Tag Archives: Commonside East

Smith’s Buildings

Leave a reply

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.

1911 Decision to divide into 4 wards

1 Reply

From the minutes of the Mitcham Parish Council on 7th November, 1911, pages 113 and 114.

It was resolved on the recommendation of the Committee—

That the Parish Council accept the proposal made by the Committee of the County Council, viz. :—

That the Parish be divided into four Wards formed by dividing the existing Polling Districts into two by a line drawn from the Christchurch Boundary in London Road to the Parish Boundary at Tooting Junction, and by a line drawn down the centre of Western Road, Upper Green and Commonside East, from the Christchurch Boundary in Western Road to the Parish Boundary at Commonside East as shown on the plan, and that the Council recommend that the representation allotted to each Ward be as follows :—

DistrictMembers
Christchurch 4
St. Barnabas 3
St. Mark 4
St. Peter & St.Paul 4 
It was proposed on the recommendation of the Committee-- 
   That the Council recommend.— 
        That the Wards be named by the points of the Compass, viz. :—

              North, South, East and West.

to which an amendment was proposed by Mr J.M. Leather, seconded by Mr J.D. Drewett
that the council recommend that the wards be named by the names of the ecclesiastical parishes viz,: – Christchurch, Saint Barnabas, Saint Mark, and Saint Peter and Saint Paul
and upon the moment being put to the meeting there voted

In Favour

Mr E. Birch
Mr J.R. Chart
Mr J.D. Drewett
Mr J.M. Leather
Mr W.H. Parslow
Mr A. Mizen

Against

Mr G.H. Barson
Mr W.M. Bland
Mr G.J. Dale
Mr A. Dendy
Mr E.E. Mizen
Mr H. Mount
Mr J. Thompson.

and the chairman declared the amendment to be lost, and upon the following resolution being put to the meeting, the chairman declared it to be carried nem. con. –

That the parish be divided into four Wards formed by dividing the existing polling district of Christchurch into to by a line drawn down the centre of London Road from Tooting Junction to the Christchurch boundary in London Road, and by dividing the existing polling district of St. Peter and St. Paul into two by a line drawn down the centre of Western Road, Upper Green, and Commonside East, from the Christchurch boundary in Western Road to the boundary at the borough of Croydon, at Commonside East, and that the names be given to the respective Wards and that the representation allotted to each would be as follows: –

WardMembers
North 3
South 4
East 4
West 4

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