Category Archives: Places

Gray’s Yard

1 Reply

Premises that was at 230 London Road, Mitcham, as the winter headquarters for the travelling showmen of Harry Gray and his family.

View of the yard looking north:

Photo taken by Eric Montague in 1975. Reproduced by kind permission of the Merton Historical Society. Image reference mhs-em-um-8

The following is an excerpt from Eric Montague’s book Mitcham Histories : 14 Upper Mitcham and Western Road, page 11:

for nearly half a century the winter headquarters of Harry Gray and family. Before World War 2 the site also had a Walls ice cream depot and, before that a house of ‘Georgian’ appearance called Mitcham Lodge College.

1952 OS map reproduced by permission of the National Library of Scotland. Reuse CC-BY. Site of yard shown bounded by red lines.

Also see newspaper article from 1955.

No. 228 next door was a small office occupied by car hire firm Kandy Kars during the 1970s.

The yard was vacated by the end of the 1990s, and the a block of flats was built with the address of 19 Holborn Way, being the by-pass road that opened to traffic in March 1992. The block was named The Harry Gray Building, and a plaque on the wall can be seen from the pavement, as shown in this photo:

From Apple Maps, 2021.

1941 Agreement between Mitcham and Morden Councils to keep Morden Hall Park open to the public

Leave a reply

Source: The Mitcham and Colliers Wood Gazette, 7th July 1941

A conference of representatives of the Mitcham Borough Council and the Merton and Morden Council has agreed to recommend both Councils to support the National Trust in keeping Morden Hall Estate open to the public.

The conference considered correspondence with the National Trust with regard to the offer which has been made to the Trust by the executors of the late Mr. Gilliat E. Hatfeild affecting the Morden Hall Estate.

The Park is about 105 acres in extent, of which 50 acres is in Merton and Morden and 55 acres in Mitcham, and the offer includes the park, mansion, cottages and properties adjoining

If the offer is accepted by the National Trust an endowment fund will be handed over with the property. An estimate of anticipated income and expenditure shows a probable deficit of £175 a year, after taking into account the income from the endowment and rents of cottages and other properties.

The conference was informed that if the Trust could be given an assurance that the Mitcham and Merton and Morden Councils would be willing to contribute towards any loss there may be on the upkeep of Morden Hall Park the Trust will be willing to accept the bequest.

The conference reached the following decisions unanimously :

To recommend the Mitcham and Merton and Morden Councils to give an assurance to the National Trust that on the understanding that Morden Hall Park is to be kept as an open space free to the public, any deficit approximating to that shown in the draft budget received from the Trust will be met by the two Councils; and

To recommend that any such deficit be shared equally by the Mitcham and Merton and Morden Councils.