Tag Archives: 1925

Bond Road

Road running west from Western Road to London Road, south of the Swan.

1865 OS map

1894 OS Map Bond Road

1894 OS Map

1953 OS map

The row of houses on the south side of Bond Road as you come in from the London Road, was called Cecil Terrace, which can be seen on this c.1900 photo on Merton Memories.

The 1918 Electoral Register shows these occupants of Cecil Terrace:

1, Ellen Mary Ann and Isaac VINCE
2, Clara Elizabeth VINCE
3, Ellen Louisa COX
4, Maria and Charles SURKITT
6, Mary Elizabeth and William Arthur SKIVENS
7, Jessie Ellen and Thomas William PAICE
8, Emma and Henry BARTLETT
9, Maud Lily and Frederick Charles GRAHAM
10, Ada Emily and James VINCE
11, Mabel and Henry Thomas JEEVES
13, Ada and Edward Joseph WALLIS
14, Maria and George WALLIS

The 1925 Street Directory shows that the houses in Cecil Terrace were numbered from 1 nearest the London Road junction. The location of the houses on the north west side of Bond Road is not given, but it could be assumed that Mortimer House was near where the junction with Mortimer Road is now. The occupants in 1918 were

House Names
Lavender House Anna and Henry FOWLER
Cavendish House Emily Ann WOOD
Mortimer House Bessie and John BRETT
Mortimer House Elsie and James Alfred RICE
Holborn Union Gas Works Kate Olive and John Emmanuel HUMPHREYS

1925 Street Directory

BOND ROAD, from 8 Rupert terrace, London Road, Upper Mitcham to Western Road

South side

1, Isaac VINCE
2, Frederick Samuel COUSINS
3, Mrs COX
4, Percy TAYLOR
5, Mrs READ
6, William Arthur SKIVENS
7, Thomas W PAICE
8, Harry BARTLETT, fodder salesman
9, Robert NOBLE
10, James VINCE
11, Charles Ellis JEEVES
12, Robert TOWNSEND
13, George WALLIS

North-west side

ALLEN, Son & Fielding, scrap iron merchants
Henry FOWLER, florist (Lavender House)
Miss WOOD, (Cornish house)
John BRETT, box repairer (Mortimer house)
John E. HUMPHREYS, (Holburn farm)

The terrace of houses was renumbered to be odd from 1 to 27.

In 1988 planning application 87/P1246 was approved for Anchor Housing, who built the nearby Sir Arthur Bliss Court, to build a block of flats for the elderly.


Newspaper Articles

Article Details Newspaper Date Page
Bottleneck photo Mitcham and Tooting Advertiser 01/02/1951 1
Historical Note Mitcham and Tooting Advertiser 01/02/1951 4
Improvements planned Mitcham and Tooting Advertiser 22/07/1954 1
Housing Proposal Mitcham and Colliers Wood Gazette 07/02/1958 3

World War 1 Connections
Stoker 1st Class Robert Cox

Private John Humphreys

Private Edgar Vince

Private G Wallis

From the Surrey Recruitment Registers:

R S COX of 3 Bonds Road, aged 18 Years 1 Months, Fitters Mate. Conscripted on 5 January 1916 to the Northamptonshire Regiment (53rd Ysb).

W MITCHELL of 12 Bonds Road Surrey, aged 31 Years 1 Months, Carman. Volunteered on 19 April 1915 to the Army Service Corps.

E A RUDDICK of 6 Bonds Road Up Mitcham, aged 33 Years 2 Months, Blacksmith. Conscripted on 2 March 1917 to the 30th Infantry Labour Coy.

W A SKIVENS of 6 Bonds Road, aged 26 Years 8 Months, Labourer. Volunteered with the Derby Scheme on 11 December 1915 to the Essex Regiment (14th Batn).

E VINCE of 1 Cecil Terrace Bonds Road, aged 35 Years 3 Months, Labourer. Conscripted on 25 January 1917 to the Royal West Surrey Regiment (3rd Batn). Note that the Register shows BINCE, but given the CWGC entry, this is more likely to be VINCE.

A S WALLIS of 14 Bonds Road, aged 25 Years 9 Months, Plumber. Volunteered with the Derby Scheme on 9 December 1915 to the East Surrey Regiment (10th Batn).

C WALLIS of 14 Bonds Road, aged 30 Years 10 Months, Motor Driver. Volunteered with the Derby Scheme on 11 December 1915 to the Middlesex Regiment (6th Batn).

H WOOD of Cavendish House Bond Road, aged 24 Years 10 Months, Postman. Volunteered on 19 October 1915 to the Royal Garrison Artillery.


From the Military Service Tribunals:
Mitcham & Tooting Mercury, 14th December, 1917
Mitcham Tribunal

Mr Moore, in appearing in the appeal for exemption for Mr H. Fowler of Bonds-road, Mitcham, said his client held an agriculture certificate.

Councillor Mizen : He can stand over until it is withdrawn.

The Tribunal decided to adjourn the case until the certificate was withdrawn.

Note the use of Bonds Road. The previous name was Bond’s Lane.


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

Smith’s Buildings

A terrace of 30 houses between Lavender Walk and the Beehive pub. The houses were numbered sequentially, from 1 to 15 on the west side and from 16 to 30 on the east side. Demolished in 1936.

According to the 1910 Ownership Electors, numbers 1 to 15 were owned by Edward Smith of Muswell Hill, London, and numbers 16 to 30 by Richard Christopher Smith of Newlands, Manor Road, West Worthing.

In the 1927 electoral register the houses are still numbered 1 to 30 but in the next year’s register, i.e. for 1928, the houses have been renumbered from 85 to 143 as all odd numbers, replacing 1 to 30 consecutive.

Referred to in 1934 Health Report as a Clearance Area under the 1930 Housing Act:

CLEARANCE AREA No. 8. A row of back-to-back cottages known as 85 – 143 (odd numbers) Smiths Buildings, Commonside East. An objection having been made to this Order a local inquiry was held on April 24, 1934. The Order was confirmed.

Source: Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Mitcham, Wellcome Trust (PDF), page 33

1910 OS map

1934 aerial views from Historic England

c. 1935 clip from Merton Memories photo reference Mit_Work_Industry_43-1

Occupants from the 1925 street directory:

West Side

Number Title Forenames Surname
1 Mrs Brown
2 Mr Harry Purkiss
3 Mr William Bowling
4 Mrs Gilbert
5 Mr John Bowling
6 Mr Frederick Wallace
7 Mr Arthur Blake
8 Mr Albert George Beadle
9 Mr Frederick Chas Harrison
10 Mr John Sparrowhawke
11 Mrs Tegg
12 Mr James Smith
13 Mr Charles Henry Wilkes
14 Mrs Green
15 Mr Thomas Miles

East Side

Number Title Forenames Surname
16 Mrs Miles
17 Mr George Mountain
18 Mrs S Brown
19 Mr Thomas William Dolby
20 Mrs Towers
21 Mr Frank Haywood
22 Mrs Fletcher
23 Mr Alfred Kilby
24 Mr Alfred William Green
25 Mr Frederick Laight
26 Mr John Richard Steers
27 Mrs Hussey
28 Mrs Dawson
29 Mrs Elliott
30 Mr Frederick Chas Redmayne

World War 1 Connections
Private David James Elliott

Mr George Mountain is mentioned in a news article of 1929 about two Lonesome school teachers crashing a car.


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