Inventory Site Record

Watermeads Estate was built in 1974-7 by R Hodge and A Bews of Merton Borough Architects Department, on the site of Mitcham Grove, a large house that is shown on the OS Map of 1935 with the land to the west marked as sports ground and to the north tennis courts. The estate was one of a series of low-rise housing schemes that incorporated landscaping. A fine cedar tree remains from the former grounds of Mitcham Grove, and a new lake was created alongside the river to the south.

Previous / Other name:

Grove House

Site location:

off Rawnsley Avenue/Bishopsford Road

Postcode:

CR4

What 3 Words:

hops.dame.dined

Type of site:

Housing/Estate Landscaping

Borough:

Merton

Open to public?

No

Opening times:

private, visible from Ravensbury Park

Special conditions:

Facilities:

Events:

Public transport:

Rail: Mitcham. Tube: Morden (Northern) then bus. Tramlink: Mitcham. Bus: 118, 280.

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Research updated:

01/02/2005

Last minor changes:

14/07/2022

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news.

Residents' reaction to the earlier Pollards Hill estate (q.v.) of 1968 led to Watermeads' 'looser and less dogmatic arrangement' and 'greater sensitivity in landscaping of the hard and grass areas'. The estate comprises 186 houses or flats in 3-storey ribbon of terraces overlooking the landscaped grounds that lead to the Wandle River, and the public park, Ravensbury Park (q.v.), adjoins to the west. The estate won a Design Award and has been described by Pevsner as 'One of the most attractive council developments of the 1970s in London'.

Sources consulted:

Bridget Cherry & Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England: London 2: South (Penguin) 1999 p435, 445/6; 'Mitcham, Ravensbury', Merton Town Trails 6 (Merton Town Trails Association, 1979)

Grid ref:

TQ270679 (527050,167950)

Size in hectares:

Site ownership:

private

Site management:

Date(s):

1974-7

Designer(s):

Merton Borough Architects Department

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:

Yes

Conservation Area name:

Wandle Valley

Tree Preservation Order:

Not known

Nature Conservation Area:

No

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

No

Special Policy Area:

Yes - Archaeological Priority Zone

Other LA designation:

None

Watermeads Housing Estate - Photo: Colin Wing
Date taken: 16/10/21 14:26

Click a photo to enlarge.