Called Sibthorp (without the ‘e’) in earlier street directories, Sibthorpe Road is currently a short road, almost an alleyway, off of the west side of London Road, north of the Kings Arms pub and opposite the White Lion of Mortimer pub (formerly the Bucks Head). It leads to the public car park, which has entrances in Holborn Way.

It was possibly named after Waldo Sibthorp of The Elms.

On the 1866 OS map there is a strip of land with trees, with two houses on the south side.

An auction notice of 1879 includes a block of 12 brick and slate houses, one unfinished, with the rest let at 5 shillings per week, which could imply that they had recently been built. The auction also refers to two cottages and a plot of building land opposite.

The 1893 electoral register includes named terraces, listed below. It is not known which terrace was built first.

Garfield Terrace
1, William WHITFIELD
2, George BETTS
3, George BUTLER
5, Henry GREEN
7, Thomas CRESSWELL
8, Arthur BASSON
9, Robert DIXON
10, Henry SEARLE
12, Robinson AMBROSE

Garibaldi Terrace
1, William WILKES
3, William LUKER
5, Edward BALL
6, John SALLIS
7, John GODDEN
9, John CHADWICK
10, John PARSONS
11, George STANLEY

Mayfield Cottages
1, ALfred Wilks
2, George BURTON
3, Thomas GOULD
5, David LAVENDER
6, Amy HIGGS
7, William KENT

Occupants listed in Sibthorp Road in 1893:

1, Walter WATSON
2, Aaron WARE
3, Charles HARVEY
4, William SUGDEN
5, William TOWNSEND
6, James HOLLOWAY
7, Caroline BATCHELOR
8, Noah BLAKE
9, John RAPER
13, Henry CHANDLER
14, Thomas RUSSELL
15, Henry FORSTER
16, Thomas ISAAC
17, William VARNHAM
19, Arthur HOOKINS
25A, George SALES
26, Albert WARD
27, George CORNISH
27A, Albert BOWMAN
28, Joseph WOOLMER
28A, Josiah SMITH
31, Thomas NEWSOM
32, Edward BRYANT
34, Thomas CLARKE

MITCHAM ROBT. N. FULLER, MOON & FULLER Will Sell by Auction, at the Greyhound Hotel, Croydon, on THURSDAY, JANUARY 26th, at Six o’clock, NOS. 2 to 24 (even Nos.), SIBTHORP ROAD, consisting of twelve desirable leasehold COTTAGES, producing together £202 16s. per annum. Printed particulars with conditions of Sale may be had of the Vendor’s Solicitors, Messrs. Woodcock, Ryland and Parker, 15, Bloomsbury-square, W.C. ; of Messrs. Chart, Son and Reading, Architects and Surveyors, Vestry Hall, Mitcham, and at the Auctioneers’ Offices, 83, High-street, Croydon, and at Purley, Coulsdon, Reigate, and Epsom

Source: Croydon Chronicle and East Surrey Advertiser – Saturday 24 December 1910 from the British Newspaper Archive (subscription required)

Occupants in 1911 included William Kent, blacksmith.

1911 Census for the family of Private George James Howe.

Private Charles Henry Hussey lived here in the 1930s.

Matilda Baker and Emma Gregory lived here and both worked as Firework Artists, according to the 1881 list of workers at James Pain’s firework factory.

Gardener at the Tamworth Farm recreation ground, George Finch, lived here in 1952.

World War 1 Connections

Corporal T G Bates

Private George James Howe

Private Edward Henry Roles

Private George James Schofield

Private Walter John Wells

From the Surrey Recruitment Registers:

R BARRON of 36 Sibthorpe Road, aged 17 Years 9 Months, Firework Maker. Conscripted on 13 September 1916 to the 22nd Training Reserve Batn.

E H BOLES of 68 Sibthorpe Road, aged 18 Years, Factory Hand. Conscripted on 2 September 1916 to the 26th Training Reserve Batn.

Thos BUTCHER of 90 Sibthorpe Road, aged 18 Years 11 Months, Carman. Joined on 17 May 1915 to the Royal West Surrey Regiment.

C H COOK of 21 Sibthorpe Road, aged 38 Years, Butcher. Volunteered with the Derby Scheme on 7 June 1916 to the Middlesex Regiment (29th Batn).

W FOSSETT of 14 Sibthorpe Road Mitcham, aged 18 Years 8 Months, Carman. Joined on 19 June 1916 to the Royal Fusiliers.

C GAUNTLET of 62 Sibthorp Road, aged 26 Years 9 Months, Labourer. Volunteered on 20 October 1915 to the East Surrey Regiment (11th Batn).

