Sheen Elms

Sheen Elms dated back to around 1700. It was a long rambling east-west building facing the Upper Richmond Road. It had only one floor except over one of the wings, where there was a second floor for servants' rooms. Its entrance was approximately where Milton Road and Sheen Lane meet, and the grounds extended from Vernon Road along what is now Milton Road. The most notable occupants of the house were the Bankes family. George Bankes, MP for Dorsetshire, was at Sheen Elms from about 1832 until 1841 when he unexpectedly had the house of Kingston Lacy transferred to him by his elder brother, who went to live in Italy. Sheen Elms was let, the family moving to Dorset until George died. His widow remarried a few years later and returned to Sheen Elms. She died in 1875 and was buried in Mortlake churchyard. Her second son, William, inherited Sheen Elms; her eldest son inherited Kingston Lacy.

William Bankes had been born at Sheen Elms in 1836 and went to Temple Grove School. In April 1857 he was commissioned as Cornet in the 7th Queen's Own Hussars and by November had arrived in India. In the following March he was involved in fighting in Lucknow where he was wounded and contracted dysentery. He died on April 6th having been awarded the Victoria Cross.

On the right is the only known picture of Sheen Elms. The house was demolished in 1909.