Author Archives: Wade

Mitcham Post Offices

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Eric Montague said in his book Mitcham Histories : 12 Church Street and Whitford Lane, page 107, that Mitcham’s post office had occupied 5 locations, as listed below:

1st : at Westhall’s grocery shop in the Broadway

The 1855 directory shows the postal services available:

It lists Joseph WESTALL as grocer and cheesemonger as well as the post office receiving house in Lower Mitcham.

2nd : in a small shop near Mitcham Station

This photo from 1895 shows part of the words ‘Post Office’ above the shop.

clip from Merton Memories, photo reference Mit_Public_Services_18-2, copyright London Borough of Merton

3rd : a purpose built building in the Broadway

The words ‘Post Office’ can be seen etched in the windows on the building on the right in this photo of around 1910:

clip from Meton Memories, photo reference Mit_streets_Lon_38-25, copyright London Borough of Merton

According to Eric Montague in his book Mitcham Histories : 4 Lower Mitcham, pages 127-8, this post office was

erected in about 1900 … a three-storeyed building … its rather fussy facade including false timber framing to simulate an Elizabethan structure.”

4th : Post Office and Telephone Exchange building on the corner of London Road and Elmwood Road

Built around 1920, shown here in this 1953 photo:

clip from Merton Memories photo, reference Mit_Streets_Lon_38-46, copyright London Borough of Merton

5th : Langdale Parade

In 1961 the post office moved to Langdale Parade in the Fair Green. The telephone exchange building remains.

Currently, in 2019, the Langdale Parade post office has moved to a smaller shop nearby at number 5:

Post Office at no. 5 Langdale Parade. Photo taken 23rd April 2019

Christ Church, Colliers Wood

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sketch of the church from the May 1926 issue of their magazine

Church, on Christchurch Road, which was built in 1874.

Its address is 58 Christchurch Rd, Colliers Wood, London SW19 2NY

It was originally in the Mitcham parish and was built to cater for the increasing population in north Mitcham. The area covered by the church was described in the London Gazette, see District Chapelry of Christ Church.

From The Builder magazine, 4th July 1874:

Church-Building News
Mitcham.

The new church at Singleton has been consecrated by the Bishop of Winchester. The edifice, which containes 550 sittings, has been built from designs by Messrs. Francis, of London, the total cost being £4,283. The chief part of this sum has been the joint contribution of Mr and Mrs Harris, of Gorringe Park, Mitcham, who have also erected, at their sole cost, a parsonage and mission-room, on the adjoining ground. The amount of their gift is between £6,000 and £7,000. The site has been in part the gift of Emanuel College.

Note the spelling Singleton should have been Singlegate.

Eric Montague said, in his book Mitcham Histories 2 : North Mitcham, page 93, that in 1968, on his suggestion, the chapelry boundary stone that was in Streatham Road, opposite the east lodge of Gorringe Park House, be moved to the church for safe keeping.

In this OS map of 1895, the church was surrounded by fields, with watercress beds opposite.

1895 OS map

See also the history of Christ Church on the church’s website.

Photos taken 15th April, 2019

Maps are reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland.