Motspur Park
Encyclopedia
Motspur Park, also known locally as West Barnes is a suburb in South West London
situated across the boundary between the London Borough of Merton
and the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
. It owes its identity to the railway station of the same name
, which has six trains an hour to London's Waterloo
, and to the adjacent parade of small shops. Two prominent gas holders
, which are used to store the consumer gas supply for south west London stand just south of the shopping parade and can be seen from a wide area.
Two of London’s minor natural water courses run through the area. The Beverley Brook
runs south to north through its centre and its smaller tributary the Pyl Brook runs parallel further to the east. These have in the past given rise to some local flooding.
The Motspur Park athletics stadium was built by the University of London in 1928 and achieved fame when the world mile record was set there in 1938. It was sold to Fulham Football Club
as their training ground in 1999.
of Surrey
. It was rural right up to the end of the nineteenth century when the railway station was built. Two local lanes, West Barnes Lane and Blakes Lane, represent remnants from this rural era. The barns referred to were those at the western end of Merton Abbey
's estates and were just north of West Barnes Lane's junction with the modern Crossway.
After the dissolution of the monasteries
the abbey land was granted to the Gresham family , (descendants of Thomas Gresham
) who were wealthy London merchants.
They retained the estate for two generations, finally selling it (either in 1570 but this date has been questioned or 1612) to John Carpenter, a local farmer. The area, remained agricultural and was farmed by a number of families, probably the most well known being the Raynes who gave their name to Raynes Park. In the nineteenth century two local landowners were Charles Blake, the owner of Blue House Farm (located in the area of the modern Barnes End) and Richard Garth
Lord of the Manor
of Morden. Both were lawyers and Garth eventually became a judge. In 1864 they joined forces to seek to procure a Parliamentary bill for a railway line to run across their properties.
The railway itself was constructed through the locality in 1859 but the Motspur Park station was not added until the early twentieth century.
Large mansions and farms are the only habitation shown on the 1871 map of the district with no station or residential districts. The area east of the railway was part of Hobbald(e)s Farm (located at the junction of the modern Lower Morden lane and Garth Road) which was owned by Garth. The oakwood alongside the railway was planted around this time to screen it and remains today.
The land was sold and then leased to J.J. Bishop the founder of the Bishops Move removal company around 1873. In 1892 part of the estate was sold to Battersea Corporation for use as a cemetery which still remains as the Northeast Surrey Crematorium.
In 1906 a Mr and Mrs Howlett moved into 138 Seaforth Avenue. They started up a Sunday School in their house for the children in the local area. Soon adults also began to attend these meetings and before long the numbers increased so that the house was full each Sunday. They started saving for a building in which they could meet. In 1925 "West Barnes Gospel Hall" in Seaforth Avenue, then the home of New Malden Evangelical Free Church, was opened.
On the corner of Douglas Avenue and Adela Avenue the Church of England built Holy Cross Church where the first service was held in 1908. Following its destruction during the Second Wold War a new building was erected on the site - the first post-war Church to be built in Southwark Diocese. Designed by architect Ralph Covell it was dedicated for worship in 1949. (The church hall burned down in the 1980s and has since been rebuilt.) The present Anglican parish of Motspur Park was to be formed some years later in 1978 and serves all those who live or work in the area.
The country's first dual carriageway
of its kind, the Kingston Bypass
(A3
), was built in 1926 just to the north of Motspur Park, forming a distinct northern boundary to the district. The major junction at Shannon Corner was for years a significant landmark in south west London. The building of this road brought speculative house building on open land throughout its length and it stimulated the development of Motspur Park.
The area was developed as a suburb in the years between the first and second world wars. Most houses were of the "terraced" style, typically of six houses joined together, each with three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs and two living rooms and a kitchen downstairs. The area also attracted a number of playing field
s at the time of its development. These remain and have given the area a large amount of green open space.
The only local public house, The Earl Beatty, celebrates David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty
who commanded a large part of the British fleet at the Battle of Jutland
in the First World War.
