Road that today runs eastwards from London Road, where the Baths used to be, then curves south to the end of Majestic Way and heads east again to Lammas Avenue.
Originally called Killick’s Lane until the St Marks church was built in 1898. It was named after Samuel Killick, a local builder who had his yard there. Amongst the various local buildings, his name is mentioned on the blue plaque at the parish vicarage, which reads:
This building, erected by Samuel Killick in 1826 for the Rev. Richard Cranmer, replaces an earlier vicarage.
The fanlight and the unusual pattern of window glazing bars are interesting features.
1910 OS map
Numbers 1 to 7 on the north side of St Marks Road at the London Road end was known as York Place.
The 1911 street directory shows two lines of houses both called St Mark’s Villas. The first is a terrace of 4 houses to the west of the school, and the second a group of 8 houses as 4 semi-detached houses, numbered from 1 to 8 from the corner with Lansdell Road. Below are the occupants from this directory, as described from London Road towards Eastfields:
NORTH SIDE
1, John K. HARVEY, chemist
2, John Samuel WRIGHT, dining rooms
3, George YORK, undertaker
4, James PRICE, hair dresser
5, William WHITTINGTON, tobacconist
6, W.A.MARTIN, butcher
7, Mrs S. RIMMEL, grocerSTAIR COTTAGES:
1, John TAYLOR
2, William Jesse LUNT
3, Frederick BURTON
4, Albert Edward BLAND
5, William TYLER
6, William LAWRENCEST. MARK’S VILLAS:
4, John SUDDS
3, John William GILMORE
2, John William MONKS
1, George WHITTINGHAMSt. Mark’s Sunday School
Walter JORDAN (School house)
Council SchoolsST. MARK’S VILLAS:
8, Frederick WHITE
7, Alfred R. CHEAL
6, Charles Henry J SIVIOUR
5, Noel Austin HARVEY
4, George William LAWRENCE
3, Henry BENNETT
2, Walter BLACKSTONE
1, William MATTHEWS…. here is Lansdell Road
SOUTH SIDE
RAVENSBURY COTTAGES:
8, Thomas CLARKE
7, Charles TARRANT
6, Henry DRINKWATER
5, Mrs ROBERTS
4, Edward BURTON
3, Mrs E. KILBYAlfred NASH & Sons, wheelwrights
George Arthur MIZEN
F.L. & A.G. MIZEN, market gardeners
St. Marks Church
A resident of one of the remaining St Marks Villas, Stan, pointed out to me this sign is visible on the garden wall of some of the houses:
part of sign showing no. 2 St. Mark’s Villas
Between Stair’s Cottages and the School House, the 1922 electoral register shows two terraces: South View Cottages and South Place, each with four dwellings. The order shown in the register is repeated here.
SOUTH VIEW COTTAGES
1, John William and Eva Jessie GILMORE
2, Alfred and Bathsheba OLDMEADOW
3, John and Betsy WADDINGTON
4, David and Lily JONESSOUTH PLACE
4, John JORDAN; John William and Kate HAWKINS
3, William Charles and Kate COLLYER
2, Alfred, Mary and Alfred junior COUSALL
1, Ernest Edward and Elizabeth Lucy JONES
In the 1925 street directory, all the houses have been renumbered.
Stairs Cottages from 6 to 1 were renumbered 15 to 25 St Marks Road.
South View Cottages 1 to 4 were renumbered 29 to 35 St Marks Road, see 1925 directory below, and South Place from 4 to 1 were renumbered 37 to 43.
The School House became number 47, occupied by Frederick, Alice and Frederick Henry NEWSOM.
Houses named Doniford became number 59 and Astroea became 61.
