A three story block of seven shops and offices with flats above, on the corner of London Road and Locks Lane, postcode CR4 2JA.

Eric Montague, on page 5 of Mitcham Histories: 14 Upper Mitcham and Western Road, said it was named after William Frederick Laing, who founded the estate agents Seymour Laing and Co.

Mitcham Borough Council minutes, page 131, of 7th December, 1938, said that the block was given a name as there were only four numbers available in London Road, which wasn’t enough for all twelve flats.

Norwood News – Friday 18 February 1938
Image © Trinity Mirror. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. Via the British Newspaper Archive.

Text of ad:

LAINGS CORNER
London Road, Mitcham
For Particulars of the SHOPS and OFFICES
now being erected on
MITCHAMS MOST IMPORTANT SITE

Apply Sole Agent –
Seymour E. Laing, A.V.I., F.N.A.A.
87 London Road, Mitcham

(Opposite Swan Hotel)

Telephone : MITcham 0826

1951 OS map

A clock was on the wall above number 5 until around 2009. It can be seen using the history option on Google Street View, for July 2008.

July 2008

Adverts

1952

Norwood News – Friday 19 February 1960
Image © Trinity Mirror. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

Minutes of meetings held by the Mitcham Borough Council are available on request from the Merton Heritage and Local Studies Centre at Morden Library.

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