River Wandle in Merton

River Wandle In Merton A rich history on the Riverbank Once upon a time The Wandle was a peaceful chalk stream in open country, meandering past grand estates and 500 years ago by far the biggest group of pretty villages. Its fast flow, however, buildings on the banks of the River Wandle was ideal for watermills, which Merton Priory was Merton Priory, where Sainsbury’s and The Spit developed throughout its 12 mile Wandsworth Marks and Spencer’s stands now. It was Town Station length, and by the nineteenth century it founded in 1114, and grew into one of had become one the hardest worked King England’s largest and most important Georges Park rivers in the country. monasteries until Henry VIII’s “Dissolution”. The Merton stretch of the Wandle is Henry was determined to reduce the Southfields particularly rich in history, not just for Community power of the church, whose monasteries had College Earlsfield Station its industrial past, but in its connections huge wealth in land and property, and they with famous people who lived were abolished in 1537/38. The monks and hereabouts, and its importance as the Wandle Haydons Road Park nuns were mostly pensioned off, and some Station site of Merton Priory, one of the Merton’s huge Priory Church was as long as Colliers of the buildings continued in use as Wood Station greatest monastic establishments of Westminster Abbey - its foundations were briefly Merton Abbey Mills/Chapter cathedrals, churches and schools. But many House exposed in 1988 when the hypermarket was being built. Deen City Farm medieval times. Morden were demolished and the materials recycled Road Tramlink Phipps Bridge Tramlink – as in Merton, where Henry used the Morden Hall Park Belgrave Walk Tramlink stonework to build Nonsuch Palace near Published by: Wandle Valley Festival Funded by: Awards For All Mitcham Cheam. So Merton Priory completely Morden Mitcham Design : Jonathan Spearman-Oxx Station Station Tramlink Text: John Hawks This artist’s impression hints Ravensbury Park Artist: Tony Kane disappeared until major excavations were Pictures: Courtesy of The Museum of London at how the Priory might Archaeology Service For further information visit: www.mertonpriory.org have looked in relation to undertaken when the Sainsbury’s Merantun Way today. hypermarket was built in 1988. Wandle Spencer Valley Road Wetland Wetland Hackbridge Station Beddington Park Wilderness Island (Café) Nature Reserve Wandle Park The historic Tramlink seal of St Carshalton Station Carshalton House Water Tower Mary’s Priory, Sutton Ecology Centre Over 800 burials were discovered in the priory Westcroft Carew Manor Merton, is held Grove Leisure Dovecote Honeywood Park Museum Centre and Wetland excavations, providing invaluable evidence of the (Carshalton Ponds) St Mary’s Church Waddon Ponds at the British Woodcote Holdings Waddon Station medieval population - for example their size, diet, Carshalton Park Grotto Museum. It was engraved in average age at death, cause of death. 1241 and shows the Virgin and Child. The main building of the Priory was the Church, but there were a large number of surrounding buildings where the monks lived and worked, including the Refectory and Infirmary, the remains of which were fully excavated in 1988-90. Although the Priory itself completely disappeared after 1538, a good length of its The Chapter House was where the business of the boundary wall survives. It stretches from the Priory was carried on, in effect the ‘Board Room’. Its The most important survival of the Priory is almost Sainsbury’s recycling centre to the This beautiful Norman arch to the Priory foundations have been preserved under Merantun certainly the Colour House Theatre at Merton Christchurch Road roundabout, and can be survived as part of a large house to the West of Way, 100 yards East of the Wandle, and are open to Abbey Mills, built of flint in the style of the period. seen from the Priory Retail Park, amid the the Priory (next to Merton Abbey Mills). When the public during the Wandle Valley Festival in June and undergrowth on the other side of the Pickle the house was demolished in 1914 the arch was London Open House weekend in September, or by Ditch. A small stretch can also be seen in reconstructed as the gateway to the St Mary’s appointment with the Merton Priory Trust. It’s also Station Road (Illustrated). Church in Merton, where you can see it today used occasionally as a theatre. .

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