In 1931 the part of the Hobbald(e)s Farm estate was acquired by the Urban District of Merton and Morden to become the Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Playing Fields. One reason for their doing so was to perpetuate the name of local benefactor and ex-Mayor of Wimbledon, Sir Joseph Hood
. The land was set out with a large pavilion, football and cricket pitches, tennis courts, bowling green, putting green and children's play areas. Part of the land is now being managed as a conservation and wildlife reserve.
The biggest local employer for decades was the Decca gramophone record company
. In 1929 this was employing 700 people, and making up to 60,000 records a day at its factory in Burlington Road, New Malden. The company diversified during World War Two
to make radar
and the Decca Navigator System
.
Other local employers from that era were, at Shannon Corner, the Shannon typewiter company and the Venner timeswitch company, maker of Britain's first parking meters. Also close to Shannon Corner were Carter's Seeds and Bradbury Wilkinson
, a security printing company, maker of banknotes for many of the world's smaller countries. The Tesco
hypermarket in the area occupies the former Bradbury Wilkinson site.
Sydney Charles Wooderson
set the then world mile record of 4min 6.4sec at Motspur Park's University of London Athletics ground on August 28, 1938.
During World War Two a single stick of bombs was aimed at the railway station by a German bomber but missed its target and destroyed houses in Marina Avenue (including the six odd-numbered houses from 63 to 73) and Claremont Avenue. The bomb landing in Claremont Avenue landed on a 21st birthday party at a house very near the station killing many at the party. On the morning of July 3, 1944, a V1 rocket came down near No. 45 Motspur Park, the street that takes its name from the town. According to the archives manager at Kingston council, no casualties were reported, but seven or eight houses were completely destroyed, and others were badly damaged.
B&Q
owned the Agip
site (next to West Barnes Library) in the mid to late 80s. The store was rather small and when the Burlington Retail Park was finally finished, B&Q sold the site and moved into a bigger property in New Malden instead.
In the 1970s to mid 1980s, there was a petrol station/garage in Motspur Park. It was called Jackson's Garage, owned and run by Caribbeans (it was located on the site of the former Apple office, now part of the Fulham Football Club office situated next to the level crossing). There were three newsagents/sweetshops/toyshops in the 1960s to 1970s - A.R. Waylett, Bromheads and the smaller 'Sweet Things and Things' which has now increased in size, the others being closed down. There was also a fishmonger (where the kebab shop now stands) an ironmonger (where the garage door sales shop now stands) three butchers, a Co-op store and the original Motspur Park library, which was situated at 359 West Barnes Lane, on the corner of Station Road, in the property now occupied by Kami's gents hairdressers. In the 1980s, a short-lived clothing store called 'Get Clobbered' was open. There were 2 banks in Motspur Park; a Lloyd's Bank situated near Motspur Park Food and Wine and a Midland Bank which was situated in the building left of Kami's. The Chinese take-away shop used to be a greengrocer, the shop to the right of the kebab shop used to be an Apollo Video Rental outlet.
Ghassans store was opened in 1988 and has changed and grown in time to become the local convenience store Ecklee. The store is now three units wide with a lebenese grill open a few shops down offering healthy food for the locals. Home delivery of grocery items from Ecklee is available from Ecklee.co.uk. It is one of the oldest businesses in the area still running today.
D.Jones shoe shop, the Earl Beatty Pub and Motspur Park station are the only buildings unaltered for use since the 1970s.
Nigel Winterburn
(the former Arsenal and Wimbledon defender) lived in Motspur Park during the 1980s when he played for Wimbledon FC. Apparently, he was a regular at the bookies in Motspur Park.
George Clinton
of Funkadelic
and Parliament
stayed in a house on Phyllis Avenue during his six-night residency at the London Astoria in 1976.
The village was occasionally mentioned in the BBC comedy series Brush Strokes
.
The former BBC sports ground - which is opposite Fulham F.C's training ground - occasionally
featured in BBC comedy series such as The Two Ronnies
and Monty Python's Flying Circus
.
The grounds and buildings were sold by the BBC in the late 1990s and became a private members'
club before closing permanently after in a devastating fire in 2004.
