WANDLE VALLEY CONSERVATION AREA CHARACTER ASSESSMENT Amended Draft, revised following public consultation. New text shown underlined and deleted text shown struck through. 1 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 4 BACKGROUND 4 STRUCTURE OF THE DOCUMENT 4 MAP OF THE CONSERVATIONAREA 5 CHARACTER APPRAISAL 8 LOCATION AND EXTENT 8 DESIGNATION HISTORY 8 EXTENSIONS TO THE CONSERVATIONAREA 8 REGIONAL CONTEXT 9 POPULATION 9 TOPOGRAPHY OF THE AREA 10 GEOLOGY OF THE AREA 10 ARCHAEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE AREA 10 MEDIEVAL: MERTON PRIORY 11 MERTON PLACE 12 ARCHAEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SURROUNDING AREA 13 ABBEYGATE HOUSE 13 RIVER WANDLE 14 SAXON: ANGLO-SAXON CEMETERY 15 STANE STREET 16 ORIGINSAND DEVELOPMENT OF THE AREA 17 REVIEW OF HISTORIC MAPS 18 SURREY IRON RAILWAY 19 OTHER RAILWAYS IN THE AREA 21 ORIGINSAND DEVELOPMENT OF THE SURROUNDING AREA 22 PREVAILING OR FORMER USES 23 ARCHITECTURAL OR HISTORIC QUALITY OF BUILDINGS 25 SIGNIFICANT INDIVIDUAL OR GROUPS OF BUILDINGS 27 DISTINCTIVE AND TRADITIONAL BUILDING MATERIALS AND LOCAL DETAILS 32 2 OPEN SPACE 37 LANDSCAPED PARKLAND 37 GREEN SPACES 38 URBAN SPACES 38 BOUNDARIES AND GROUND SURFACES 40 STREET FURNITURE AND MATERIALS 41 ELEMENTS THAT DETRACT FROM THE CHARACTER AND APPEARANCE OF THE CONSERVATION AREA 41 NEUTRAL AREAS 44 REVIEW OF CONSERVATION AREA BOUNDARY 45 REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY 46 APPENDIX A: STATUTORY LISTED BUILDINGS 48 APPENDIX B: LOCALLY LISTED BUILDINGS 50 3 WANDLE VALLEY CONSERVATION AREA CHARACTER ASSESSMENT INTRODUCTION This appraisal aims to fulfil four key roles: - The designation of conservation areas a) to outline and explain the historical is a legislative duty of local authorities. development of the area; These areas comprise "areas of special architectural or historic b) to define the special character and interest, the character or appearance interest of the conservation area, of which it is desirable to preserve or and its surroundings, in relation to enhance". Local authorities also have it's architecture, topography, open a duty to from time to time to review spaces and townscape and the whether any further designations are relationships between them; needed. The Wandle Valley c) to, on the basis of this assessment, Conservation Area was originally review the existing conservation designated by the Council in area boundaries; and November 1990 and was extended in d) to identify opportunities for the April 2000. The present boundaries of preservation and enhancement of the conservation area are shown on the area. Map 1, overleaf. This Character Assessment for the BACKGROUND Wandle Valley Conservation Area has been prepared by the Council's Design The Government's Planning Policy and Conservation Team in accordance Guidance Note 15: Planning and the with Guidelines issued by English Historic Environment (PPG 15) Heritage and Planning Policy Guidance advises local authorities to Note 15. periodically review existing conservation areas and their STRUCTURE OF THE boundaries. PPG 15 also advises DOCUMENT local authorities to define and record, This character assessment covers the as clearly as possible, the special whole of the conservation area and architectural or historic interest that provides an analysis of the area's justifies each conservation area's history and development and identifies designation, through an assessment the main architectural features and of the elements that contribute to an important qualities that contribute to the area's character. area's special character. The appraisal Character assessments are useful tools is not intended to be comprehensive and that not only set out the specific the omission of any particular building, characteristics for which an area has feature or space should not be taken to been designated as a conservation imply that it is of no interest. area, but also help the Council to assess The document starts with a brief history the impact of development proposals on of the designation of the conservation the character or appearance of a area and outlines the extent of the area's conservation area. They also provide a designation. useful framework within which property owners and developers can work when An outline of the history of the area and designing new development or planning its development is provided as a alterations to buildings, within background to its historic significance. A conservation areas, by setting out and description and explanation is provided describing the special context to which of the area's geology, topography, any new development will need to archaeology and ecology with a more relate. detailed summary of the origins and 4 5 MAP OF THE CONSERVATION AREA urban development of the conservation within Phipps Bridge Road. The area area and adjacent areas and the includes Bunce’e Meadow currently building types and styles based on occupied by Dean City Farm. research and site inspections. This forms the basis for a more detailed Area 5: The Parks analysis of the conservation area. To achieve this the whole