Tag Archives: Ravensbury Arms

In search of Ravensbury Close

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From the Streatham News – Friday 8th November 1946

In Search Of Ravensbury Close

Is it not time that our local authority reviewed the naming of some thoroughfares ?

Surely this should be carried out with a view to helping instead of confusing, people ? One expects to find—and actually does find—Greyhound-terrace adjacent to Greyhound-lane, and Manor-road, Manor-way and Manor-place in close proximity to each other, but such similarity in names does not allow such simple deduction to be correct in all cases.

The other evening I had occasion to visit a Mitcham address on rather urgent business, and even the police were unable to tell me where it was! The address I wanted was Ravensbury-close, and although a resident in Mitcham for nearly twenty years, I was uncertain of where it lay.

Perhaps because I worked in conjunction with the police during the war (though, unfortunately for me, many miles away from home), or merely because it was the natural thing for anyone to do in such circumstances, I telephoned the local police station and asked where Ravensbury-close was. Did I know the Ravensbury Tavern, in Morden-road? I did. “Well, Ravensbury-close runs alongside,” I was informed. I arrived at the Tavern to find the road referred to was named Ravensbury-GROVE. It was nearly 9 p.m. when I arrived, and the very poor lighting (something else the Council could do something about it!) did not help me in my quest. I made inquiries on the spot, and was told that the place I wanted was in London-road. Off I went, only to find myself, after walking for ten minutes and following my directions, that I was now at Ravensbury-COURT!

Following fresh instructions, I retraced my steps to the Ravensbury TAVERN, went through Ravensbury-GROVE, to two houses which appeared in the darkness to be in the middle of a fleld, though I believe it may have been the scene of an “incident” when Hitler was around. Here I was told that the address was still Ravensbury-GROVE, I asked yet again, and was sent on another 15 minutes’ walk in an entirely new direction, and there, somewhere off The Drive I came to Ravensbury-AVENUE! By this time I had had quite enough. and returned home, having walked a few miles and circled Ravensbury Park at least once.

Next morning I telephoned the police and explained the position. They were sorry, but they could not help me further. They said Ravensbury-close must be in another district.

Eventually, a girl telephonist at the Town Hall gave me the correct directions — a turning off St Mark’s-road. Relieved, I thanked her—and told her I had telephoned the police the previous evening. “ And they sent you up to Morden-road, I suppose,” she queried. Surely a more appropriate name for the two houses comprising Ravensbury-close would be St. Mark’s-close, or even Majestic-close, seeing it lies in the shadow of the Majestic Cinema. But why Ravensbury-close should be off St Mark’s-road, Ravensbury court on the London-road, Ravensbury-grove off Morden-road. and Ravensbury-avenue, off The Drive, all miles from each other in different directions, I cannot imagine.

And to further confuse one, the Ravensbury Arms (more familiarly known as the Blue House) is in yet another direction, on the Croydon-road!

SKYLARK.

1958 Tatler recommends Ravensbury Arms

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From an article in The Tatler, entitled Dining Out

when my clutch suddenly failed completely on the slope of the Blue House Bridge Croydon Road, Mitcham, I was within one hundred and fifty yards of the Ravensbury Arms.

I must have passed it a thousand times in my life, but as it has always been so close to the start of a journey, south or south-east, I had never given it a thought.

There I found John Dawson and his wife, Stella, and announced my plight. In a couple of seconds they had summoned two bar staff and two of their customers. Between them they pushed me from the bridge, round the roundabout, and into the space in front of their pub.

The Dawsons, I discovered, have built up a great reputation for their cuisine, John Dawson having be come by sheer enthusiasm a sort of self-taught maitre chef, and nothing goes out of the kitchen unless it has his blessing. The menu for this type of pub is remarkable and includes such things as scampi at 7s. 6d., caviare at 12s. 6d., and asparagus 5s. There is a choice of six omelets (including Spanish); a considerable cold buffet, a large range of grills (including a porterhouse steak garni for 12s. 6d.), and so on.

There are red and white wines at 2s. per glass and a short, simple, but quite adequate wine list – Burgundies from 14s. per bottle, Bordeaux from 12s. 6d.

When John and Stella Dawson took over the Ravensbury in 1952 they were possibly the youngest innkeepers in the country, being 24 and 22 years old respectively. John learnt his pub-keeping from his wife’s father, a great cricketing enthusiast, “Burn” Bullock, who played for the Surrey Seconds in the early ‘twenties and then turned professional. Later he took the King’s Head which looks out over the famous cricket green at Mitcham. This is now being run by his widow, Mrs. Lillian Bullock.

Source: The Tatler – Wednesday 12 November 1958 from the British Newspaper Archive (subscription required)