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Cricks & Martin, movie makers at Ravensbury Lodge

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Makers of short silent films in the early 20th century. Their studios and workshops were at Ravensbury Lodge, in the grounds of Mitcham Grove, on the west side of the London Road near the bridge over the river Wandle. The sales office was in Film House, Gerard Street, in London’s West End.

At one point they were producing one film a week.

Location
Interviews
Adverts in trade press
Films available on youtube

Eric Montague, in his Mitcham Histories: 6 Mitcham Bridge, The Watermeads and the Wandle Mills, page 69, said that the firm of Cricks & Sharp had taken over parts of the outbuildings in the walled garden of Mitcham Grove in 1901.

According to the British Film Institute:

George Howard Cricks and John Howard Martin first met when they both worked for Robert Paul in the late nineteenth century. Martin was in charge of the darkroom, and Cricks of the sale of films and equipment through Paul’s Animatographe Depot in High Holborn.

Cricks left to form his own company, and Cricks and Martin was founded in 1908, when Martin replaced Cricks’ first partner, Henry Martin Sharp, at their studios in Mitcham in Surrey.

Location

Cricks & Martin was listed in the 1910-1911 street directory:

entry in the 1910-11 street directory

The building marked Lodge on this 1910 OS map was Ravensbury Lodge, where the entrance to Rawnsley Avenue is today. The Carshalton Boundary post referred to in the directory entry is shown as B.P. on the map on the south side of the bridge over the Wandle.

1910 OS map

Interviews

Mr Martin on joining in 1908
Mr Cricks in 1909

Mr Martin

From the Kinematograph Weekly – Thursday 20 February 1908

A Talk with Mr. J. Howard Martin.

MESSRS CRICKS & MARTIN AND THEIR PLANS.

As briefly announced in our last issue, the partnership between Mr. G. H. Cricks and Mr. H. M. Sharp has been dissolved. Mr. J. Howard Martin, who has had many years experience with Mr. R. W. Paul, takes the place of Mr. Sharp in the firm, which is now known as “Cricks and Martin.” In a conversation which we had with Mr. Martin, at the pleasantly-situated headquarters of the firm at Mitcham, he informed us that the change in the business would shortly be followed by a more energetic policy, one of the effects of which would be to still further increase the high photographic quality of the products of the firm. A step in this direction has already been taken by increasing the darkroom accommodation, and future plans include the erection of a studio in which the light will be under control, in addition to the out door stage on which the films are at present produced. Mr. Martin informed us that the present issue of one film subject per week would in the near future be considerably increased.

The bulk of the staging will in future fall upon Mr. Martin, assisted by a fully qualified staff, and during a walk through the grounds of “Ravensbury Lodge” he furnished us with particulars of his previous experience in this direction, which were sufficient assurance that a high level may be expected in future subjects. lt may be said in passing that Mr. Martin is exceptionally fortunate in the surroundings in which these fi!ms will be produced. Messrs. Cricks and Martin have 25 acres of ground at their disposal at Ravensbury Lodge,which was previously the country seat of Sir John Lubbock (Lord Avebury). Every kind of scenery lies ready at their hand. An old stable yard (which has already furnished a setting for several films) alone presents many possibilities to the expert, and within the radius of the grounds, there are garden scenes, meadow land and, last but by no means least, useful river scenery, the last furnished by the river Wandle. Many actors have plunged into the latter for film purposes already, and within easy reach of the office there are innumerable pretty spots suitable for photographic purposes. If horses or cows are required to impart an air of rusticity, they may be found already grazing in the grounds.

“I have been connected with photography practically all my life,” said Mr. Martin in reply to a question, “and my father before me followed the same occupation, which he has only recently relinquished. I started kinematograph work with Mr. R. W. Paul, in 1897, and continued with him until I joined Mr. Cricks only a few weeks ago.

