Sutton House is one of the places of historical interest managed by the National Trust in London. It feels really special, and here’s why.

Sutton House: practical information

The many lives of Sutton House

Sutton House is a Grade II* Tudor manor house in Hackney, north London. It was built in the 16th century and is the oldest residential building in Hackney. Fun fact: it also claims to have the oldest toilet in east London, although – honestly? – now, it looks more like an empty cupboard.

Sutton House has had many lives: private residence, school for boys, school for girls (at a different time), trades union office, and, in more recent times, a squat known as the Blue House.

Walking through the house is like walking through layers of history. Each room in the house illustrates a different historical period, often through one of the previous tenants, of which there were many.

Sutton House as private residence, and so much more

First, of course, there’s Ralph Sadleir, the man who commissioned the house. He was a close aide to Thomas Cromwell, chief minister under Henri VIII, so it’s safe to say he had money to spare. The newly built house was unusual in that it was made of bricks, not a common feature back then (in 1535). Accordingly, it was known as “the bryck place”, and the first room you come across when you step past the reception desk are several shelves of – you guessed it – bricks that illustrate the house construction.

Then there’s John Milward, who lived in Sutton House from 1620 to 1641. He was a merchant with the East India Company in its early days and made a fortune in the silk trade. Then he lost it all, but not before lavishing some of his money on the house. It was he who commissioned the painted staircase, one of Sutton House most famous features.

Mary Tooke was a wealthy Huguenot widow whose late husband was a clerk of the Salter’s Guild. She lived in the house around the 1740s. When she passed away in 1751, the house was divided into two halves, Ivy House and Milford House, and each half have their stories.

Sutton House in recent times

At the end of the 19th century, Sutton House was converted back into one unit and became the home of the St. John’s Church Institute for young men. In 1938, it was bought by the National Trust. In the 1960s, it was leased to a Trade Union until the early 1980s. After that…it was left to fall in disrepair, if you can believe that?!

Until some squatters moved in and called it the Blue House. They turned the place into a community center with a vegetarian café, and put on rock concerts. (‘Twas the times – something similar was happening in Bonnington Square in Vauxhall.) After they were evicted, Sutton House was going to be turned into luxury flats. Thankfully, it was saved from that fate by local campaigners, and after a restoration that took several years, it was opened to the public in 1994.

Now you can take a stroll through 400 years of history, from the Tudor linenfold parlour through the Victorian Study and Georgian parlour to one of the most striking feature of the house: the squatters room. Such a wonderful feature, that one, paying homage to the last inhabitant of the house, complete with unmade bed, political books and pamphlets and a striking mural (not to mention a fine record collection).

The garden and its amazing caravan

But it’s not just the squatters room that make Sutton House so unique. There’s also the garden and its centrepiece caravan.

The garden has a decidedly urban feel, with aluminium planters, rubber tires and metal garden furniture. It was a scrapyard until the 1980s, hence the inspiration and the name (“Breakers Yard”).

And that caravan? It’s actually an artwork by landscape designer Daniel Lobb called The Grange, made up from scrap vintage caravans. It’s probably the only double-decker caravan in the world, complete with balcony, chandelier and baroque fireplace. Intrigued? You can find out more about it in this video.

But… why is Sutton House called Sutton House?

It’s a fair question – after all, Sutton is way down in South London, nowhere near Hackney.

In fact, the name refers to Thomas Sutton, the founder of the school in the Charterhouse in Farringdon. (If you’d like a very short potted history of the Charterhouse, you can find one in my post on Open House).

It was believed that Thomas Sutton lived in this very house. He didn’t. He lived next door, in a house that was demolished in 1805 and replaced by a fine looking row of Georgian terraces houses in Sutton place. (If you liked Lord North Street, you’ll love Sutton Place.)

Still, the name “Sutton House” got attached to the house that was still standing, and there we are.

So that’s a small glimpse into Sutton house and its colourful past. I haven’t even mentioned the Tudor kitchen and how lovely it smells. And do check out the 2 scale models that recreate Hackney as it might have been when Bryck House was first built, they’re fascinating. There’s also one room that’s been left mostly bare, all the better to direct the focus on the layers of wallpaper on the wall; they are as beautiful as any abstract painting. This is part of the beauty of Sutton House: it has so many different facets.

Not your average National trust property, indeed.

Where do you go from there?

• If you’re hungry, I highly recommend a visit to Bad Manners, in the gardens of the Church of St John, a few minutes away.
• If you’d like to more glimpses of London history presented in an entertaining way, the wonderful Museum of the Home is just down the road in Hoxton.
• Another London property managed by the National Trust that’s just as enchanting as Sutton House is Morden Hall Park. It’s well worth a visit.