Tag Archives: London Road

Oakwood Terrace

Terrace of three houses south of the Swan and north of Smith’s Terrace, marked in red on this 1911 map.

Photo taken in 1999, prior to demolition.

From the 1915 street directory, going south on the west side of London Road:

The Swan inn, William POWELL
Adolphus DENDY, wheelwright, (The Oakwoods)

OAKWOOD TERRACE:
3 Arthur WELLS
2 Thomas Walter BOWHILL
1 Arthur HOOKINGS
______
PILLAR LETTER BOX

News Items

From the Sunday Times – Sunday 11 September 1898

ADULTERATION OF MILK.
A LENIENT BENCH.

At the Croydon County Bench yesterday, James Thompson, of Oakwood Terrace, London Road, Mitcham, was summoned for selling milk adulterated with 12 per cent. of water.

Mr. John Martin, a Surrey County Council Inspector, stated that he stopped the defendant on Aug. 17 in London Road, Mitcham, and bought a pint of milk. This was divided, and a portion of it was analysed by Dr. Stevenson, who certified it to contain 12 per cent of added water, with a trace of boracic acid.

Defendant’s explanation was that he had run short of milk, and had borrowed twelve gallons from another dealer in whom he had such confidence that he thought he was acting quite safely.

The Bench took into consideration the Inspector’s report that he had previously found defendant’s milk genuine, and ordered him to pay 5s. costs.

World War 1 Connections

From the Surrey Recruitment Registers:

A HOOKINGS of 1 Oakwood Terrace London Road, aged 41 Years, Printer. Conscripted on 28 December 1916 to the Army Service Corps (k Coy).

F MONK of 1 Oakwood Terrace London Road Mitcham, aged 23 Years, Mantle Cutter. Conscripted on 11 June 1917 to the 84th Training Reserve Batn.


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

Home Radio

Shop that was established at 187 London Road (opposite Eagle House), in 1946 by brothers Alan and Colin Sproxton, using their service gratuities. The name “Home Radio” was suggested by their father.

September 1947 – the shop at 187 London Road, and their van. From the in house magazine of Murphy Radio Co., the Murphy News.


In 1955 Colin Sproxton took part in the Monte Carlo Rally.

Colin Sproxton in 1959 at the Monte Carlo Rally. Clip from Merton Memories photo reference Mit_​People_​124-1, copyright London Borough of Merton.


Home Radio initially sold electrical appliances, as shown in these adverts from 1960.


The business grew with selling components by mail order. According to an article in The Radio Constructor magazine (pdf), Home Radio and Mitcham became known all over the world.

Colin Sproxton retired in 1964, the year of this catalogue cover:

1964 Home Radio catalogue

The back cover of this catalogue showed how to get to their shop by public transport. The map also showed their service shop in Locks Lane.

Their 1968 components catalogue, was advertised in Practical Wireless magazine, and said that it was:

Used and acclaimed by scientists, engineers, technicians, teachers & students

1968 Practical Wireless magazine ad

In 1969 they moved to larger premises to cope with the need to store large amounts of components for the mail order business. They went to the top floor of a new office block at 234 – 240 London Road, which gave them 2,400 square feet of space. The business was being run by Alan Sproxton and Ernest Layton at this time.

The Radio Constructor magazine described the dinner that was held at The Grange on 23rd April 1969 to celebrate the expansion of the business. A guest at the dinner was an old friend of the Sproxton family, Mr B. Mund Hopen from Bergen in Norway, who was in charge of the Norwegian Shipping Mission during World War 2. Mr Sproxton, in his after-lunch speech said that it was his opinion that three things saved Britain from defeat: radar, the tenacity and courage of the RAF, and the Norwegian tanker fleet which came over to Britain.


The company was wound up in 1982, as recorded in the London Gazette:

HOME RADIO (COMPONENTS) LIMITED

“That it has been proved to the satisfaction of the Company that this Company cannot, by reason of its liabilities, continue its business and that it is advisable that the same should be wound up; and that the Company be wound up and that Keith John Chapman of 1-2 Pudding Lane, London EC3R 8AB, be and is hereby appointed as Liquidator of the Company for the purpose of such voluntary winding-up.”

A. Sproxton, Chairman