“As you,know, Mr. Paul for some time furnished the pictures at the Alhambra, and the necessity for putting on pictures of current events led to my quickly making acquaintance with topical and rush work. I particularly remember the time of the Diamond Jubilee, which we filmed and put on at the Alhambra on the evening of the following day. At that day that was a big achievement, though it is frequently beaten now, and in order to fill orders it was necessary for the staff to work the rest of the day on which the picture was taken and right through the following night without rest. At Coronation time similar rush work was experienced, and I was at the works for 24 hours on end. We were putting out copies at the rate of 2,000 feet an hour.

“As the trade developed, plot subjects more particularly were in demand and, as you probably know, we were one of the first to put out trick films in England, that branch of the work having previously been entirely in the hands of the French makers. During the years I was in Mr. Paul’s studio, I had a hand in most of the trick subjects which were issued. It is my experience that a good trick film is certain to be a success, and as soon as the new studio is in working order we shall be turning out some here.”

“Will you issue ‘travel’ films in any number ? ”

“Certainly. As you know, the firm has already made something of a reputation for pictures of this class, and for subjects on the lines of ‘Carl Hagenbeck’s Zoo,’ ‘Cliff Climbing at Flamborough Head,’ and ‘Life on an English Reformatory Ship,’ and we shall certainly issue subjects of a higher level than the ordinary ‘comic’ wherever possible.”

” Do you not find yourself out of touch with buyers, making your headquarters out of London ?”

“Not at all; we may occasionally miss a casual caller, but most film buyers are reached through the post and telephone, and we can get at them just as easily as from London, while at the same time we can give personal attention to the manufacturing side. You might also point out to showmen that we are not so far off after all. We are just outside Mitcham station, which is reached in half-an-hour from Waterloo, and we shall be pleased to advise intending callers as to the train service.”

Mr Cricks

An interview with Mr Cricks, from the Kinematograph Weekly – Thursday 28 October 1909

A Leading English Producer and His History.

Mr. G. H. Cricks is one of the select band who joined the film business in its very earliest days in this country, and yet have been able to keep pace with the more stringent demands of latter day conditions. Several years as manager of a large photographic dealer’s business gave him an insight into matters photographic which proved of the utmost value when he joined the old Blair Company and obtained his first introduction to the trade of which he is now so prominent a member. The Blair Company was at that time in a position somewhat akin to that now occupied by Eastman, that is to say, they had a practical monopoly of the supply of film base. When Mr. Cricks speaks of these early days one is at once struck by the names of people at that time prominent in the film field, who have since entirely dropped out. In addition to Paul, Warwick, and Hepworth, still in the business, there were Chard, of Great Portland Street, and quite a number making their headquarters at Brighton, these including Esme Collings (now dead) and Mr. G. A. Smith, in addition to Mr. Williamson, the only one in the town now remaining in the business. Mr. Cricks supplied all of these with their raw material. At that time the price of raw film was 2d. per foot and finished prints were sold first at a shilling and later at eightpence. No wonder there is an element of regret in the manner in which some of these gentlemen allude to the good old times!

From the Blair Company, Mr. Cricks went all through the practical part of the business, from taking the negative, developing and printing, to selling the finished picture. Coming to the conclusion that “a rolling stone gathers no moss,’ he set himself to make a permanent niche in the business, a start being made in a small office in Great Queen Street, with a stage of equally modest proportions at the back of the Swan Brewery, Fulham. Things were very primitive in those days, and Mr. Cricks and his partner, Mr. H. M. Sharp, did practically all the work between them?the first being in charge of the operating and staging, the latter doing the office work, and the two sharing the dark room labours between them. Even in those early days the Lion’s Head films were noted for their acting, and subjects such as “Wife’s Revenge,” ” Nobbling the Derby Favourite,” “Drink and Repentance,” and other of their early issues are in no way behind modern productions in this particular, their dramatic films at the time being probably the finest acted on the market. During our conversation Mr. Cricks gave away the secret; it was due to the fact that they were able to draw upon the services of a company performing at one of the leading London theatres, and so procured talent far superior to the average used for films in those days.