S HARPER of 50 Sibthorpe Road, aged 39 Years 4 Months, Fitter. Volunteered on 27 May 1915 to the Royal Engineers.

A D JOHNSON of 48 Sibthorpe Road, aged 37 Years 11 Months, Wheelwright. Volunteered on 1 February 1915 to the Army Service Corps.

J LAWRENCE of 7 Sibthorpe Villas Mitcham, aged 28 Years 6 Months, Cook. Volunteered with the Derby Scheme on 5 June 1916 to the East Kent Regiment (3rd Batn).

A G MANN of 78 Sibthorpe Road, aged 40 Years, Fitter. Volunteered on 31 May 1915 to the Army Veterinary Corps.

A A MILES of 76 Sibthorpe Road, aged 40 Years, Labourer. Volunteered on 31 May 1915 to the Army Veterinary Corps.

G MORRIS of 84 Sibthorpe Road, aged 26 Years, Plumber. Volunteered with the Derby Scheme on 12 December 1915 to the Royal Engineers.

C NIGHTINGALE of 42 Sibthorp Road, aged 39 Years 3 Months, Bricklayer. Conscripted on 12 December 1915 to the Royal Engineers.

William ROFFE of Fred Roffe 20 Sibthorpe Road, aged 19 Years 7 Months, Carman. Joined on 16 December 1913 to the East Surrey Regiment (4th Batn).

R T SCHOFIELD of 34 Sibthorp Road, aged 17 Years 9 Months, Porter. Conscripted on 14 April 1917 to the 27th Training Reserve Batn.

H J J SCOBELL of 20 Sibthorp Road Surrey, aged 18 Years 10 Months, Baker. Joined on 14 June 1915 to the Army Service Corps (supply).

J TAYLOR of 66 Sibthorpe Road, aged 23 Years 2 Months, Box Sorter. Volunteered on 18 January 1915 to the Army Service Corps.

H J WELLS of 19 Sibthorpe Road, aged 38 Years, Bricklayer. Volunteered on 27 January 1915 to the East Surrey Regiment.

W J WELLS of 19 Sibthorp Road, aged 17 Years 9 Months, Gardener. Conscripted on 17 March 1917 to the 27th Training Reserve Batn.

S WHEELER of 22 Sibthorpe Rd, aged 22 Years, Gardener. Volunteered with the Derby Scheme on 22 November 1915 to the Royal West Kent Regiment (3rd Batn).

H A WILDE of 70 Sibthorp Road, aged 17 Years 9 Months, Porter. Conscripted on 31 March 1917 to the 27th Training Reserve Batn.

World War 2 Connections
No. 74, G.A. SPARKES joined Home Guard on 8th October 1941

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News Articles
Mitcham & Tooting Mercury, 12th January 1917, page 3

Compulsory Education

A Mitcham mother had to answer in dock at Croydon on Saturday for having failed to send her child to school regularly. The prisoner, who had been arrested by a warrant officer, was Edith Amelia Hinckley (31), married, of Sibthorp Road. She had been before the court six times on summonses, and had failed to obey the last one. After the last fine, on October 7th, her girl made only 12 attendances out of a possible 103.

Prisoner said the child was delicate, and having 6 youngsters to keep on a separation allowance of 29 shillings weekly, could not properly clothe her for going out in all weathers.

A fine of 10 shillings was imposed.

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From the Mitcham News & Mercury, 24th May 1968

Sixty-four houses are to go

MERTON COUNCIL have announced a large new housing clearance scheme for
the Sibthorpe Road and Gladstone Road area of Mitcham.

This is a follow-up to the former Mitcham Council’s clearance scheme in the adjacent area about five years ago, and the new proposal affects a total of 64 houses.

The Chief Public Health Inspector, reported to the Housing Committee of Merton that he considered the most satisfactory method of dealing with the conditions in the area was the demolition of all the buildings.

The council have informed the Minister of Housing that the houses in the clearance area, in their opinion, are unfit for human habita-tion, or are by reason of their bad arrangement or the narrowness or bad arrangement of the streets, dangerous or injurious to the health it of the inhabitants.

UNDERTAKING

And they have given an undertaking to be responsible for any a rehousing which may be necessary.

These are the houses involved in the new scheme.
Numbers 1-17 (odd) Sibthorpe and 8-78 (even).

Numbers 90-92 and 39-47 (odd) a Sibthorpe. And numbers 53, 55, 13, fland 51 Gladstone Road.

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