Belmont Local History

Did you know that . . . ?

Belmont did not begin to emerge as a village until the 1880s.  Previously, the area to the west of Brighton Road was known as Cheam Downs, and the area to the east of Brighton Road was known as Sutton Downs.

Cotswold Road used to be called Banstead Road.

The first shops in Belmont were No. 111 Downs Road (near the entrance driveway to the Royal Marsden hospital) and No's 37/39/41/43 Station Road (opposite motor garage). These all date to 1882.

Belmont railway station was originally called California Station.

In the 1850s - 1880s there was a horse-racing training stables in Cotswold Road.  It was a well known feature in the Sutton landscape.  A horse from the stables won the famous Grand National race in 1861. 

There used to be a windmill in Station Road.

The Victorian terraces No's 103-135 Downs Road (near the entrance driveway of the Royal Marsden Hospital) used to be known as 'Laboratory Cottages'.

The former Belmont Hospital - now the site of the Belmont Heights housing estate - was once a workhouse.  A riot at the workhouse in 1910 made headlines in the national newspapers.

There used to be two churches in Downs Road.

Pelton Avenue is named after Pelton Gibbons, the younger son of John Gibbons - the man who built the California pub.   John Gibbons' wife's maiden name was Pelton.

 

Downs Road used to be called The Downs.

COPYRIGHT: ROLAND SPARKES 2009