Harking back a bit, we had some interesting illustrations of the difficulties of camera work in the early days. Mr. Cricks then worked with one of the old Gaumont cameras without light-tight boxes and lens calibrations, and recalled an instance where he had the filming of an event of great public interest with this instrument. On this occasion, by the way, he exposed 165 feet of film and produced a finished picture of 150 feet – a very small percentage of wastage.

“This is the way you had to go to work, said Mr. Cricks. First plank your camera down in the best position obtainable and focus up. Fix lens in position, then pencil-mark the position of the camera on the stand. Take the camera oil and put the film in it, in the dark sack which you always carried with you. Then carefully replace camera in the position marked, take your picture, and go home trusting in I rovidence as t o th e res ult. No one was more surprised than myself on this occasion when I obtained a film which Mr. Maskelyne thought the best result secured in London that day.”‘

Of recent developments in the business the most important has been the entry of Mr. J.H. Martin as partner, which occurred in February, 1908, and more recently the opening of an office for the sale of goods at the Film House, Gerrard Street, under Mr. Cricks’ management. The great increase in the firm’s business Mr. Cricks ascribed in a great measure to Mr. Martin’s ability as producer in turning out such a large percentage of winners, and we did not quarrel with his statement that at least half of the recent issues come under that head. But like all successful firms they are eager for further triumphs, and Mr. Cricks hinted at some big developments at the producing end which would enable them to keep pace with the demand for subjects, one of the few difficulties have to contend with since Lion’s Head subjects leaped into popularity, being due to the limited capacity of the factory. As regards this winter’s subjects, one interesting feature of tbe output will be a special series of travel subjects, which operators have been securing all the summer in various parts of the Continent, while an effort will be made to still further increase the technical merit of the film by a more liberal use of tinting and toning, for which a special plant has been recently laid down at the Mitcham factory. As an English maker, Mr. Cricks is naturally proud of the fact that his was the first English firm to regularly use this method of improving the effectiveness of their films. It may be added here that Mr. Cricks claimed a like credit for the English trade in the matter of titles as a part of the film itself, which his firm were the first In England to use on all their pictures, although other firms had at times put a title on some of their pictures.

A chance remark of ours led Mr. Cricks to air one of his few grievances.

“I am the first to admit,” he said, “the beautiful quality of so many of the foreign films, but some of the subjects! – really, they are quite foreign to British taste, and I am surprised that some of them are ever screened. You know the sort of thing I mean. There is always someone running off with someone else’s wife, and even more suggestive themes are handled.I do not think these subjects can do the business any good, and am particularly careful that nothing that can offend even an hyper-sensitive person should get into our films.

“While I am grumbling, may I point out another matter in which I think many manufacturers treat their customers rather hardly? I refer to the practice of hanging up all the good subjects until the ‘season’ – so called – so that the renter is swamped with film at one part of the year and almost denuded at another. During the last summer, we have consistently put out films, both in number and quality up to those which were released in the winter — this you know for yourself from such subjects as ‘Salome,’ ‘Boxing Fever,’ ‘Butcher Boy,’ and others.”

“Do you think any early alterations likely in the constitution of the business ? A revival of the Convention, for instance ? ”

I hope to Heaven not,” said Mr. Cricks, emphatically. “| think the scheme originated by the K.M.A. was worthy of more support than it received, particularly as regards limiting the life of the film, which would be to the advantage of every section of the business, but my experience at Paris convinced me that any effort to work with some of the Continental makers was a case of mixing oil and water. My method of business is to find out my requirements and fill them myself as far as possible.”

“Have you any alterations to suggest in present methods ?”

“As a manufacturer, I can regard a show somewhat as a member of the public, and after visiting a good many I have been particularly struck by the remissness of English exhibitors as compared with those of the Continent in the matter of effects. Anything which adds to the realism of the show should be cultivated. I think the day will come — and the sooner the better — when every film will be accompanied by a specially composed or adapted piece of music. This idea, by the way. was used lo conjunction with a film of ‘East Lynne, produced by me for Harrisons, of Berners Street in the early days; we recommending that slow music be used at one scene, and When Other Lips’ sung in another.”

