Tag Archives: Croydon Road

Cedars Avenue

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Road that runs south westerly from Tamworth Lane to Commonside East where it crosses Mitcham Common to Croydon Road near the junction with Carshalton Road. The part of the road across the Common was a footpath until it was widened in 1930/31.

From the minutes of the Mitcham Urban District council
Volume XVI May 1930 to April 1931
Highways Committee
4th June 1930
Page 115

IMPROVEMENTS.

I lay before you plans for the construction of a new road from Watneys Road to Galpins Road at an estimated cost of £3,880.

I also lay before you plans for the widening and reoonstruction of New Road from the common from Blue House Bridge to Cedars Road, at an intimated cost of £5,391.

In both cases it is proposed to maintain a footway on one side only, and in the case of the first mentioned road the width of the carriageway is 18 ft., and in the latter instance 24 ft. with 5 ft. footpath.

Yours obediently,
Riley Schofield, Assoc.M.Inst.C.E.,
Engineer and Surveyor.

Resolved –

(f) Improvements, Mitcham Common – That the Committee defer consideration of the plans for construction of a new road from Watneys Road to Galpins Road and for the widening and reconstruction of New Road across the Common from Blue Houses Bridge to Cedars Road, pending the decision of the Conservators with regard to the promotion of a Bill in Parliament.

This OS map from 1910 shows the route of road and footpath to the Blue House pub:

1910 OS map

It also shows two large houses off the east side of the road, and opposite the drive that led to Brenley. The names of these can be seen on this 1953 OS map, as The Chantry and Radstock.

1953 OS map

In the 1964 electoral register, the houses in Cedars Avenue were listed as:

No. 1,3 and 5
Brenley
Newholme
Orchard Cottage
Malvern
Devonia
Havrincourt
The Cedars
Radstock
The Chantry
The Orchard
Malgarry
Clonmel

Rear garden of The Orchard. Photo kindly supplied by a former resident.

Cedars Avenue looking towards Commonside East. Havrincourt is on the left. Photo kindly supplied by a former resident of The Orchard.

The houses on the east side of the road were renumbered even, starting from the Commonside East end, possibly in the 1930s. The 1939 for sale ad below for Devonia was the same as an ad listed for no. 2.

Road being surfaced in the 1960s. See comment below by Alan Hutchings.

News articles and adverts

Norwood News – Friday 14 April 1939

MITCHAM COMMON (partially overlooking).

Bright semi-detached freehold; vacant possession; 2 receptions, 3 bedrooms, kitchen, separate w.c., nice garden; £745. – Apply on premises, “Devonia”, Cedars-avenue, Mitcham; Mitcham 4130.

Norwood News – Saturday 13 November 1926
Image © Reach PLC. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

Text of ad:

MITCHAM
(Immediately facing Common and Golf Links).
(By tram alight at Blue House).
Substantially Built Brick and Tile
FREEHOLD HOUSES.
3 and 4 bedrooms. Every modern convenience.
Room for Garage.
£975 to £1,200.
LIBERAL MORTGAGE ARRANGED.
Apply, any time, any day, to:-
PYLE, Contractor,
Corner of Cedars Avenue and Commonside East,
MITCHAM, Surrey.

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

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

Carshalton Road

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Road that is the start of the A237 and runs south from the junction with Commonside West, Cedars Avenue and Croydon Road, heading towards Carshalton.

On the west side there is a junction with Cranmer Road and Willow Lane, and on the right just after this is the entrance road to Mitcham Junction railway station and the Mitcham Golf Club. The road goes over the railway and tram lines on a bridge that was rebuilt and widened in the mid 1950s. On the west side of the road and part of the southern slope of the bridge is an access road leading to Aspen Gardens. Further south from here, and set back from the western side of the road is a line of houses that were originally called Rumbold Villas and Tramway Terrace. They are separated by two roads Drake Road and Arney’s Lane. At Beddington Corner is the Goat pub on the corner with Goat Road.

After Beddington Corner, the road is now called London Road and the A237 continues to the A23 at Coulsdon.

Carshalton Road at junction with Croydon Road. The house was one of the Blue Houses. From a Percy Mayhew postcard, from Merton Memories, photo reference Mit_19_1-19

The guide post (marked G.P.) that is on the south side of the tram line in this 1910 OS map is the one seen in the photo.

1910 OS map

The junction with Croydon Road was changed to a roundabout in 1955.

From the Mitcham News & Mercury, 24th February 1955

ROUNDABOUT

Work is to start soon on making a traffic roundabout at the busy junction of Croydon Road with Carshalton Road, on Mitcham Common.

The Transport Minister has approved a grant of up to £4,427 towards the cost of the roundabout. Coun. D.J. Hempstead, Highways Committee chairman, said last week that it was hoped that work would be speedily undertaken.

The bridge over the railway line was widened at the same time, the work having been started in 1939 but was interrupted by the war.

On the east side of Carshalton Road, south of the railway station, was a WW2 anti-aircraft gun site. It was cleared in the early 1960s.

1955 OS map showing the Gun Site.

From the Mitcham News & Mercury, 13th July 1962:

At last – Gunsite is to go

One of Mitcham’s biggest eyesores, the Gun Site, Carshalton Road, Mitcham Common, is at last to be cleared at a cost of about £13,000.

Work on clearing the site is expected to start in about two months time.

The Ministry have approved a tender of £10,800 submitted to them from the Conservators and have further agreed to bear the cost of replacing trees on the site.

WELCOMED

A further cost of £2,000 fees will be included in the work.

This news is welcomed not only by the Conservators but by Mitcham Council and the public.

The Gun Site is one of the few remaining war relics in Mitcham and local people have been pressing for years to clear it.

The conservators hope to replace it with a grass landscape with trees.

WW2 Civilian Casualties

20th October 1940

16 Carshalton Road
Winifred Mabel LARBY, aged 35

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