conservation area has been broken down into a series i) Morden Hall Park and House of linked sub-areas that have their own Ii)Ravensbury Park specific historical background and/or defining features. These areas are:- Covering both Morden Hall and Ravensbury Parks the remnants of Area 1: Copper Mill Lane estates associated with large houses. This area has been further sub-divided into two areas based on A small separate area to the north of the individual parks. Area 5.i: Morden Plough Lane, isolated from main Hall Park and Area 5.ii: Ravensbury Conservation Area embracing the site of Park. an eighteenth century copper mill. The site is likely to have been occupied by watermills before this. Area 6: Mitcham Area 2: Colliers Wood i) Station An area extending between Bygrove An area around the former Mitcham Road to the north and Merton High Station comprising a group of Street to the south this area has formed important historic buildings. a particular focus for riverside industry from at least the medieval period ii) Watermeads: onwards. The area covering the "Watermeads" Area 3: Merton Priory housing development, National Trust land and the Grove Mill complex. An area extending between Merton Once the site of several watermills, High Street to the north and Windsor one dating to Domesday. The Avenue to the south it embraces part of National Trust land is an important the site of Merton Priory, and includes riverine wet land area and is now a the present Merton Abbey Mills Craft nature reserve. Market. It has been the site of various industries since the Dissolution of the Merton Council will take this character Priory in the 16th century. appraisal and its recommendations into account when considering applications Area 4: Phipps Bridge for new development and alterations and improvements to buildings. A separate 'Design Guide' has been The area between Windsor Avenue to prepared which provides advice to the north and the Croydon Tramlink owners and developers on track to the south, this is an area improvements that can be carried to bounded by a large housing estate to preserve and enhance their area, the east and the Merton industrial estate copies of this leaflet can be obtained to the west and embraces properties from the London Borough of Merton. 6 1 2 3 4 5.i 5.ii 6.i 6.ii MAP7 OF THECONSERVATION AREA SUB- AREAS CHARACTER APPRAISAL LOCATION AND EXTENT OF 5. The special detailing of buildings; THE CONSERVATIONAREA 6. The quality of open spaces and generally; and The conservation area runs roughly 7. The relatively low built area north to south through the Borough footprint and the way the built form following the course of the River Wandle, fits into a wide area of which flows northwards through the predominantly open space. Borough from Beddington in the south towards Wandsworth where the Wandle EXTENSIONS TO THE joins the River Thames. The CONSERVATION AREA conservation area extends to either side of the river to cover areas of parkland A number of extensions to the and the surrounding commercial and conservation area were agreed following residential areas; it extends over an area a boundary review, in April 2000. of approximately 100 hectares (246 Additional areas designated include: - Acres). I) The former site of an eighteenth century Copper Mill, Mill House DESIGNATION HISTORY and mill workers cottages in Copper Mill Lane. The Council designated the Wandle 1 Valley area in November 1990, following 99 PH 4 9 Wimbledon SummerstownMission a Borough-wide review to assess the Stadium ElSubStation ugh Plo H) e (P Th potential for further designation of El Sub Sta conservation areas. The particular Depot characteristics for which the area was Lambeth Crematorium Superstore NE originally designated include: - L LA COPPER MIL 3 3 1 1 E 5 N 9 39 39 A Chapel L GH dPath OU L P Mea Garage 1. The area's historical background 53 particularly its association with: Superstore 61 Garage 7 6 WATERSIDE WA Y 8 8 0 "Stane Street", a Roman Road 0 Stand 5 5 3 that linked London Bridge to 3 6 6 Chichester on the South Coast; 64 GH LANE PLOU 50 4 8 46 4 4 Merton Priory founded in the 1 38 6 6 2 PLOUGH LANE 6 15 6 55 12th Century, part of which is 14 now a Scheduled Monument; II) Areas fronting High Street, Colliers The Surrey Iron Railway; Wood, Christchurch Road and Early industrialisation, Merton High Street. particularly riverside industry 140 2 o2 2 140 4 1t 8 1 9 7 7 6 7 EAST R 103 5 5 a 144 1 146 3 1 O 6 Works 4 A including water mills; as well as D 0 8 1to2 7 FiskeCourt 64 to 1 2 2 1 All Saints CofE hool Primary Sc 48b 0 ouse a 4 Garage avendishH 48 C H AN Library 50 46 O Large country house estates the 38 V Rutherford ER Court 2 1 R O 4 3 PH AD 57 180 53 4 9 1to16 39 Library O Courtslo 1 13 35 5 1 V n n A former grounds of which survive o LLEY 2 io 2 BALTI 9 's Woodt 4 1 7 CCL Sta (Lond ollier ansport) G O D r SE O C T A O R WANDLE BANK DENS 2 62 64 2 39 39a 56 4 35 36 36a 69 PH 34 6 1 71 198 PO 8 10 18 as areas of 'parkland' adjoining 4 TCOLLIER'SW 1 1 20 2 6 6 7 33 1 6 22 00 4 2 54 16 STREE 24 LE YTO 26 7 HIGH NR 9 57 17 OA 16 D Bus 27 1to1 6 G the River Wandle.