Tag Archives: Cricket Green

Cranmer Road

Road that is numbered as the A239 and runs south east from the junction with Madeira Road and Cricket Green, over the railway line at Cranmer Bridge and ends at the Carshalton Road.

It is named after the Cranmer family who lived in the area and the house called Cranmer.

All buildings are the south side of the road as the north side is part of Mitcham Common.

1932 OS map

From the junction with Madeira Road towards Carshalton Road, the properties are:

Saint Peter and Saint Paul Roman Catholic Church
Cranmer Cottages
Cranmer Farm Close housing estate
Cranmer Primary School
Wilson Hospital
Mitcham Garden Village


Saint Peter and Saint Paul Roman Catholic Church

This is locally listed by Merton Council who say:

This is a substantial church and an attached two and a half storey house in the same general style. The buildings date from 1889, and were designed by the architect Frederick A Walters. The materials used include a yellow brick, with blue brickwork detailing, and roof tiles. The design of the building does not relate to that of any others in the vicinity. The side elevations of the church have 5 bays with buttresses, inset windows with semi circular heads under a brick arch with a linking string course at springing level and a continuous string course at sill level. The street elevation has a central ceramic medallion over a semi circular headed entrance, and within the gable an arch, crossed keys and cross picked out in blue bricks. The bell tower has exposed bells within its arches. The Presbytery uses matching brick and roof tiles.

Cranmer Cottages

1953 OS map

Cranmer Cottages

Numbers 3/4/5 are described by Merton Council as

This is a terrace of 3 x 2 storey cottages. They appear to date from the 18th century
(possibly early 18th century). The buildings are a reminder of the old Cranmer Estate
now largely occupied by the Wilson Hospital. The architecture is very plain and
simple, with small 12 pane sliding sash windows with only a very shallow reveal
(suggesting a possible early date). The building materials are render with a plain tiles
roof. No substantial alterations are evident. The properties (together with nos 6/7
Cranmer Cottages) have a group value not so much from the point of their design but
more from their common history linked to the Cranmer Estate.

Numbers 6 and 7 are listed separately as:

This is a non symmetrical pair of semi detached cottages, partly 2 storey and partly
single storey. They are understood to date from 1902. The design is neo vernacular.
The materials used include red brick to the ground floor and pebbledash to the upper floor and gable. The main features of interest are the well detailed timberwork to the lintels of the ground floor window and 1st floor window at no 6, and the metal decorative motif within the gable of no 6. Number 7 is a very small scale house, single storey only, with 3 round headed window openings on the SE elevation and on the larger window on the front elevation. The 3 window frames on the SE elevation have unfortunately been replaced. The properties (together with nos 3/4/5 Cranmer Cottages) have a group value not so much from the point of their design but more from their common history linked to the Cranmer Estate.

Cranmer Farm Close

A housing development built on the former Cranmer Farm.

Cranmer Primary School

Wilson Hospital

Photo taken April 2020

This is locally listed:

This is a part two and part single storey building, which dates from 1928, and which
was designed by the architects Chart Son and Reading. It was endowed by the local
benefactor, Isaac Wilson. The design of the building is classically inspired with a
steeply pitched roof, twelve panel timber sash windows, and a stone central portico
supported on pillars and pilasters. Stone quoins define the corners of the central two
storey section of the building, and the eaves display strong modillion detailing. Above
the portico is a palladian window, with a modillioned pediment feature above that,
and a centrally placed copper cupola on the roof. The wings to each side are of lesser
interest.

