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| − | == MITCHAM, SURREY ==
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| − | Mitcham was once a small Surrey village, and though as far as postal address goes, it is still Surrey, it is part of the London Borough of Merton.
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| − | Mitcham is probably defined by it’s common, one of the very few London commons whose 460 acres has survived almost intact, and is now a site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation. It’s survival is in part down to the four Lords of the Manor of Mitcham, who couldn’t decide exactly which bit of the common belonged to who, and so The Enclosure Act came and went without touching Mitcham. But it’s long-term survival is down to '''Colonel George Parker Bidder QC''', a local philanthropist, who in 1891, had the Metropolitans Commons (Mitcham) Act passed through Parliament, thus preserving the common from development indefinitely. A memorial stone for George Parker Bidder, erected in 1896, stands on the common.
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| − | There are 2 main areas of common – the hilly, and windswept “'''Seven Islands'''”, named after the large pond left after illegal gravel extraction in the 19th century, and the smaller and wooded “'''Gunsite'''”, named after the anti-aircraft guns housed on the common during the war. But fragments of common are spread throughout Mitcham – '''Fair Green, Cricket Green, Three Kings Piece, Cranmer Green, Goat Green''' and all the heavily wooded roadsides edges that abound through Mitcham - almost every area of “green” is part of the common and therefore untouchable.
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| − | Permission to build a '''windmill''' on the common was granted to '''John Blake Barker''' in 1806, provided the mill was used 2 days a week solely to grind Mitcham Villagers’ grain at a “fair and reasonable price”. In 1862, the mill was badly damaged by lightning and never restored. The base remained and was converted into a house which is now the offices of Mitcham Common Conservators.
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| − | '''Mitcham Fair''', held in August for at least the past 250 years, (not surprisingly on Fair Green), is said to have been started by a charter from Elizabeth I, who was a regular visitor to Mitcham. A local legend – the actual charter has never been found – but the possibility that it might exist has saved the Fair from abolition several times! From it’s beginnings as a horse and cattle fair, Mitcham Fair grew into a huge social event, attracting thousands of people from miles around. This in turn, led to complaints of pick-pockets, gambling, “lewdish behaviour”, excessive alcohol consumption and other excesses that the (then!) genteel population of Mitcham found intolerable. But despite many efforts to abolish the Fair, it survived and still survives today. And so does the lewdish behaviour!
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| − | And then there were the '''gypsies'''. They came in their hundreds, for the Fair, for work, and for the useful proximity to Epsom and the Derby. And they could camp on the common. The 1881 census shows more than 200 gypsies living on Mitcham common. Many settled here, being persuaded to leave the common and settle on the wasteland that was '''Rock Terrace''', which became known as '''Redskin Village'''. Even today, very many old Mitcham families claim Romany ancestry and it’s still not that unusual to see lads riding hefty piebald horses bareback through the traffic!
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| − | Other than the Fair, the '''Derby''' was the big Mitcham event of the year. Schools and businesses closed – officially on safety grounds – with an Epsom-bound carriage thundering through the village every second, the roads were simply impossible to negotiate – but really it was because of wholesale absenteeism as the village emptied and headed to Epsom.
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| − | For employment, Mitcham people were, at least for while, lucky. Agriculture was lost early in Mitcham, as first, massive bleaching, dying and fabric printing industries grew up along the banks of the '''River Wandle''', along with mills producing tobacco, paper, gunpowder, leather – anything that required water power.
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| − | With a fall of 14 feet per mile, the Wandle is a very fast river, and in the 18th century, it was much deeper than it is today – perfect for '''watermills'''. So important, and so prosperous were the milling industries that the Surrey Iron Railway was built to move coal and fuel in, and their goods out. The '''Surrey Iron Railway''' was the first public railway in the world. It opened in 1803 and ran from Wandsworth to Croydon, through Mitcham along the Wandle Valley, using horse-drawn carriages. It was an interesting and innovative experiment, but a financial failure, and it closed in the 1840’s, as the milling industries themselves were failing.
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| − | Eventually, there were just too many watermills, and combined with falling water levels, resulted in a loss of power for all the mills. Many arguments ensued over this, with arbitrators suggesting that waterwheels were used on a rota basis, but by the mid-1800’s, milling on the Wandle was rapidly dying.
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| − | '''Huguenot refugees''' introduced '''whitstering'''; the bleaching of linens; to the area in the 17th century. This required masses of clean, fresh water, and so the banks of the River Wandle was an ideal place. This led to fabric dying and printing, and by the mid-18th century, Mitcham, along with neighbouring Merton, produced the bulk of printed calico for the entire country. An extremely useful local industry, as it needed a large number of female employees. It wasn’t to last, by 1850’s, mass-produced printed fabric from Northern mills meant Mitcham fabrics were for the luxury market only and even that was lost to decorative, but cheaper, foreign imports.
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| − | But if the Mitcham man (or woman!) didn’t fancy mill or fabric work, there was always '''horticulture'''. Away from the banks of the Wandle, almost every acre of open land was given over to the production of either '''watercress''', (if it was wet!) or '''Lavender''', (if it wasn’t!)
