A parade of shops at the curved part of Bramcote Court, on the west side of Bramcote Avenue at the junction with Cricket Green. Originally there were 4 shops, numbered 1 to 4 from south to north, with no. 4 facing Cricket Green. At present, in 2022, there are 3 shops, numbered 1-2, 3 and 4.

Shops

Harper’s sweet shop was remembered by a user of the Facebook group Mitcham History:

When I think of shops in Mitcham, I remember the names of Harpers sweet shop on the corner of Bramcote Ave and Stevenson & Rush in London Road. Harpers I remember waiting with a bowl to collect the ice cream during rationing and Stevenson & Rush for the smell of ground coffee.

The 1954 telephone directory lists Eric Harper at no. 1, telephone MITcham 2635.

No. 1

No. 2

A. ROGERS, greengrocer – source: 1938 Mitcham Guide

Home Furnishing Stores, tel: MIT 2635 – source: 1946 Norwood News

No. 3

School Government Publishing Co. Ltd, – source: 1948 Norwood News

Croft & Co., advertising:

1960 ad:

S.L. CROFT, advertising, tel: MIT 4397 – source: 1967 Chamber of Commerce listing.

Cottam’s pram repair shop.

Toys on Parade – see 2008 photo below

No. 4

J.F. EXCEL, greengrocers – source: 1952 Chamber of Commerce listing.

Facelift

In 2021/2 the shop fronts were given a facelift, paid for out of the Community Infrastructure Levy, which is contributed to by local developers. This was done after a successful campaign by the group Mitcham Cricket Green Community & Heritage, who had campaigned for this parade and Bramcote Court be added to Merton Council’s Local List.

This photo, from 2008, was posted onto the Mitcham History Group on Facebook, and is reproduced here with the user’s permission.