Tag Archives: Watermeads

1951 news items

Leave a reply

Saturday 28 July 1951

WHAT THE SKYLON LOOKS LIKE WITHIN
In the first picture taken inside the Festival of Britain Skylon, Mr Ernest Rose, a steeplejack of Mitcham and the foreman responsible for its maintenance, is shown cleaning 170 reflectors and replacing 50 of the 500 lamps. The London Electricity Board had fitted a gadget to record any lightning strike; Mr Rose said that in a storm he would get inside the structure, which would screen him from the flash.

Thursday 2 August 1951

NEW SCHEME FOR FIXING RENTS
Differential basis to be considered by council
ECONOMIC RENTS TOO HIGH FOR MANY INCOMES
Help for those in urgent need
Mitcham Council deferred until September a differential rent scheme set out by the borough treasurer, Mr E. C. Clay. Rising housing costs were putting economic rents beyond lower-paid workers, while homes were still meant to go to those in most urgent need. The Association of Municipal Corporations favoured such schemes so that subsidies were not given to tenants who did not need them.

For safety of children
Council to provide footpath
Wallington and Carshalton Education Executive heard of danger to children from the northern end of Beddington Lane and The Meads Estate who were to attend the new Park Farm school instead of Hackbridge. A sub-committee wanted a continuous footpath from Beddington Lane halt to Derry Road, and the executive asked the county council to approve the cost. At Camden Road, Carshalton, crush barriers were to be considered for 1952-53.

For community centre
The Mitcham borough treasurer was authorised to borrow £2,700 for a community centre on the Pollards Hill housing estate, and also for land in Rowan Road and Rowan Crescent, Long Thornton, for housing.

Political propaganda?
C.O.I. lectures
Coun. E. J. Millis (Con.) called Central Office of Information lectures at the Vestry Hall “political propaganda from start to finish.” The Finance Committee had resolved to charge the scale fee for each booking; after debate a motion to refer the recommendation back for further consideration was carried.

Pollution in the Wandle
What investigations have revealed
Surrey County Council’s Rivers and Streams Committee reported fungus from the Mitcham surface-water sewer (Bull Ditch), greasy matter from the Western Road sewer entering the Wandle, and trade waste into the Pickle Ditch that had since ceased. Night samples between Croydon and Wandsworth were of rather better quality than daytime ones. The committee objected to a bore-hole application by W. J. Bush and Co. at Batsworth Road, Mitcham, and set conditions on a standby bore-hole for Hackbridge Cable Co. at Kelvin Works.

Homes were inundated
Bridge was bottleneck for flood water
At Beddington Central Ward ratepayers’ meeting a resident complained that storm water and sewage had entered homes in Demesne Road, Wallington, with the railway bridge acting as a bottleneck. Flooding under the Manor Road railway bridge was also raised; Coun. A. Stammers said rebuilding was a long way off and there were several bad spots in the borough.

Two killed in road crash
Van and lorry collide
An inquest opened on Friday into the deaths of Mary Thomson, 12, and Margaret Purvis Thomson, 14, of Cromer Road, Tooting, killed when a van in which they were passengers collided with a lorry on the Barnet by-pass near Hatfield on 22 July. Evidence was given by their fathers, George Thomson and William Alexander Thomson. The inquest was adjourned until 7 September.

NO RETICENCE
At Carshalton Council Coun. F. J. Taylor (Lab.) asked why the Housing Committee seemed reluctant to tell the public about plans for the Barrow Hedges Estate. Coun. J. L. Bott denied any reluctance and said decisions had been, and would be, fully reported to the council.

Five hurt in road collision
Five people were injured when a small van swerved to avoid a pedestrian and hit a concrete post in London Road, Mitcham, on Saturday. The injured included the driver, Mr Charles George Joyce, of Carshalton; Mr Frederick Cullis, of Cowper Gardens, Wallington; and Mr Leslie Fowler and Mrs Evelyn Fowler, of Kentish Town. They were treated at Wilson Hospital.

Mitcham girls at the South Bank Exhibition
Girls of Mitcham County School for Girls visited the South Bank Exhibition with pupils of Clayton Hall Grammar School, near Stoke-on-Trent, returning wartime hospitality Mitcham girls had received near Stoke when escaping flying bombs. A picture showed three of them at a picnic lunch at the exhibition.

To be used as sports centre
Future of Mill House
The old Mill House in the centre of Mitcham Common now belonged to Mitcham Council. Borough engineer Mr Riley Schofield reported that earlier owners had meant to use the ground floor as a restaurant; finishing essential repairs would cost about £700, and exterior painting about £300. The Common Conservators were to use tipped land east of Windmill Road for football pitches, and the Recreation Grounds Committee agreed dressing rooms in the laundry building up to about £650.