“But before anything else is done,” concluded Mr Cricks, “it should be seen that a projector is only put into the hands pf a man capable of working it properly. A ‘handle turner’ is no good – you want a man who is capable of increasing or lessening the speed of projection as required by the picture, and so on. When you have got a good operator you have gone a fair way towards the perfect show.”

Photo of Mr Cricks, from the Kinematograph Weekly – Thursday 28 October 1909

Mr Martin left the firm in 1913, as reported in the Kinematograph Weekly – Thursday 09 January 1913

The year 1913 will see some curious changes in our industry. Already I hear rumours of pending amalgamations, re-arrangements and new floatations.

Perhaps one of the most interesting changes which has already taken place is the retirement of Mr. J. H. Martin from Messrs. Cricks and Martin, Ltd., one of the oldest English producing firms.

Mr. G. H. Cricks is well-known and respected in the Trade and he, perhaps, can claim to have been in the business from the start. It hardly seems five years ago since the firm changed its title from Cricks and Sharpe to Cricks and Martin. Mr. Cricks now takes entire charge of the business which will still retain the name of Cricks and Martin, Ltd., and in a chat with him last week I learned that he is retaining the old staff and is making very important additions to it by an infusion of new blood which should tell advantageously in their future productions. I also learned that we shall soon receive some sensational subjects from Mitcham. I know all the Trade will wish Mr. Cricks every success in the new arrangement.

Mr. H. J. Martin, who, at his own desire, severs his connection with the firm, leaves Mr. Cricks on the most friendly terms and will start another English producing company very shortly. By the by, Mr. Martin was with Mr. Paul sixteen years ago at the very start of the Trade in this country and produced films for him for eleven years and well remembers the time when 1s. 6d. per foot was the price of the finished film. He entered into partnership with Mr. Cricks five years ago and took charge of the production side of the business; he has a very optimistic view of the future of the English film and I wish him every in his new venture.

They marketed their films under the Lion’s Head brand, and between 1908 and 1911 they made over 150 films. See imdb.com for a full list, with descriptions of each film.

Adverts

These trade adverts appeared in the Kinematograph Weekly, British Newspaper Archive, and are copyright the British Library Board.

Kinematograph Weekly – Thursday 19 September 1907

Kinematograph Weekly – Thursday 17 September 1908

Kinematograph Weekly – Thursday 28 January 1909

Kinematograph Weekly – Thursday 25 March 1909

Kinematograph Weekly – Thursday 30 December 1909

Kinematograph Weekly – Thursday 29 December 1910

Kinematograph Weekly – Thursday 04 April 1912
Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Films on youtube

Boxing Fever

A 9 minute 23 second film from 1909. The film is available on the British Pathe News website which has the description:

Full title reads: “Boxing Fever. London”. This is a Lion’s Head Brand film.

Fairground boxing booth where visitors try to knock out the champion and win five pounds, the first contestant is knocked out but the very eager (and possibly drunk) third man knocks out the champion and overcome with “boxing fever” rushes out punching at everybody and everything he meets. He is chased through the streets by an irate crowd and eventually goes into a pub where …

Intertitle reads: “Three Hours Later”.

he gets (even more) drunk and goes home where his wife knocks him about until he pleads for mercy.

From their youtube channel you can watch the whole film below.

The boxer takes to the Fair Green in Mitcham at 4 minutes in to the film:

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

1973 Mitcham Town Centre Plan

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A booklet from 1973 that put forward 4 plans for the town centre:

Plan 1, Plan 2, Plan 3 and Plan 4.

EXHIBITION

A public exhibition of the proposals contained in this booklet will be held at the London Electricity Board showroom, 1-2 Fair Green Parade, Mitcham, on the following dates and times:-

Friday, 6th July 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday, 7th July 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
Friday, 13th July 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday, 14th July 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.

Members of the Town Planning staff will be available to explain and discuss the proposals informally.

PUBLIC MEETING

Following the exhibition a public meeting will be held to discuss the proposals at The Vestry Hall, Cricket Green, Mitcham at 7.30 p.m. on Friday, 20th July. The Chairman for the meeting will be Alderman R.F. Franks, Chairman of the Town Planning and Development Committee.