Kingston upon Thames
, Old Malden
To the south:
Worcester Park
, North Cheam
To the east:
Morden
, Merton
, Wimbledon
To the north:
New Malden
, Raynes Park
South West (London sub region)
The South West is a sub-region of the London Plan corresponding to the London Boroughs of London Borough of , Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Merton, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton and Wandsworth. The sub region was established in 2008. The south west has a population of 1,600,000 and is the location...
situated across the boundary between the London Borough of Merton
London Borough of Merton
The London Borough of Merton is a borough in southwest London, England.The borough was formed under the London Government Act in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey...
and the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is a borough in southwest London, England. The main town is Kingston upon Thames and it includes Surbiton, Chessington, New Malden and Tolworth. It is the oldest of the three Royal Boroughs in England, the others are Kensington and Chelsea, also in London,...
. It owes its identity to the railway station of the same name
Motspur Park railway station
Motspur Park railway station is a suburban station in the London Borough of Merton in South London. The station is served by South West Trains, and is in Travelcard Zone 4...
, which has six trains an hour to London's Waterloo
Waterloo station
Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. The station is owned and operated by Network Rail and is close to the South Bank of the River Thames, and in Travelcard Zone 1....
, and to the adjacent parade of small shops. Two prominent gas holders
Gasometer
A gas holder is a large container where natural gas or town gas is stored near atmospheric pressure at ambient temperatures. The volume of the container follows the quantity of stored gas, with pressure coming from the weight of a movable cap...
, which are used to store the consumer gas supply for south west London stand just south of the shopping parade and can be seen from a wide area.
Two of London’s minor natural water courses run through the area. The Beverley Brook
Beverley Brook
Beverley Brook is a minor English urban river about 14.3 km long located in south-west London. It rises at Cuddington Recreation Park in Worcester Park, flows through Motspur Park, New Malden, Wimbledon Common, Richmond Park and Barnes...
runs south to north through its centre and its smaller tributary the Pyl Brook runs parallel further to the east. These have in the past given rise to some local flooding.
The Motspur Park athletics stadium was built by the University of London in 1928 and achieved fame when the world mile record was set there in 1938. It was sold to Fulham Football Club
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
as their training ground in 1999.
History
The district was historically known as West Barnes and formed part of the traditional countyHistoric counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
of Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. It was rural right up to the end of the nineteenth century when the railway station was built. Two local lanes, West Barnes Lane and Blakes Lane, represent remnants from this rural era. The barns referred to were those at the western end of Merton Abbey
Merton Abbey
Merton Abbey may refer to:*Merton Priory, a former Augustinian priory in what is now southwest London, England*Merton Abbey, London, the residential area in southwest London on the site of the former priory...
's estates and were just north of West Barnes Lane's junction with the modern Crossway.
After the dissolution of the monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
the abbey land was granted to the Gresham family , (descendants of Thomas Gresham
Thomas Gresham
Sir Thomas Gresham was an English merchant and financier who worked for King Edward VI of England and for Edward's half-sisters, Queens Mary I and Elizabeth I.-Family and childhood:...
) who were wealthy London merchants.
They retained the estate for two generations, finally selling it (either in 1570 but this date has been questioned or 1612) to John Carpenter, a local farmer. The area, remained agricultural and was farmed by a number of families, probably the most well known being the Raynes who gave their name to Raynes Park. In the nineteenth century two local landowners were Charles Blake, the owner of Blue House Farm (located in the area of the modern Barnes End) and Richard Garth
Richard Garth
Sir Richard Garth PC QC was Member of Parliament for Guildford from 1866 to 1868 and Chief Justice of Bengal from 1875 to 1886....
Lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
of Morden. Both were lawyers and Garth eventually became a judge. In 1864 they joined forces to seek to procure a Parliamentary bill for a railway line to run across their properties.
The railway itself was constructed through the locality in 1859 but the Motspur Park station was not added until the early twentieth century.
