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Home , Carshalton, Carshalton Park, Merton (parish), Merton Abbey Mills, Wandle Trail

Walks & Guide Walk One Mapping the Mills: High Street to Discover the ’s This walk celebrates the power of water On West Street overlooking Carshalton Ponds To the south of , above Industrial Heritage within the historic industries of the sits the Honeywood Museum (C). Grade II listed Butter Hill Bridge, stood the Calico Works River Wandle. with restored period features, the house was built Carshalton (14) built by George Ansell c.1782. Start: Coach and Horses Carshalton across the outflow from a line of springs, possibly (Carshalton Station, Buses: 127, 157, to provide a cold bath, a popular cure-for-all Just south of the Bridge was Lower Mill 407, X26) during the 17th and 18th centuries. Nearby, the (12), dating from 1235 it milled corn for End: Hackbridge Carshalton Water Tower (D) dating from c.1715, its first 400 years. From 1650 it produced Grove Mill (30) and Crown Mill (29) (Hackbridge Station, Buses: 80, 127, 151) can be found. gunpowder, then copper, calico and paper before its closure in 1927. Distance: 1.5 miles In the grounds of The Grove a waterwheel and Duration: 1.5 hrs millstone belonging to Upper Mill (9) are still Upstream sat Hackbridge Mills (15), a visible. Listed in the 1086, group of three with multiple uses over time High Street Mill (8) was located on the site of the mill was used for grinding corn for many including fulling, dye, gunpowder and copper the present Coach and Horses Pub, originally centuries, but by 1895 it had been rebuilt and making. Many of the mill owners were also built for grinding corn. became the first hydroelectric plant in . proprietors of the Iron Railway, a To its south, lies with its Grade Further south on the east bank, the Paper Mill horse-drawn railway that transported goods II listed Carshalton Grotto (A). The Grotto (11) was to be found. Regarded as the earliest along the Wandle from 1803 to 1846. forms the head of a former canal that fed the on the Wandle, the history of the mill is peppered North of Hackbridge (E) looking millpond for Grove Mill (10). Part of with misfortune including death, and destruction downstream, the River Wandle divides Canal (B), built to supply water to Grove Mill, by fire in 1886. On the opposite west bank was survives nearby. forming a large island across which present the site of the Snuff Mill Carshalton (13). The day Culvers Avenue runs. This area was original mill building remains and is currently the calico bleaching grounds for the Culvers occupied by STR Design & Print Ltd. Mill (16) c.1730.

Map Key Historic Mills & Works

Willow Lane Works (26) 1. Old Palace Works 19. Corn Mill 34. Phipps Bridge 45. Calico Works Corner Works Garratt Lane The Building Exploratory 2. The Barracks 3. Malt Mill 20. Calico Works 35. Abbey 46. Adkins Mill Beddington Corner Works, Liberty’s 4. Mill 47. Dyeworks Garratt 21. Leather Mill 36. Morris’ Works Lane 5. Beddington Mill 22. Calico Works, Merton Abbey 48. Upper Mill 6. Wallington Bridge Mill Mill Green 37. Amery Mills The Building Exploratory helps 7. Calico Works The Walks 23. Wandle Tannery 38. Merton Bridge 49. Calico Works communities discover the secrets of Wallington Bridge 24. Mill Works Wandsworth their local area, working across 8. High Street Mill This map outlines four walks for exploring 25. Logwood Mill 39. Merton Mills 50. Dyeworks High to celebrate the built environment: its 9. Upper Mill Carshalton 40. Wimbledon Mill Street Bridge heritage, buildings and public spaces. the River Wandle’s industrial heritage. A 26. Willow Lane Works 10. Grove Mill Carshalton 51. Middle Mill description of each includes directions, and 27. Paper Mill 41. Calico Works 11. Paper Mill Carshalton Summerstown Wandsworth Project Partners notes places of historic interest. 28. Glover’s Snuff Mill 12. Lower Mill Carshalton 42. Garratt Mill 52. Lower Mill Living Wandle Landscape Partnership Snuff Mill Carshalton (13) 29. Crown Mill Wandsworth 13. Snuff Mill Carshalton 43. Duntshill Mills conserves, restores, and celebrates the Locations and names of 52 mill sites are 30. Grove Mill 14. Calico Works 44. Calico Works River Wandle’s built and natural heritage. 31. Ravensbury Calico identified as numbered points. Other places Carshalton Kimber Road Beddington Mill (5) Works www.wandlevalleypark.co.uk/the-living- of historic interest are identified as letters 15. Hackbridge Mills wandle-partnership 32. Ravensbury Mill A to S. Surviving buildings are shown in 16. The Culvers 33. Hall Snuff Wandle Industrial Museum is dedicated to 17. Rushy Meadow colour, those no longer in existence in sepia. Mills sharing the heritage and history of the industries 18. Drug Mill and people of the River Wandle. www.wandle.org We hope the map provides a source of inspiration for discovering the fascinating The Building Exploratory would like to thank history of this remarkable river. For the following for their help: more information about each walk, visit Our team of fantastic volunteers the Mapping the Mills walks series on Jane Smith, Illustrator. janeillustration.co.uk/blog www izitravel or on the izi.Travel – City Glory Hall, Design. [email protected] Mick Taylor, Wandle Industrial Museum Guides App Sarah Gould, Merton Heritage & Local Studies Centre Upper Mill Carshalton (9) Mapping the Mills www.buildingexploratory.org.uk This Guide has been produced as part of a E: [email protected] year long project delivered by the Building T: 020 7608 0775 Exploratory, working closely with a dedicated @BuildingExplore buildingexploratory team of volunteers.