COMMENTS

A reply paid form will be found at the end of this booklet. Please write your comments on the proposals on this form and leave it at the exhibition in the box provided or post it to the Borough Surveyor. No stamp is required.

Please ensure that the form is returned by 31st August 1973.

THE PLAN FOR MITCHAM WILL AIM TO MAKE IT A BETTER PLACE IN WHICH TO LIVE AND WORK. YOU CAN HELP SHAPE THE TOWN’S FUTURE BY CONSIDERING THESE POSSIBILITIES AND LETTING THE COUNCIL KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THEM.

A PLAN FOR MITCHAM TOWN CENTRE

The Council of the London Borough of Merton is in the process of preparing plans for the future of Mitcham Town Centre. This booklet is being distributed to all homes and commercial premises in and surrounding the centre and, together with an exhibition and public meeting, will give everybody concerned the chance to study and comment on the plans which are being considered.

In July 1972 a leaflet was published which outlined the Council’s ideas and aims regarding the Town Centre. Comments from local residents and groups on these aims were taken into account in preparing the four different plans which are shown in this booklet. Your comments on these proposals will help the Council to identify a preferred plan. This will be considered in greater detail and then published for your information and observations.

No phasing or programming proposals are included at the present time and these will become clearer when further information on the Greater London Council’s road policies and finance are available.

SURVEY MATERIAL

A number of surveys have been carried out to give a clear picture of Mitcham today and these have provided the basis for identifying some of the problems which the Town Centre Plan should aim to relieve. Much of the survey material will be displayed in plan form at the public exhibition and it will eventually be published in the form of a Report of Studies.

Information has been collected on land use, regional and local context, shopping, public transport, car parking, townscape, age of buildings, historic buildings, possible redevelopment areas and trees. The two following plans give details extracted from this information on the existing land use and traffic conditions.

LOCAL CONTEXT

Plans for the future of Mitcham must take account of and fit into policies for the London Area as a whole. These will be provided by the Greater London Development Plan when it is approved. The report of the Panel of Inquiry into this plan has now been published but a final decision on the plan as a whole has not yet been made by the Department of the Environment.

In the plan Mitcham is shown as an area for which proposals for improvement are to be prepared, known as an Action Area, and this booklet represents the latest stage in this procedure. Mitcham is not seen as a major centre in relation to London as a whole but will be expected to cater in shopping terms for its immediate population. No great expansion of the commercial activities of the town is therefore envisaged. On the other hand there is a continuing need for new housing in London and plans for the Mitcham area can be expected to provide opportunities for building new homes.

Central Mitcham is divided by a major radial traffic route (the A.217) running approximately North/South which has junctions at Fair Green with another major route, Commonside West (the A.236). Commonside East and Western Road also bring additional traffic to the Fair Green area.
The centre is served by ten bus routes, four of which terminate in the area. This is the only public transport available at the centre, the nearest British Rail station being some three quarters of a mile away, and present operational and passenger facilities are limited. There are two public car parks which satisfy existing needs.

A conflict of interest exists between persons using the centre for work, shopping or business and those passing through the centre.

THE PROBLEMS

At present Mitcham has to fulfil two incompatible functions:—
(i) as a local shopping centre and focus of social activities.
(ii) as a junction of major traffic routes carrying substantial volumes of through, as well as local traffic.

Heavy traffic flows in the Fair Green area mean that considerable delay is caused and that danger, fumes, dust and noise make shopping unattractive. Traffic on Fair Green makes it difficult for shoppers to move about in the centre and take full advantage of the goods and services offered. The Green itself, historically the focus of the town centre, has become a noisy and unattractive place in which to sit or relax.

The attraction of Mitcham as a local centre is also limited by a lack of variety of shops. This point clearly emerged as a result of the comments received after publication of the previous leaflet. Whilst a local centre cannot expect to provide for all purchases some variety and competition in day to day shopping should be achieved.

