Culvers Lodge

January 2022

The restoration is nearly finished and in the short term it will be rented out. Longer term Sutton Housing Partnership want to ensure whatever happens to it they appreciate and respect the property. It therefore doesn’t rule out further building on this land.

August 2021

After many years of uncertainty, Sutton Housing Partnership took on the work of restoring the Lodge. We met with the Project Manager who was very exited to be working on this and the sensitivity of the restoration.

As expected a few issues have been uncovered including subsidence in the extension, back bedroom and many of the joists and rafters are rotten.
The chimney has been removed from the low level meaning the chimney stack currently has minimal support.
The landscape has been cleared and trees removed as they were too close and caused root damage to one of the drains.
The roof will be stripped and renewed, including all joists and rafters. Re-using the tiles and any that have to be replaced will be placed at the back of the house.
The chimney will be taken down but will be re-built using the same bricks to enable appropriate support at the bottom.
Scaffolding including a tine roof will be erected to enable the roof works to take place.
The leaded light and stain glass windows are to be retained. A specialist company will remove any broken pains and damaged windows and these will be re-made to match the existing.

November 2016

The Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust received the go ahead from London Borough of Sutton to restore the historic Culvers Lodge in Hackbridge to deliver a community meeting facility and co-working space for small enterprises, a not-for-profit bike hub, which will train and employ local people, and new offices for the Trust.

The Trust was asked by the Friends of Culvers Lodge to help identify funding for a feasibility study to assess whether the building could be brought back into useful life.

Using funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Trust have worked with the Friends, wider community stakeholders and LB Sutton for the last 12 months to produce a feasibility study and business proposition. This was submitted to LB Sutton in September.

LB Sutton’s Strategy and Resources Committee on 31st October 2016 approved the recommendation of the Building Utilisation Implementation Board to endorse the Lodge restoration proposals. The Council has recommended the Trust be offered a 99-year lease on the property with a rent-free period.

Sadly the Council wanted to retain part of the site to build on which ultimately rendered the project untenable.

Update – Oct 2014

Culvers Lodge was put forward for local listing by Sutton Council at a meeting on 14 October 2014 and granted.

The Wandle Valley Regional Park Trust have applied for funding for a feasibility study to look into the future of the Lodge and what it can be used for.

For further information read our latest post.

Previous information

Culvers Lodge is a Sutton Council owned property based on the corner of Medland Way and London Road. The property has been boarded up for a couple of years and has been under threat of being demolished and replaced by flats. The picture above is how the property once looked.

You can see below detailed correspondence from the NDG:-

Letter to Lord Tope – 28 August 2012

Letter requesting local listing

Notes from onsite visit – 16 November 2012

Letter to Sutton Council – 15 January 2013

Briefing note for Strategy & Resources Committee – 11 February 2013

Sutton Guardian article – 23 October 2014