The Cedars

Built in the 17th century, the Cedars stood on the west side of Sheen Lane, south of Upper Richmond Road. It was the residence of Brook Watson, the Lord Mayor of London in 1796, who as a boy had lost a leg to a shark off Havana. Later residents included the Penrhyn family who were instrumental in much building in East Sheen including Christ Church. This photograph shows a garden party in the grounds of the Cedars not long before its demolition in 1930. Cedar Court flats (where Richard Dimbleby one lived) occupy the site of the house, and the Cedar Parade of shops in Upper Richmond Road were built on part of its grounds.