Tag Archives: 1904

Commonside West

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Road from Upper Green East towards the junction with Madeira Road. Buildings are on one side only, as the other side is Three Kings Piece, which is a part of Mitcham Common. An exception being the sports changing rooms opposite Madeira Road.

Houses are numbered sequentially, from 1 (Newton House) to 72, which is part of the News of the World Houses. Between the Cold Blows footpath and the entrance to Park Places is currently only the Windmill pub and Merton Sea Cadets, but there were houses near the pub. Numbers 51 and 52 were demolished in 1967.

c.1900 : Newton House on the right in this clip from Merton Memories photo reference Mit_​2_​10-9 copyright London Borough of Merton

Occupants from Street Directories
Listed below in order from the Upper Green towards Madeira Road. The beer retailer referred to in these listings is for the Windmill pub.

1896
This directory lists the road as Mitcham Common (west side), and Cold Blows is shown as St Mary’s Avenue, which was a temporary renaming of that footpath.

John RICHENS (Newton House)
William WILLIAMSON (Holly Cottage)
Mrs SAHLER (Maori Cottage)
Christopher ROBINSON (The Lawn)
William BARNES, engineer
Mrs Lilian IRLAND, music teacher
Mrs DREWETT senior
Thomas GARDNER, furniture dealer

…. here is St Mary’s Avenue

Thomas Bodle LAWRENCE (Avenue Cottage)
James BROOKSON
James SAYERS, beer retailer
Charles GOULD
George SAWYER
John THOMPSON, diaryman
William F.J. SIMPSON (Park Place)

1904

John RICHENS (Newton House)
William Rutherford McLEOD (Holly Cottage)
William James DICKISSON (Trent Cottage)
Charles LESTER (The Lawn)
William BARNES, engineer
Thomas LAWSON, shopkeeper
Alfred GARDNER, furniture dealer

PILLAR LETTER BOX

…. here is Cold Blows

Thomas LAWRENCE
Miss SHEPHERD
Alexander Tully GRANT, beer retailer
John THOMPSON, diaryman
William F.J. SIMPSON (Park Place)

1911

Mrs RICHENS (Newton House)
William Rutherford McLEOD (Holly Cottage)
William James DICKISSON (Trent Cottage)
Charles LESTER (The Lawn)
William Howard BARNES, confectioner
William BARNES, engineer
Thomas LAWSON, shopkeeper
Alfred GARDNER, furniture dealer

LAMP POST LETTER BOX

…. here is Cold Blows

Thomas LAWRENCE, decorator
Miss SHEPHERD
Henry Edward CLISBY, beer retailer
John THOMPSON, diaryman
William F.J. SIMPSON (Park Place)

1915

Mrs RICHENS (Newton House)
William Rutherford McLEOD (Holly Cottage)
Ernest Frederick GOERING (The Nook)
Charles LESTER (The Lawn)
Mrs TURNER (Meriden)
Frank JAMES (Allesley)
William Howard BARNES, confectioner
William BARNES, engineer
George Frederick LOCKYER
Alfred E. GARDNER, furniture dealer

LAMP POST LETTER BOX

…. here is Cold Blows

Thomas LAWRENCE, decorator
James JORDAN
James BOXALL, beer retailer
John THOMPSON, diaryman
William F.J. SIMPSON (Park Place)

1925
Note that Cold Blows is not named as such, but is shown as ‘footpath to Lower Green’ i.e. the cricket green

Thomas George BAKER, builder (Newton House)
William Rutherford McLEOD (Holly Cottage)
Charles LESTER (The Lawn)
Alfred DREWITT (Fernhurst)
Mrs TURNER (Meriden)
Henry Willam ORFORD (Allesley)
William H. BARNES (Malvern)
William BARNES
George Frederick LOCKYER (The Cottage)
Alfred Ernest GARDNER, furniture dealer (Homeside)

.. footpath to Lower green ..

George Oliver NASH (North Lodge)
Lawrence Thomas BODLE, builder (Avenue Cottage)
James JORDAN
Alfred KILLICK
Harry LOCK
George WEST
Benjamin HILLS
Thomas HIGGS, confectioner
James BOXALL, beer retailer
Charles Thomas SEARS
George SAWYER
Mrs ODELL
John THOMPSON, dairy
William Charles HINES
News of the World Sports Ground (Leonard WHITE, hon. sec.) (Park Place)

In the 1938 commercial directory, T.G. BAKER is listed as builder at no. 1 Commonside West, telephone number 2915.

Tyrell’s Poultry Farm

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A poultry farm that was in Gorringe Park.

According to Eric Montague, writing about St Barnabas church in his Mitcham Histories : 2 North Mitcham, page, 109:

During preparation of the site for the new church what remained of Gorringe Park stables, then known as Tyrell’s Farm, was demolished.

He also said that a clock, removed from one of the old farm buildings, was installed in the church tower through the generosity of Joseph Wilson and his wife, who were living at Gorringe Park House at the same time as the church was built.

The 1904 street directory describes Gorringe Park Avenue as walked from the London Road:

…. here is Bruce Road
Charles FROST (Gorringe Park Lodge)

Christ Church Church Room

Christleib T. LIPSHYTZ (Gorringe Park House)

The Surrey & Sussex Poultry Farm Limited

Arnold & Arnold, veterinary surgeons (Gorringe Park)

The spelling of the surname differs in the 1910 electoral register, which shows William TYRRELL at Poultry farm, Gorringe park. Henry TYRELL is shown at 5 Thirsk Road.

The 1911 street directory, also described from west to east, now shows William Tyrell poultry farm:

…. here is Bruce Road
St Barnabas District Mission Church

St Barnabas’ Men’s Club (W.G. WOODWARD, hon. sec.)

Reverend Christleib T. LIPSHYTZ (Gorringe Park House)

William TYRELL poultry farm

Arnald & Arnald, veterinary surgeons (Gorringe Park)

This can be compared to the 1911 OS map:

1911 OS map

The assumption then is that field numbers 574 and/or 575 were the locations of the poultry farm, with 571 being the vets.

The path that is shown between Gorringe Park House and the poultry farm is followed today by the course of Edenvale Road, as shown on the georeferenced OS map on the NLS website:

During World War 1, three members of the Tyrell family were called up and went to the Military Service Tribunal to ask for exemption. Reports of the tribunals in local newspapers have been summarised by the Merton Historical Society

3rd March 1916

“My business, run under agreement, cannot be run without my supervision,” wrote Mr. Albert Tyrell, aged 31 years, keeping a poultry farm at Mitcham, and who is a pig breeder and butcher at Streatham.
Claim for exemption was disallowed.

Leonard Tyrell, 28, a poultry farm keeper and pig breeder, whose mother is dependent on him, claimed total exemption but was only given a month.

8th September 1916

John William Tyrell, 23, a pig and poultry dealer, was quite unable to get anyone to carry on his business if he went. This was his fourth Tribunal appearance. His father, aged 58, suffered from a strained heart, and had been medically certified as unfit for heavy manual labour. The Chairman thought there was no reason why he should not turn to and do what he could; we were all now doing things that once we had given up doing. One more month, to be final.

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