Mitcham has a definite sense of scale and character which has been retained over the years by small scale redevelopment restricted to the old street pattern. Some recent redevelopment of larger shopping frontages has tended to erode this character and present day pressures for large scale redevelopment make increased attention to building form and design essential if it is to be retained.

Many of the comments on the previous leaflet mentioned the lack of social facilities in the town centre. Requests were received for a new public/community building, sports facilities and a meeting hall for the elderly. There is also a need for a health centre.
In the areas outside the centre itself again main roads act as a barrier to pedestrians and cause traffic to pass through residential areas. In parts of the town industrial uses exist in largely residential areas and in places derelict or dilapidated buildings create a sense of decay.

All of these problems require an overall plan for Mitcham.

IDENTIFICATION OF AIMS

As a result of the study of existing problems, and the replies to the previous leaflet, the following aims for the Town Centre Plan have been identified:—

(1) To enhance the intimate scale and character of the town centre in accordance with its primary function as a local shopping centre;

(2) to provide for some modest increase in shopping and office development, compatible with the character of the area, to maintain and improve the economic viability of the town centre;

(3) to encourage increased low rise residential development at increased densities to replace any houses lost as a consequence of redevelopment;

(4) to encourage the provision of social and recreational facilities for a variety of age groups;

(5) to provide maximum accessibility by public transport for users of the town centre;

(6) to provide adequate private and public car parking facilities for users of the town centre;

(7) to provide a highway system –
(a) aligning principal traffic routes so as to exclude through traffic from the shopping area;
(b) segregating, as far as practicable, pedestrian and vehicular traffic; and
(c) encouraging the provision of service facilities for existing and future shop and commercial development.

These do not however take account of the effects that the proposals will have on the areas surrounding the centre and ac-cordingly the following three aims have been added to ensure that the disadvantages to these areas, stemming from the proposals, are fully recognised

(8) to minimise the effect of road and other proposals on the surrounding residential areas by means of noise, visual intrusion, loss of open space and amenity areas or severance of pedestrian routes to the Town Centre;

(9) to minimise the effect of road and other proposals on the Merton (Mitcham, The Cricket Green) Con¬servation Area, within which a policy of retention and enhancement of the existing character is pursued;

(10) to minimise the effect of road and other proposals on the secondary shopping areas outside the Town Centre by reason of increased traffic, difficulties of pedestrian access or loss of trade.
The proposals which follow should be looked at in relation to their achievement of these aims.

THE PROPOSALS

Arising from the problems and aims outlined above a broad picture, or concept, of the future functions and form of the Town Centre has been prepared. These principles are combined on the following pages with various road patterns to provide four different Town Centre Plans.
All of these proposals have different advantages and dis-advantages and the Council will take into account your comments and suggestions in preparing its plan.

THE CONCEPT OF THE TOWN CENTRE

Much of Mitcham’s existing character arises from the fact that it is a well defined settlement with an identifiable central area. Figges Marsh, Mitcham Common and The Cricket Green all help to define the limits of the centre and the core of the town is situated around Fair Green thus retaining its historical form. Concentrating town centre uses around the Fair Green will, if adopted, help to strengthen this aspect of the town’s character.

Within the central area shown opposite should be located the principal shopping and commercial uses of the town. Re-development in this area must, however, reflect the existing scale and character. The central area should not include any element of through traffic but maximum accessibility by public transport, and on foot, should be provided.
Areas outside the centre should be largely residential in character and sites which may become available for redevelopment would be used primarily for housing purposes.

PLAN 1

This provides for traffic by improving London Road (North), Upper Green East and Commonside West to act as the route for all through traffic. Traffic from London Road (South) would be diverted to the east by building a new road to join the main route at Commonside West. Western Road would be diverted away from Fair Green and enter London Road on the opposite side to the Baths Hall.

The road alterations mean that most of Upper Green West could be freed of traffic but it will be necessary to provide pedestrians with a means of crossing the main road to the shops in Upper Green East. Buses could readily serve the centre and potential shopping development areas are unaffected, as would be the possible housing areas outside the centre.

