Inventory Site Record

There has been a church here since at least the C13th, and Church Road Cemetery opened in 1559. The current church of St Peter and St Paul, to the south-west of Mitcham village centre, was built in 1819-21 by George Smith. It was repainted in the 1990s as part of a Challenge Anneke television programme. The churchyard is on the site of an old Saxon burial ground; it was expanded in 1855 and 1880 to the north, and again in 1909 when it took over the former 'Vicar's Field'. 

Previous / Other name:

Mitcham Parish Church; Church Road Burial Ground; Church Road Cemetery

Site location:

Church Road/Miles Road/Love Lane, Mitcham

Postcode:

CR4 3BE

What 3 Words:

began.serve.youth

Type of site:

Churchyard, Cemetery

Borough:

Merton

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

unrestricted

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Events:

Public transport:

Tramlink: Belgrave Walk. Bus: 200

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

27/11/2025

Last minor changes:

21/01/2026

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.merton.gov.uk/community-living/register/cemeteries/mertoncemeteries

There has been a church here since at least the C13th. The current Mitcham Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul to the south-west of Mitcham village centre was built in 1819-22 by local builder John Chart, designed in Gothic Revivalist, Perpendicular style by architect George Smith. Smith was architect to the Mercer's Company and the churches he designed show varying historical styles. Some of the fabric of the earlier medieval church remained in the base of the tower. The church was repainted in the 1990s as part of a Challenge Anneke television programme.

The churchyard dates from at least 1559 and is on the site of an old Saxon burial ground; the 'Ancient Churchyard' was to the north of the church. The burial ground was expanded in 1855 and 1880 to the north, becoming known as Church Road Cemetery or Church Road Burial Ground, and again in 1909 when it took over the former 'Vicar's Field'. A mortuary and mortuary chapel were built in the north west of the cemetery, marked on the OS Map of 1910 and the cemetery layout comprises a grid of paths, with a relatively sparse scattering of trees throughout marked on the OS Map 1:1250 of 1972 (TQ2768NW - B). Among those buried in the churchyard are Anne Hall (d.1740); Thomas Stanley (d.1811); and the Revd. Richard Cranmer (d.1828) whose tombs are among those listed, and all located near the church. Richard Cranmer was vicar of the church and Lord of the Manor of Mitcham Canons, and descended from the Archbishop Thomas Cranmer family. The Cranmer family and their descendants the Simpsons owned the Canons (q.v.) estate until 1939. The  Cranmer table tomb is a Portland stone monument with fluted corner pilasters on a stepped plinth and bears the inscription commemorating Richard Cranmer, his daughter Esther Mary Louise who died in 1841 at the age of 17, and his widow Elisabeth Mary (d.1845). A map of the layout of the cemetery produced by Merton Council marks out the original 'Ancient Churchyard',  the 'Addition to Churchyard 1855' and the current extent of the cemetery.

Church Road Cemetery is run and maintained by London Borough of Merton, whose cemetery office has the records from 1883 to date. Records prior to 1883 are held with the Surrey History Centre.

Sources consulted:

Ian Yarham, Dave Dawson, Martin Boyle, Rebecca Holliday 'Nature Conservation in Merton, Ecology Handbook 29', London Ecology Unit, 1998, p100; https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1080948?section=official-list-entry; https://www.merton.gov.uk/system/files?file=church_road_cemetery.pdf; https://www.merton.gov.uk/system/files?file=church_road_cemetery_website_layout-2.pdf; https://www.londonremembers.com/subjects/reverend-richard-cranmer

Grid ref:

TQ270687 (527057,168688)

Size in hectares:

2.22

Site ownership:

Diocese of Southwark

Site management:

LB Merton Community and Cultural Services, Facilities and Technical Group

Date(s):

C13th onwards

Designer(s):

Listed structures:

LBII*: St Peter and St Paul's Church. LBII: Tomb of Anne Hall; Tomb of Thomas Stanley; Tomb of Richard Cranmer; Table Tomb west of Richard Cranmer Tomb; Vicarage

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:

Yes

Conservation Area name:

Mitcham Cricket Green

Tree Preservation Order:

Not known

Nature Conservation Area:

Yes - Local Importance

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

Yes - Archaeological Priority Zone

Other LA designation:

Green Corridor

St Peter and St Paul Churchyard, Mitcham - Photo: Colin Wing
Date taken: 29/03/21 15:04

Click a photo to enlarge.