First with the news
Coun. S. L. Saldanha (Lab.) asked whether Mitcham Council had been told that the Railway Executive was considering closing the West Croydon–Wimbledon line, as reported that morning in the Advertiser. Town Clerk Mr R. H. White said the first he knew of it was from the paper.

507 ask for action
Want recreation ground cleared and laid out
Five hundred and seven residents of the Lewis Road area petitioned, through Mrs V. Palmer, for the Lewis Road recreation ground—called a rubbish dump by councillors—to be cleared and laid out. The Recreation Grounds Committee said nothing could be done at once; the borough engineer was to prepare a scheme for the 1952-53 estimates. Ald. H. T. Simms promised sympathetic consideration.

Watermeads in danger
More subscribers are needed
At the annual meeting of Watermeads subscribers Mr Tom Francis resigned as local chairman after many years; Ald. T. A. East succeeded him. Income was only about £260 and spending exceeded it, a concern to the National Trust. A five-shilling subscription with a key of entrance was urged so that local control of the river-front should not be lost for want of support.

WHY CALL NEW FLATS MAINWARING COURT?
Coun. Ruff wants names with closer local associations
SECOND THOUGHTS ON CHOICE FOR ELM NURSERY
Coun. Tom Ruff (Lab.), a Mitcham native, protested at the choice of Elm Court, Mainwaring Court, Coningsby Court and Paxton Court for new flats on the Elm Nursery estate off London Road. He wanted names with closer local ties, including Mizen for the nursery family. The Mayor (Ald. G. R. Madgwick) and Housing chairman Coun. A. S. Mingay were among those discussing local history in the names.

Volunteers to patrol parks?
Ratepayers ask council to consider scheme
Beddington West Ward Ratepayers’ Association urged volunteer park patrols against hooliganism in Beddington and Wallington. Damage was put at £2,000–£3,000 a year. Coun. S. W. C. Sprunt said two extra patrolmen had been appointed; the Parks Committee was asked to consider treating volunteers like ordinary patrols.

THANKED FOR HIS WORK
At Mitcham Council the Mayor (Ald. G. R. Madgwick) presented Ald. T. A. East, Deputy Mayor, with a vellum of appreciation for his year as Mayor, with a tribute also to the Mayoress. As Festival Week chairman Ald. East said the week had been a success.

Rotary service in action
Mitcham Rotarians lunched at the White Hart Hotel. Rotarian Alfred Young, chairman of Rotary District 14, spoke on community service, including help for elderly people and youth clubs. Visitors were introduced by Rotarian J. Tring; President Rotarian C. S. P. Dale welcomed the speaker.

CRICKETERS’ THANKS
Town Clerk Mr R. H. White read letters of thanks from Mrs Ray Miller, manager of the Australian women cricketers, and Miss Cummins of the Surrey side, for the civic welcome when an international match was played on the Green.

Thursday 20 September 1951

Coalmen charged
Three coalmen—Joseph Stallard, driver, of Fountain Road; William George Stallard, of Pear Tree Close; and Ronald Harris, 21, of Mount Road, Mitcham—were charged with stealing a ton of house coal belonging to British Railways, said to have been residue from trucks at Wallington station. Det.-constable F. Jennings said they were stopped with a local coal firm’s vehicle; a shopkeeper later complained after paying by cheque. Joseph Stallard, who had previous convictions, was sent to prison for one month; William Stallard and Harris were each fined £4.

AGAINST COUNCIL POLITICS
South Mitcham Residents to fight next election
LOCAL GOVERNMENT HINDERED BY PARTY FIGHTING
People ‘fed up’ with politics in local affairs
South Mitcham Residents’ Association voted to put up a candidate at the May borough election. Before the war it had six aldermen and councillors; Ald. Mrs Niven was now the only Independent for Lower Mitcham. Former mayor Mr A. H. Bailey moved that party nominees could not best serve the ward; Ald. Mrs Niven said if they did not fight they might as well close down. The resolution was carried.

They won the “flitch”
No quarrels for 12 months
Four North Mitcham couples claimed the Mitcham Flitch for a year without a cross word. Rain moved the court into the North Mitcham Improvement Association pavilion; the prize, a large tin of cooked ham, went to Mr and Mrs Grimwood of 105 Melrose Avenue. Also competing were Mr and Mrs Freeman of Ashbourne Road, Mr and Mrs Green of Swains Lane, and Mr and Mrs Smith of Melrose Avenue. Mr E. P. Ward, J.P., sat as judge, with Dr Eluned Evans and Mr Dick Gifford as counsel.