NORTH SIDE
Fair green:1, John K. HARVEY M.P.S., chemist
3, William SCRATCHLEY, dining rooms
5, George YORK, undertaker
7, H. TEDDER, hair dresser
9, William WHITTINGTON, tobacconist
11, A. BACON, hosier
13, S. & E. RIMMEL, grocers
15, Edward Charles STEVENS
17, William MERSH, boot repairer
19, Mrs BURTON
21, Frederick WELLER
23, William WELLER; Miss WELLER, pianoforte teacher
23 (back of) Thomas WELLER, cartage contractor
25, Herbert Fras. Joe SMITH
29, John William GILMORE
31, Alfred OLDMEADOW
33, John WADDINGTON
35, David JONES
37, John William HAWKINS
39, William Charles COLLYER
41, COUSALL & Sons, coal merchants
43, Alfred COUSALLSt Mark’s Parish Room
Upper Mitcham Girls’ School (Surrey Education Committee)47, Frederick NEWSOM, school keeper
49, Rd. TOWNSEND, coal merchant
49, CARBONIUS Co. compresses carbon manufacturers59, Henry William AYRES
61, Herbert CORNELL
63, (Sunbury) James LAW
65, (Tolworth) Miss SHEPHERD
67, (Belmont) Frederick SAWYERS
69, (Ardley) Mrs SELLAR
71, (Tongham) A. WARE
73, (Colyton) Alfred CRAIG
75, (Abinger) F. LITTLE
77, (Bramley) John WHALEBONE83, Frederick WHITE
85, Alfred Robert CHEAL
87, W.L. WHITELEY
89, Mrs A.M. BENNETT
91, Robert J. WELCH
93, Harry BENNETT, insurance agent
95, Walter BLACKSTONE
97, William MATTHEWSSOUTH SIDE
St. Mark’s Church
…. here is Baker’s Lane
(Maycroft) James Ernest PELLING
(Granville) William W. ORVES
(Kenwood) Charles EVELYN
(Glan-y-Mor) George MARRIN
34, William Henry BEWEN
32, (Homestead) Robert WILSON
30, HUDSON & BLAKE, automobile engineers
28, Oliver BROWN Ltd., varnish manufacturers
26, (Home Close) Charles LACK
24, Edgar HUME
22, Alfred REES
20, Mrs F. BENNETT
16, James DREWETT
14, Mrs MILLS
12, Miss RUFF
10, Edward BURTON
8, Stephen TAYLOR; Henry DRINKWATER
4, Mrs TARRANT
2, Thomas CLARK
St Mark’s Villas, numbers 83 to 97. Photo taken Sunday 19th April 2020.
Entrance to Bedfont Close from St Marks Road. On the left, the house name Bramley is shown by the front door of no. 77. Photo taken Sunday 19th April 2020.
Numbers 59 to 77 st Marks Road, from the corner with Armfield Crescent on the left to Bedfont Close on the right (out of shot). Photo taken Sunday 19th April 2020.
Note that at no. 13, S. & E. RIMMEL, grocers, was also listed in the 1911 directory at the same address (when it was no.7) and Sarah E. Rimmel, grocers, was listed in the 1938 commercial directory.
Charles LACK was the son of Hannah LACK who ran the drapers at 4 High Street, Mitcham. With his wife Emily he ran the drapers at no. 2 next door. (From a descendant who made a comment about this on the Facebook Mitcham History group.)
The St Mark’s Parish Room was originally a ‘School Church’ whose appointed mission clergyman in 1891 was the Reverend F.J. LANSDELL whose name is the origin of Lansdell Road.
This OS map from 1952 shows the houses numbered as in the 1925 directory:
1952 OS map
Note that no.s 1 to 43 and the St Marks Parish Room have now gone and is where the pedestrian Majestic Way is today, and that no.s 27 to 35 were set back from the road, this is where the Morrison supermarket is now, and between the supermarket and the school is where St Marks Road today diverts north and west through where the Mitcham Baths was.
Between the school and no. 59 is where Armfield Crescent is today, and between 77 and 83 is now Bedfont Close.
On the south side, the paint works at 28 have gone, and that is where Chalkley Close is today. Number 26 is owned by the Royal British Legion and hosts the Poppy Club. Number 30 is still there.
Adverts
undated ad for GM Paynter at 13 St Marks Road
WW1 Connections
Colenso Harry BURTON, son of Frederick and Elizabeth Burton, 3 Stair’s Cottages, St Marks Road. On the south side of the Mitcham War Memorial as BURTON, HC.
Gordon Arthur SELLAR, husband of Ada Sellar, “Ardley”, St Marks Road. This houses was renumbered to 69 as shown in the 1925 street directory above. His name is on the west side of the Mitcham War Memorial.
World War 2 Connections
No. 2, L.J. FOSSETT joined Home Guard on 14th July 1941 and resigned 9th March 1942
No. 2, E.W.G. FOSSETT joined Home Guard on 14th July 1941
Civilian Casualties
18th September 1940
William Albert TOMSETT, aged 55, at 56 St Marks Road
25th October 1940
Mary PAIGE, aged 18 and Peter Victor PAIGE, aged 5 weeks, both at 25 St Marks Road
Maps are reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland.
Mitcham History Notes 