After the railway line is the

Mitcham Garden Village

A ‘Tuck’ postcard, possibly 1950

This development consists of 10 terraces each containing 4 two storey houses,
together with 2 pairs of similar semi detached houses. The development dates from
between 1929 and 1932. The architectural style of the development is influenced by
the vernacular revival, based on the Tudor period. This development was originally
conceived by a local benefactor, in order to cater for the needs of local elderly people.
The materials used include brown brick, some laid in panels of herringbone, Tudor
style timber frame with pebbledash render between at the gables, dormer windows
and porches, and roof tiles. The development as a whole has a very strongly cohesive
feel that results from the uniform architecture, and the layout of the buildings around
varied communal open spaces. The main features of interest include the first floor
jetties projecting beyond the ground floor, the very pronounced gables (including
dormers and porches) with their steeply pitched roofs, and the massive chimneys. The
overall layout of the development is also of interest, including in particular the
grouping of the buildings around green spaces of various sizes. Changes have been kept to a minimum, and have not undermined the cohesive architectural character of
the buildings.

The descriptions quoted above are from the Merton Local List Descriptions, 2018 (pdf)


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

St Peter & St Paul Roman Catholic Primary School

School whose address is Cricket Green, Mitcham, CR4 4LA. Its entrance from that road is between the Mary Tate Almshouses and number 40.

1954 OS map

The road had previously been called Lower Green East until 1944, when it was renamed Cricket Green.

According to 1 The Cricket Green, page 113 :

The Roman Catholic primary school St Peter and St Paul was rebuilt in 1974, replacing the original chapel school building erected in 1861 on land given by William Simpson Jr.

This OS map from 1910 shows the outline of the school building, its entrance being between the Almshouses and the Britannia pub shown as P.H.

1910 OS map

Kelly and Post Office directories from the late 19th and early 20th centuries state that the school was probably built around 1867, for 80 children. It’s worth noting that the Catholic church was built later than the school, in 1889. The directory of 1912 said that the school was enlarged in 1897, for 148 children, and had an average attendance of 123. The 1912 directory said that the school was enlarged again in 1908 for 180 children. Also in that directory was a list of the six school managers, and their clerk:

James Douglas DREWETT, Ravensbury, Upper Green, Mitcham
Bernard HAYWARD, Post office, London Road, Mitcham
Rev. Bernard W. KELLY, St. Anthony’s Hospital, London Road, North Cheam
Berrill Henry MAGUIRE, The Beeches, London Road, Lower Mitcham
Rev. Joshua POOLEY, The Presbytery, Cranmer Road, Mitcham
William F. J. SIMPSON, Park place, Commonside West, Mitcham

Clerk to Managers, William James DICKISSON, Trent House, 87 Melrose Avenue, Mitcham

The directories also gave the head mistress in charge of the school, as shown in this table, where the years are the directory entries.

YEARS Name
1874 and 1878 Miss Mary A. PARKS
1880 Miss Mary CONWAY
1891 Miss Mary Ann RIGBY
1896 Miss Elizabeth BRYCE
1898, 1901 and 1902 Miss DAWSON
1911, 1912, 1913 and 1915 Miss Annie DERHAM
1918 Miss Elizabeth DAVEY

Miss Davey started teaching in 1887, according to this news article from 1933 which reported on her retiring from head mistress.

A WORTHY TEACHER

Miss Davey, the esteemed head mistress of Mitcham Catholic Day School, is retiring to well-merited leisure after 46 years of teaching. She has put the best years and the best efforts of her life into this school, and she has the consolation of knowing that she has not spent herself in vain. When she leaves at the end of February she will take with her the united good wishes of the priest, the parents, and the children for her devoted service.

From the Mitcham News & Mercury, 6th January, 1933, page 1.


The name of the school in the directories was either the Lower Mitcham Catholic School, or the Mitcham Catholic Day School as in the 1933 news item.

Listed in the 1971 phone book as S.S. Peter & Paul R.C. Primary, Cricket Green, telephone 01-648 1459.


Merton Memories Photos

Catholic chapel that was demolished when school was rebuilt in 1974
1970 school playground
undated colour photo of school from Cricket Green

Eric Montague Slides
A 1966 photo of the Sheila Shaw horse riding school, at number 40 next door to the Catholic school, shows part of the entrance and its notice board, that is headed ‘Ss Peter & Paul’s Catholic School’.


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