Bottle was not clean
Court sequel to milk delivery
The Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society was fined £5 with £3 13s. costs at Wallington for delivering milk in a dirty bottle to a house in Colwood Gardens, Colliers Wood. Mrs Margaret Alice Howard took the bottle to Mitcham’s public health department. Depot superintendent Mr L. W. Steward said the Mitcham depot only distributed milk bottled at Kilburn. For a similar offence at Vale Road, Mitcham, the South Suburban Co-operative Society was also fined with costs.

Lewis Road recreation ground
A photograph showed the ground still a tip, with a cycle track used by local enthusiasts. The caption said more than 480 Mitcham residents had signed a petition asking the council to reinstate it as soon as possible; Phipps Bridge Conservatives had called it a “regular old rubbish dump.”

If branch line closes
Prospect alarms factory workers
Former councillor Mr R. A. Humphreys told South Mitcham Residents’ Association that people using the Croydon–Wimbledon branch, especially factory workers, were alarmed at talk of closure. The meeting backed his call for the borough council to fight to keep goods and passenger traffic. Mr Vincent thought buses might replace passenger trains if the line closed.

31 years in his job
Good character spoilt by theft
Ernest Edwin Kelly, 49, splint maker, of Streatham Road, Mitcham, pleaded guilty at Wallington to stealing two pairs of shoes from Queen Mary’s Hospital for Children, Carshalton, where he had worked for 31 years. He had hidden a pair in bushes; another pair was at his home. After being bombed out in 1948 he had had operations and feared losing his job. He was discharged conditionally for 12 months on payment of 30s. costs.

Worried about a wall
South Mitcham Residents’ Association heard that the borough engineer said the old brick wall round part of The Canons was under constant surveillance. Mr R. F. Palmer wanted the council told that expert opinion confirmed the association’s fears; the meeting agreed.

Reversing van kills woman
Coroner’s comments at inquest
Ronald Chacksford, of Shore Grove, Carshalton, reversing a baker’s electric van in Masefield Close, Mitcham, knocked down and ran over Mrs Sarah Hawkins, 83, a widow of that cul-de-sac. She died of shock from multiple injuries. At the Sutton inquest on Friday neighbours described a piercing scream as the van moved back. Coroner Dr C. F. J. Baron said the jury might feel the death ought not to have happened; they returned accidental death and asked for better rear vision on such vans.

SAVINGS WEEK TARGET
Mitcham’s aim is £17,000
Mitcham Savings Week aimed to raise at least £17,000, about ten per cent on average weekly sales for the year to 31 March. A former Mayor was chairman, Town Clerk Mr R. H. White secretary, and Mr R. A. Burroughs organiser. The Mayor (Ald. G. R. Madgwick) was to open the campaign in Fair Green Gardens, with a street-group membership contest against Carshalton and Coulsdon and Purley.

‘Stop this whispering’
Mr. Randall’s hint to Mr. Robert Carr
At a Wallington meeting Harry Randall, prospective Labour candidate for Mitcham and Wallington, answered sitting M.P. Robert Carr over remarks Randall was said to have made in Canada. Carr had called the talk “off the record”; Randall said Carr should “stop this whispering” abroad and praised the local press for fair treatment of a newcomer.

TO PROTECT CHILDREN
Another attendant for Ravensbury Park
Mr F. Grainger told South Mitcham Residents’ Association their protests had brought an extra attendant for Ravensbury Park in the holidays after a report that a child had been molested. Clerk Mr Harry May confirmed the Joint Committee’s decision to take special care of children using the park.

Well above average
Quality at North Mitcham show
North Mitcham Improvement Association’s garden show and home crafts exhibition in the newly decorated hall had fruit, flowers and vegetables of above-average quality. Prizewinners included Mr F. Page and Mr Wilder for apples and pears, Mr H. E. Bickford for late roses, Mr H. Henley for cabbages and carrots, and several women for bottled fruit, pickles, cakes and jam. Mr A. J. P. Briggs showed a model Flying Fortress.

ELECTION FIGHT WILL BE BITTER
Mr. Arthur Henderson calls for Labour determination
GOVERNMENT’S RECORD AT HOME AND ABROAD
Speaking to Mitcham and Wallington Labour Party at Wallington on Friday, Mr Arthur Henderson, Secretary of State for Air, said the next General Election would be the most strenuous and bitter for years. Conservatives would use every resource to overturn Labour’s small majority. He defended the government’s home and foreign record, said war was not inevitable, and urged determination and unity.

Lyxhayr

Leave a reply

Lyxhayr was the brand name of artificial horse hair that was manufactured at Grove Mills, on the Wandle in Mitcham.

First manufactured in 1903 by a company called ‘The Patent Horse Hair Co. Ltd.’, ‘lyxhayr’ was a curled fibre of vegetable origin for many upholstery filling applications. Developed by a chemist called Mr Holmes, the process was patented.