Large mansions and farms are the only habitation shown on the 1871 map of the district with no station or residential districts. The area east of the railway was part of Hobbald(e)s Farm (located at the junction of the modern Lower Morden lane and Garth Road) which was owned by Garth. The oakwood alongside the railway was planted around this time to screen it and remains today.
The land was sold and then leased to J.J. Bishop the founder of the Bishops Move removal company around 1873. In 1892 part of the estate was sold to Battersea Corporation for use as a cemetery which still remains as the Northeast Surrey Crematorium.
In 1906 a Mr and Mrs Howlett moved into 138 Seaforth Avenue. They started up a Sunday School in their house for the children in the local area. Soon adults also began to attend these meetings and before long the numbers increased so that the house was full each Sunday. They started saving for a building in which they could meet. In 1925 "West Barnes Gospel Hall" in Seaforth Avenue, then the home of New Malden Evangelical Free Church, was opened.
On the corner of Douglas Avenue and Adela Avenue the Church of England built Holy Cross Church where the first service was held in 1908. Following its destruction during the Second Wold War a new building was erected on the site - the first post-war Church to be built in Southwark Diocese. Designed by architect Ralph Covell it was dedicated for worship in 1949. (The church hall burned down in the 1980s and has since been rebuilt.) The present Anglican parish of Motspur Park was to be formed some years later in 1978 and serves all those who live or work in the area.
The country's first dual carriageway
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
of its kind, the Kingston Bypass
A3 road
The A3, known as the Portsmouth Road for much of its length, is a dual carriageway, or expressway, which follows the historic route between London and Portsmouth passing close to Kingston upon Thames, Guildford, Haslemere and Petersfield. For much of its length, it is classified as a trunk road...
(A3
A3 road
The A3, known as the Portsmouth Road for much of its length, is a dual carriageway, or expressway, which follows the historic route between London and Portsmouth passing close to Kingston upon Thames, Guildford, Haslemere and Petersfield. For much of its length, it is classified as a trunk road...
), was built in 1926 just to the north of Motspur Park, forming a distinct northern boundary to the district. The major junction at Shannon Corner was for years a significant landmark in south west London. The building of this road brought speculative house building on open land throughout its length and it stimulated the development of Motspur Park.
The area was developed as a suburb in the years between the first and second world wars. Most houses were of the "terraced" style, typically of six houses joined together, each with three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs and two living rooms and a kitchen downstairs. The area also attracted a number of playing field
Playing field
A playing field is a field used for playing sports or games. They are generally outdoors, but many large structures exist to enclose playing fields from bad weather. Generally, playing fields are wide expanses of grass, dirt or sand without many obstructions...
s at the time of its development. These remain and have given the area a large amount of green open space.
David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty
Admiral of the Fleet David Richard Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO was an admiral in the Royal Navy...
who commanded a large part of the British fleet at the Battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
in the First World War.
In 1931 the part of the Hobbald(e)s Farm estate was acquired by the Urban District of Merton and Morden to become the Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Playing Fields. One reason for their doing so was to perpetuate the name of local benefactor and ex-Mayor of Wimbledon, Sir Joseph Hood
Sir Joseph Hood, 1st Baronet
Sir Joseph Hood, 1st Baronet, was a British businessman and Conservative Party politician.Born in Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, Hood was educated at the local grammar school...
. The land was set out with a large pavilion, football and cricket pitches, tennis courts, bowling green, putting green and children's play areas. Part of the land is now being managed as a conservation and wildlife reserve.
The biggest local employer for decades was the Decca gramophone record company
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
. In 1929 this was employing 700 people, and making up to 60,000 records a day at its factory in Burlington Road, New Malden. The company diversified during World War Two
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to make radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
and the Decca Navigator System
Decca Navigator System
The Decca Navigator System was a low frequency hyperbolic navigation system that was first deployed during World War II when the Allied forces needed a system which could be used to achieve accurate landings...
.