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| − | Lavender is synonymous with Mitcham, and Mitcham Lavender can still be found in Garden Centres. The two local men who started lavender production in the 1700’s – '''Ephraim Potter and William Moore''' – have not been forgotten, and their business continues as “Potter and Moore”, producing “classic English fragrances”.
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| − | But it wasn’t just lavender. Peppermint, camomile, aniseed, liquorice – all manner of medicinal and cosmetic herbs were produced at Mitcham. At its height, more than 500 acres were given over to herb production. It is said Mitcham could be smelled long before it was seen! But as London and it’s thirst for land encroached and foreign growers, who were producing cheaper oils, took over the market, the Mitcham physic gardens were all but finished by 1900. Only '''Alfred Mizen''', who had a large nursery, managed to hang on until about 1930 and '''W.J. Bush and Company''', who took over the local Potter and Moore business. A massive explosion at the Bush factory in 1933, which left one person dead, 23 seriously injured, the factory totally destroyed and a couple of adjoining streets virtually demolished, was one of the few occasions when Mitcham made the national news.
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| − | Mitcham could still be smelled before it was seen, but for a different reason as a number of varnish and paint factories sprang up, including '''Harlands''', and '''Latham and Company''' and all exuding rather less pleasant odours. All of these had disappeared by 1960’s. There is no “local industry” in Mitcham now; but an ever-changing assortment of factories, warehouses and industry now resides on the Willow Lane Trading Estate on the southern edge of the town.
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| − | '''Cricket''' has been important to Mitcham for a very long time. Mitcham holds the distinction of having the oldest cricket ground in the country that is still in use. It is said that cricket was played in Mitcham from the 1600’s, with the first recorded match taking place in 1711. Nelson apparently came to Mitcham to watch the cricket, and the local team has produced a couple of England players. The cricket pavilion, rebuilt in 1905, is actually on the other side of the road to the cricket pitch. Not much of a problem in 1905, but now the players have to negotiate 3 lanes of heavy traffic!
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| − | The pub next door to the cricket pavilion is called the '''Burn Bullock''', named after one of Mitcham’s cricketers, who owned the pub in the 1940’s, but before that it was called the '''Kings Head'''. Rebuilt in 1760, it is large, and entirely Georgian, but the delightfully ramshackle and timbered rear is thought to be late 16th century. Just across the road is what used to be called '''The''' '''White Hart''', and is now '''The Hooden on the Green''' (whatever that is ….!) Another old pub and coaching inn, it was certainly in existence by early 1600’s, and rebuilt in 1750. Its stables were used for Mitcham’s first horse-drawn bus service, run by a Holden family! (They get everywhere!)
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| − | The '''railway''' came to Mitcham in 1855; unfortunately the station was, and still is, a considerable distance from the town centre. A second station; Mitcham Junction, was opened in 1868, and even further from the town centre! We are about to get our third station ……… they say it is a little bit closer to the town!
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| − | There are very few of the old mansions left that were once commonplace in Mitcham. The '''Canons''' is one; now part of a Sports Centre and restaurant.. It was built in 1680 by '''John Cranmer''', a descendant of Archbishop Cranmer (and commemorated in Cranmer Road), and '''Eagle House''' is another- built in 1705 by '''Frances Mendes''', physician to Queen Catherine, wife of Charles II. The beautifully quaint, Tudor-styled '''Tate’s Almshouses''' were built in the early 1800’s to house 12 elderly (over 50!) but poor ladies of good character and regular church-going habits who had not previously been a charge on the parish.
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| − | A few old houses remain centred around the '''Cricket Green''', in the '''Cricket Green Conservation Area''', and one or two of tiny, pantiled and weather boarded cottages, so typical of the area, remain in the town. Walter Raleigh and Elizabeth Throckmorton’s house has gone, but we do have '''Raleigh Gardens''' as a reminder!
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| − | '''The Obelisk''' – a completely pointless grey stone column, erected rather incongruously in the middle of the pavement on '''Madeira Road''', commemorates a “miracle” natural spring that appeared in 1822, during a period of extreme drought that was bringing illness and hardship to the town. In fact, there are many natural springs in the area – the 400 year old (at least) large pond on the edge of the town centre is the result of a natural spring.
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| − | 200 years ago, Mitcham was bustling and sprawling large village, full of industry, shops, beautiful buildings and some very interesting characters! Sadly, that pleasant village is completely unrecognisable today. But for the area from Cranmer Green down to the Cricket Green, which still retains a peaceful village atmosphere, (except for the traffic) the rest of Mitcham has fallen into appalling disrepair. The town centre is squalid and grubby, a mess of dingy pound shops and charity shops, and a completely no-go area at night. There have been more murders in Mitcham in the 20 years that I have lived here, than in the whole of the previous 200 years! A few years back, a massive redevelopment plan was hatched; the brochure itself was large, colourful and ambitious. But nothing happened, and now, as the developers can’t seem to agree on anything, the official line is that the redevelopment plans have been abandoned.
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| − | Written by Terri (Aka Bev&Kev)
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