© The Building Exploratory 2018 Our research is presented in this map and Registered Charity Number: 1077600 a series of guided heritage walks. Places of Historic Interest All materials can be found on the Wandle Library: www.wandlevalleypark.co.uk/digital- A. Carshalton Grotto F. Stone Bench K. Bunce’s Meadow archive B. Westcroft Canal G. Fisheries Cottages L. The Wheelhouse C. Honeywood Museum H. Morden Hall M.  O. Penwith Bridge R. The Ram Brewery D. Carshalton Water Tower I. Wandle Villa Chapter House P. King George’s Park S. The Causeway The Building Exploratory E. Hackbridge J. Everett’s Place N. Priory Wall Q. Downe Lodge Plaque Walk Two Walk Three Watermeads to Morden Hall Park to

Some of the best preserved industrial by her sister Octavia Hill, founder of the Discover how industries used the Wandle Leaving the City Farm behind, cross Windsor heritage on the River Wandle will be National Trust. and its surrounding landscape, and view Avenue and take the footbridge over the encountered on this walk. Walking back to the entrance of Watermeads, the contrast between homes of mill owners River to (35), a former Start: Watermeads Nature Reserve on the opposite bank sit the wonderfully and workers. textile works established by Huguenot weavers in the early 18th century. Best Duntshill Mills (43) (Mitcham Stop, Buses 118 & 280) preserved Fisheries Cottages (G) appearing Start: Morden Hall Snuff Mills known today as the works of Liberty & Co. End: Morden Hall Snuff Mills to float almost on an island or at the edge of (Morden Underground Station, Buses: 80, 118, 1904-1982. Many of the Liberty era buildings (Morden Underground Station, Buses: 80, 118, a millpond. 154, 157,164, 201, 470, K5) 154, 157,164, 201, 470, K5) survive and display boards outline the history Immediately behind are the majestic Grove End: Merton High Street and former use of each of the buildings on Distance: 2 miles (30) and Crown Mills (29). It is thought that (Colliers Wood Underground Station, Buses: 57, the site. The Wheelhouse (L) is worthy of a Duration: 1.5 hours Grove Mill, on the left, is the oldest site in the 131,152, 200, 219, 470) special mention, well preserved, it is the last group. Mentioned in the Domesday Book, it The four mills at the start of this walk were Distance: 2 miles surviving working mill on the River Wandle. milled corn between 1632 and 1786 and in collectively known as Mitcham Mills, two remain Duration: 1.5 hours later years produced snuff, then copper. Cross Watermill Way into Chapter Way today converted to housing. On the bank of the Starting on the bridge and looking on to Wandle entering Watermeads from Bishopsford Crown Mill built in 1789 was known for and then left to Merton Priory Chapter Morden Hall Snuff Mills (33), only one has its Road, the brickwork from the wheel race of producing fabric mostly for the military, House (M). This was once part of a water wheel still intact, though not in working Glover’s Snuff Mill (28) can be seen. Further including Lyxhair, a synthetic hair used to stuff major Augustinian priory associated with order. Walk across the park, passing Morden along the riverbank sat Paper Mill (27), which mattresses and furniture in WW1 and WW2. key historic events. Its foundations were Cottage on the right, towards Phipps Bridge was demolished by 1894 but the tumbling The mill burnt to the ground in 1964 and was hidden for years under Merantun Way Road via the tram stop where the elegant bay and tailrace still remain. rebuilt as housing. and have recently been renovated. Take a Wandle Villa (I) and coach house stand. peek through the glass windows into this Nearby and set back from the There has been a mill on the site of evocative ruin. Parts of the Priory Wall (N) riverbank is a Stone Bench Ravensbury Mill (32) since the 1680s, that By contrast, a little further along sits Everett’s are also visible and indicate Merton Priory’s (F) in memory of Miranda which remains was built in 1800 and produced Place (J), cottages built in 1824 to house mill northern-most boundary. Hill, donated in 1911 tobacco and snuff. The final buildings on workers from Phipps Bridge Works (34). At this walk are Morden Hall Snuff Mills (33), the end of the terrace is a strange flint tower, The location of Morris Works Merton which stand proud, one still with its wheel. a gothic folly built in the 1870s to prevent it Abbey (36) is marked by a small plaque in Bequeathed by snuff manufacturer Gilliat from collapse. the ground on the edge of the ‘’. Hatfeild, along with the park and Morden Just past the folly on the left, Phipps Bridge leads An idyllic spot suiting the home one of the Hall (H) to the National Trust in 1941. to the open area known as ‘Bunce’s Meadow’ 19th century’s most revered designers. A Middle Mill (51) (K). Now occupied by Deen City Farm but textile printing works from the mid-1700s, originally bleaching fields for nearby calico and produced furnishings in his linen works. distinctive designs from 1881 to 1940.