Other local employers from that era were, at Shannon Corner, the Shannon typewiter company and the Venner timeswitch company, maker of Britain's first parking meters. Also close to Shannon Corner were Carter's Seeds and Bradbury Wilkinson
Bradbury Wilkinson
Bradbury Wilkinson & Co were an English engraver and printer of banknotes, postage stamps and share certificates. The original company was begun in 1856 by Henry Bradbury . In 1861 the company was established at New Malden in Surrey where it remained until the 1986 when it was acquired by De La Rue...
, a security printing company, maker of banknotes for many of the world's smaller countries. The Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
hypermarket in the area occupies the former Bradbury Wilkinson site.
Sydney Charles Wooderson
Sydney Wooderson
Sydney Charles Wooderson MBE , dubbed "The Mighty Atom", was an English athlete whose peak career was in the 1930s and 1940s. He was one of Britain’s greatest middle-distance runners and had an amazing sprint finish...
set the then world mile record of 4min 6.4sec at Motspur Park's University of London Athletics ground on August 28, 1938.
During World War Two a single stick of bombs was aimed at the railway station by a German bomber but missed its target and destroyed houses in Marina Avenue (including the six odd-numbered houses from 63 to 73) and Claremont Avenue. The bomb landing in Claremont Avenue landed on a 21st birthday party at a house very near the station killing many at the party. On the morning of July 3, 1944, a V1 rocket came down near No. 45 Motspur Park, the street that takes its name from the town. According to the archives manager at Kingston council, no casualties were reported, but seven or eight houses were completely destroyed, and others were badly damaged.
B&Q
B&Q
B&Q plc is a multinational DIY and home improvement retailer headquartered in Eastleigh, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1969 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kingfisher plc, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange....
owned the Agip
Agip
Agip is an Italian automotive gasoline and diesel retailer established in 1926. It is a subsidiary of the multinational petroleum company Eni.In 2003, Eni S.p.A...
site (next to West Barnes Library) in the mid to late 80s. The store was rather small and when the Burlington Retail Park was finally finished, B&Q sold the site and moved into a bigger property in New Malden instead.
In the 1970s to mid 1980s, there was a petrol station/garage in Motspur Park. It was called Jackson's Garage, owned and run by Caribbeans (it was located on the site of the former Apple office, now part of the Fulham Football Club office situated next to the level crossing). There were three newsagents/sweetshops/toyshops in the 1960s to 1970s - A.R. Waylett, Bromheads and the smaller 'Sweet Things and Things' which has now increased in size, the others being closed down. There was also a fishmonger (where the kebab shop now stands) an ironmonger (where the garage door sales shop now stands) three butchers, a Co-op store and the original Motspur Park library, which was situated at 359 West Barnes Lane, on the corner of Station Road, in the property now occupied by Kami's gents hairdressers. In the 1980s, a short-lived clothing store called 'Get Clobbered' was open. There were 2 banks in Motspur Park; a Lloyd's Bank situated near Motspur Park Food and Wine and a Midland Bank which was situated in the building left of Kami's. The Chinese take-away shop used to be a greengrocer, the shop to the right of the kebab shop used to be an Apollo Video Rental outlet.
Ghassans store was opened in 1988 and has changed and grown in time to become the local convenience store Ecklee. The store is now three units wide with a lebenese grill open a few shops down offering healthy food for the locals. Home delivery of grocery items from Ecklee is available from Ecklee.co.uk. It is one of the oldest businesses in the area still running today.
D.Jones shoe shop, the Earl Beatty Pub and Motspur Park station are the only buildings unaltered for use since the 1970s.
Famous residents
Col Joseph Husband, the inventor of the zebra crossing, lives in the area.Nigel Winterburn
Nigel Winterburn
Nigel Winterburn is a retired English footballer who played at left-back for Arsenal. He is best known for his role alongside Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Lee Dixon, forming a celebrated defensive line in the Premier League and European football during the 1990s.-Early career:Winterburn was born...
(the former Arsenal and Wimbledon defender) lived in Motspur Park during the 1980s when he played for Wimbledon FC. Apparently, he was a regular at the bookies in Motspur Park.