As well as hair from horses, wool or cotton fibre, called ‘flock’, was used in filling mattresses and furniture. Sometimes, hog hair was mixed in with the horse hair to reduce cost. Animal hair however was not hygienic, and the company’s advertisement in 1907 said that the Public Analyst for Hackney, Dr Leo Taylor, had found that the hair contained almost the same amount of bacteria as London sewage.

Being made from vegetable, this artificial horse hair was free of bacteria.

In 1905 the company changed its name to Lyxhayr Ltd. and Mr W. A. Dickinson was its Managing Director. Mattresses made with lyxhayr were popular with hospitals but cheaper, less hygienic ones were still being sold.

Mr Dickinson was one of those who lobbied parliament leading to the Rag Flock Act of 1911, which was the first attempt to regulate the abuses.

1907 ad

1907 ad

Listed in the 1938 commercial directory as

Mitcham Fibre Mills Ltd., horse hair substitute manufacturers, Grove Mills, London Road. Trading As “Lyxhayr, Mitcham;” Telephone Number 0807.

News Articles
These are from the British Newspaper Archive.

Sutton & Epsom Advertiser – Thursday 22 September 1949

Memories of the Wandle and old friends who fought in her defence

Sir,—Mention of the late Benjamin Slater in “The Advertiser” recalls to mind the many happy hours I spent with him in his old-world garden after his retirement from his long service at Hall Place. Occasionally we were joined by the late Sir T. Cato Worsfold, always ready to chat with his head gardener. I happen to be Mr. Slater’s only grandson.

I entered the office of Lyxhayr Manufacturers, Ltd., predecessors of the present Mitcham Hair and Fibre Mills, Ltd., and worked under the then managing director, the late Mr. W. A. Dickinson, who was not a native or resident of Mitcham but had been in business at the mill for a great number of years. He loved the Wandle and the adjoining Watermeads and Happy Valley and he took an active part when Watermeads was handed over to the National Trust. He was, I believe, one of the original members of the local Watermeads committee and worked hard in its interests. Mr. Dickinson would search every book likely to contain any reference to the Wandle and he left some interesting records. Normally a quiet business man, he sailed straight into action, up or down the Wandle, with all guns blazing, whenever the Wandle was threatened either by abstraction or diversion of the water or pollution. In the early fights with Croydon Corporation he was always to be found shoulder to shoulder with the other riparian owners on the river.

Ill-health forced him to retire in 1932. On the day he left his office, the last he saw of the Wandle which ran under his office window, I accepted his keys and took over his duties with a feeling that I and the Wandle had lost a good friend. He retained his interest in the river until the last.

Working in the mills at the time of my entry was the late George Hill, then getting on in years. Hill was a well known and respected old inhabitant of Mitcham who lived in one of the old cottages (recently pulled down) adjoining the police station on the Causeway. He died in 1922. Practically all his long life had been spent working in the mill. He was there before the advent of Lyxhayr when it was used as a felt mill, owned or managed by the late W. W. Thompson, but as a boy he worked for a time in the garden of Wandle House. Hill, in common with Benjamin Slater and so many old Mitchamites, retained his love of gardening and in his later days as a faithful old servant of the mills he spent the greater part of his working time cultivating the kitchen garden at the rear of the mill for Mr. Dickinson. Hill’s especial pride being a fine asparagus bed which Dickinson duly did justice to. It was from Hill’s association with Wandle House that the information was obtained by Mr. Dickinson about McKray’s Mill.

I have no doubt I could obtain further information about the mill and the activities of McKray or McCrae (the latter, I think, is more likely to be the correct way of spelling). Fortunately we still have with us people who know more about the river and its mills than I do. Perhaps Col. Bidder, that old river stalwart, can help me, or maybe Mr. H. Gorden Holder of Deeds Mill can elicit some information about the mill in question from his uncle, Mr. Stanley Holder.

E. B. HEDGER.
Grove Mills, Mitcham.

Western Chronicle – Friday 5 February 1909
1909 fire

At one o’clock on Saturday morning a fire broke out the Grove Mills, Mitcham, an artificial horsehair manufactory. The fire brigades from Croydon, Sutton, and Mitcham attended, but the four-storey brick building was completely gutted. The damage is estimated at from £5,000 to £6,000.

Pearson’s Weekly – Thursday 4 January 1906

A VALUABLE addition has been made to the list of hygienic articles by the introduction of Lyxhayr. A substitute for horsehair, Lyxhayr is a natural, vegetable, woody fibre, which has been chemically and mechanically treated. As a stuffing for beds and chairs, where the maximum of health and cleanliness is desired, it is gaining great appreciation. Full particulars of Lyxhayr can be obtained from the selling agents, Messrs. Dollery and Palmer, 110 Cannon Street, London, E.C.