Inventory Site Record

St Helier Estate was the largest LCC estate to be built south of the river and spans the boroughs of Sutton and Merton. It is one of a number of important LCC cottage estates inspired by the Garden City movement encouraged by Sir Ebenezer Howard and the pioneering town planning of Barry Parker and Raymond Unwin whose common characteristic is small-scale housing, often with excellent detailing, cul-de-sacs, generous verges and communal open spaces. Moreton Green is one of the largest areas of green within the estate in Merton.

Site location:

Merevale Crescent/Middleton Road/Muchelney Road/Lilleshall Road

Postcode:

SM4 6HU (Moreton Green)

What 3 Words:

harder.milky.afford

Type of site:

Housing/Estate Landscaping

Borough:

Merton

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

unrestricted

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Play areas

Events:

Public transport:

Rail: St Helier. Bus: S1

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

01/07/2008

Last minor changes:

14/07/2022

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.merton.gov.uk/environment/openspaces/parks/parks_in_the_morden_area

This area was once ancient woodland and later in agricultural use. Moreton Green was land reserved by the LCC when it built the St Helier housing estate between 1929-36 on 334 hectares of former farmland, some of which had been used for Mitcham's herb and lavender industry. The estate spans two boroughs of Merton and Sutton and is named after Lady St Helier, an alderman of the LCC. It was designed by the LCC Architects Department under G. Topham Forrest and aimed to provide re-housing for those in the Inner City and to be a self-contained community with shops, schools, churches, places of recreation and a railway station. The roads were named after monastic establishments and the estate was planned on garden city ideals, where possible retaining mature trees from the previous landscape in the verges of the roads, and providing greens and shrubberies. Moreton Green is one of the largest area of green within the estate in Merton and used to have numerous elm trees, now largely oak; it consists of well-mown grass as well as some clumps of planting and an area of woodland scrub in the centre. There has been some new tree planting in recent years.

Sources consulted:

Ian Yarham, Dave Dawson, Martin Boyle, Rebecca Holliday 'Nature Conservation in Merton, Ecology Handbook 29', London Ecology Unit, 1998, p96; Paul Harper & others, 'Merton in Pictures Book 4: St Helier Estate' (Merton Library & Heritage Services, 2nd ed. 2000)

Grid ref:

TQ264672 (526519,167242)

Size in hectares:

4.6 (Moreton Green)

Site ownership:

LB Merton

Site management:

Leisure and Culture Services

Date(s):

1929-36

Designer(s):

G Topham Forrest, LCC

Listed structures:

None

On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:

No

Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:

No

Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:

No

Local Authority Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

No

In Conservation Area:

No

Tree Preservation Order:

No

Nature Conservation Area:

Yes - Local Importance

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

No

Other LA designation:

Public Open Space (Moreton Green)