This plan will have a considerable visual effect on the Fair Green area. It will cut the centre in two by a busy road and is likely to result in the loss of part of the Green itself, including some important trees. The sense of enclosure of the area would be lost if road improvements involved the demolition of the Bucks Head or Kings Arms public houses at the northern end and some of the shops at the southern end of Upper Green East.

The road works might involve the loss of about 75 dwelling units and almost 2,500 sq. metres of shopping floorspace. This is equivalent to about 25 small shops. About 120 other houses could be affected by increased noise or traffic. Potential redevelop¬ment could provide about 410 new homes and 6,400 sq. metres of shopping floorspace, representing well over twice as much as that lost.

PLAN 2

This utilises the Elm Allotments and the vacant land to the south as the line for a by-pass of the Town Centre. The road would then pass east of Fair Green, making use of existing undeveloped land behind Baker Lane to join Commonside West and then link to London Road (South).

The plan provides the opportunity to remove all through traffic and thus limit traffic in the centre. Access for buses and some service vehicles would be required but much of the Fair Green could become a pedestrian precinct. This would create a much safer and more pleasant environment for shopping. The character of the Green would be greatly improved and could be laid out with much more sitting and recreation space. However such a road provides a barrier to pedestrian movement between Fair Green and the Common and some of the character of the northern end of the Conservation Area will be lost.

The road works could involve a loss of about 70 residential units and 1,000 sq. metres of shopping floorspace. This represents about 10 small shops. New development could provide 330 new homes and 5,400 sq. metres of shopping floorspace, in other words about two large supermarkets or a much larger number of smaller shops. Some 230 other houses would be affected by noise or increased traffic, mainly in the blocks of flats off Armfield Crescent. Measures would need to be taken to reduce this effect by careful road design and noise insulation to properties.

PLAN 3

This provides a by-pass on either side of Fair Green, the one to the east linking London Road (North) with Commonside West, following a similar line to that shown in Plan 2 and that to the west passing just to the west of the Green and then through Glebe Court to join London Road (South).

As with Plan 2 through traffic is by-passed from the centre and access to the Green can be limited to buses and service vehicles. This will remove the great majority of the traffic noise, danger and fumes and make the shopping area a safer and more pleasant part of Mitcham.

The roadworks could involve the loss of about 70 residential units and 2,200 sq. metres of shopping floorspace. This is equivalent to about 20 small shops. New development can provide 330 new homes and about 5,400 sq. metres of shopping space, as in Plan 2. About 330 other dwellings would be affected by noise or increased traffic including the blocks of flats off Armfield Crescent and parts of the new North-West Quadrant housing area and Glebe Court. On the other hand all the dwellings around the area of the Green and parts of Commonside East would have less traffic passing them and, in contrast to all the other schemes the area between London Road (South) and Commonside West would not be affected.

The road pattern of this plan is more dependent than the others on the improvement of the secondary road network in the southern section of the Borough. These improvements are the responsibility of the Greater London Council. Until these plans are known the practicability of this alternative is uncertain.

PLAN 4

This also creates a largely traffic free Fair Green with all the advantages for the pedestrian and shopper mentioned earlier. Through traffic would be routed round a Western by-pass passing just to the west of the Green and then through Glebe Court to the London Road (South). A link between Commonside West and East is provided on a similar line to that in Plans 1 and 2. The visual effect on the Conservation Area in the vicinity of Three Kings Pond is minimised but considerable problems of noise and intrusion of traffic will be caused in the Glebe Court area.

The plan could involve the loss of about 75 residential units and 1,700 sq. metres of shopping floorspace (or about 15 shops) for road construction. On the other hand redevelopment areas can provide 400 new houses and about 5,400 sq. metres of shopping floorspace. About 325 existing properties would be affected by increased traffic, mostly in the Glebe Court and Elmwood Road areas. However properties to the east of the centre, including the blocks of flats off Armfield Crescent which are close to the roads shown in Plans 2 and 3 would not be affected by this scheme.