Walk Four Earlsfield Station to the Causeway, Wandsworth

This walk explores the significance of the Present day King George’s Park (P) was Industrial Wandle in establishing a millennium-long the site of bleaching grounds for the Calico tradition of flour milling in Wandsworth. Works Wandsworth (49), which closed Heritage Start: Earlsfield Station (Buses: 44, 77, 270) in 1816. The last owner, Henry Gardiner, Ram Brewery (R) End: The Causeway, Wandsworth resided at nearby Downe Lodge (Q) The River Wandle stretches for 19km (Wandsworth Town Station, Buses: 28, 37, No. 39 Merton Road. through four south London boroughs before flowing into the Thames. At its 39, 44, 87, 156, 170, 270, 337) At the point where the River disappears height the River powered up to 90 mills, Distance: 1.5 miles under Southside Shopping Centre, once including those of William Morris Duration: 1.5 hrs stood Upper Mill (48), known from 1861 for and Liberty & Co. and supported the making flour for ‘Wando Bread’ produced by Penwith Bridge (O) offers a view downstream production of corn, copper, peppermint the Aerated Bread Company. Its destruction in to what would in 1656 have been open fields oil, gunpowder and snuff. The earliest a 1928 fire brought to an end a millennium of and Garratt Mill (42) which made gunpowder Ravensbury Mill (32) mills date from the and flour production in Wandsworth. during the Anglo-Dutch Wars. were recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. North on Flock Mill Place, Duntshill Mills (43) At the corner of Wandsworth High Street and date back to the medieval period. During the Ram Street stands the former Rame public As a chalk stream, the unique qualities 18th and 19th centuries, parchment, flock and house and Young’s Ram Brewery (R), now of the water made the Wandle perfect textiles were produced. The old mill building, Grade II listed. The oldest British brewery in for the bleaching, dyeing and printing of continuous operation, it dates from 1581. now office space, is the most northerly The Wheelhouse (L) textiles. The advent of new technologies surviving mill building on the River. Middle Mill (51) was situated on the River however, meant that water power Walking north to a site now occupied by an south of Armoury Way. During the late 1500s, became increasingly redundant leading to industrial decline. industrial estate is Adkins Mill (46), mentioned it produced crimson and purple dyes for in the Domesday Book, most famous as clothes. From 1605, the mill ground corn Today, the River’s rich and diverse McMurray’s Royal Paper Mill, 1853 -1903. until it closed in 1898. industrial heritage is evident in the cuts of the River, surviving mills, its industrial At the junction of Mapleton Crescent and The Causeway crosses to the last point buildings, and place names. Garratt Lane stood the site of Garratt Lane before the Wandle meets the Thames. Here, Dyeworks (47), said to be favoured by the Lower Mill (52) produced corn from c.1371 cardinals of Rome in the 18th century, for until its demolition in 1898. A plaque (S) their scarlet-coloured hats. The high quality dedicated to the history of the area refers of ‘Wandsworth scarlet’ ensured that colour to McMurray’s Canal, which connected the Morden Hall Snuff Mills (33) didn’t run. to the .