared to producing decorative elements such as cornices, columns, ceiling roses, architraves, picture frames, dado rails and the like. Traditional craftsmanship is still paramount as most of the work is done by hand rather than by computerised machine. Two longstanding techniques are still employed - composition mouldings and fibrous plasterwork. Composition, known colloquially as "compo" and resembling putty, is pressed into reverse moulds. It remains flexible whilst pressed into position but hardens once fixed in place. The company claims to have over 11,000 boxwood moulds. Fibrous plaster consists of a plaster cast reinforced with fabric, often hessian, to which timber laths are affixed. The cast is fixed to the wall or ceiling using adhesive, screws or wires and rackets. The company can trace its roots back to 1763 when Thomas Jackson began trading in Tottenham Court Road. The Jacksons' presence continued until 1947 and after several changes of ownership, including being subsumed into Skanska UK, the company currently operates as an independent business. During all that time, it has worked on the Royal Pavilion, Buckingham Palace, SS Great Britain, numerous London theatres and Windsor Castle. More information can be found at their website: www.georgejackson.com . The factory is not routinely open to the public - this picture was taken during a visit organised by the Georgian Group.