George Clinton
George Clinton (musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
of Funkadelic
Funkadelic
Funkadelic was an American band most prominent during the 1970s. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
and Parliament
Parliament (band)
Parliament was a funk band most prominent during the 1970s. It and its sister act Funkadelic, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
stayed in a house on Phyllis Avenue during his six-night residency at the London Astoria in 1976.
The village was occasionally mentioned in the BBC comedy series Brush Strokes
Brush Strokes
Brush Strokes is a British television sitcom, broadcast on BBC television from 1986 to 1991. Written by Esmonde and Larbey and set in South London, it depicted the amorous adventures of a good-looking, wisecracking house painter, Jacko...
.
Playing fields
The playing fields located at Motspur Park are:- Fulham football clubFulham F.C.Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
training ground, formerly the University of LondonUniversity of London-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
Athletics ground. As an athletics track it served for scenes in films The GamesThe Games (film)The Games is a 1970 film based on the Hugh Atkinson novel and adapted to the screen by Erich Segal. It was directed by Michael Winner.The plot concerned four marathon competitors at a fictitious Olympic Games in Rome, played by Michael Crawford, Ryan O'Neal, Charles Aznavour, and Athol Compton...
(1970), Chariots of FireChariots of FireChariots of Fire is a 1981 British film. It tells the fact-based story of two athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of God, and Harold Abrahams, an English Jew who runs to overcome prejudice....
(1981) and The Four Minute Mile (1988) (TV). - The BBC F.C. sports club ground
- The King's College SchoolKing's College SchoolKing's College School, commonly referred to as KCS, King's, or KCS Wimbledon, is an independent school for day pupils in Wimbledon in south-west London. The school was founded as the junior department of King's College London and occupied part of its premises in Strand, before relocating to...
sports ground - The Joseph Hood Memorial playing field
- The Old BluesOld BluesFounded in 1873, Old Blues RFC is one of the world's oldest rugby union clubs.Originally comprising Old Blues, Old Blues Rugby was founded two years after the Rugby Football Union itself and the year after the very first Oxford University vs. Cambridge University Varsity Match was played...
rugby club playing field - The Tenison's SchoolArchbishop Tenison's C of E School, LambethArchbishop Tenison's C of E School, commonly known as Tenison's, is a Church of England boys secondary School located in the London Borough of Lambeth.-Admissions:...
playing field - Plus one other minor ground.
The former BBC sports ground - which is opposite Fulham F.C's training ground - occasionally
featured in BBC comedy series such as The Two Ronnies
The Two Ronnies
The Two Ronnies is a British sketch show that aired on BBC1 from 1971 to 1987. It featured the double act of Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, the "Two Ronnies" of the title.-Origins:...
and Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
.
The grounds and buildings were sold by the BBC in the late 1990s and became a private members'
club before closing permanently after in a devastating fire in 2004.
Education
- For education in the Kingston portion of Motspur Park see the main Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames article.
Nearby places
To the west:Kingston upon Thames
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is a borough in southwest London, England. The main town is Kingston upon Thames and it includes Surbiton, Chessington, New Malden and Tolworth. It is the oldest of the three Royal Boroughs in England, the others are Kensington and Chelsea, also in London,...
, Old Malden
Old Malden
Old Malden is a ward of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames south west of Charing Cross.It is one of the more affluent areas in the borough, with Coombe , and Kingston Vale...
To the south:
Worcester Park
Worcester Park
Worcester Park is a suburb of London, England covering both the extreme north west of the London Borough of Sutton in Greater London , part of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey and The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The area is south west of Charing Cross...
, North Cheam
To the east:
Morden
Morden
Morden is a district in the London Borough of Merton. It is located approximately South-southwest of central London between Merton Park , Mitcham , Sutton and Worcester Park .- Origin of name :...
, Merton
London Borough of Merton
The London Borough of Merton is a borough in southwest London, England.The borough was formed under the London Government Act in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey...
, Wimbledon
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
To the north:
New Malden
New Malden
New Malden is a town and shopping centre in the south-western London suburbs, mostly within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and partly in the London Borough of Merton, and is situated from Charing Cross...
, Raynes Park
Raynes Park
Raynes Park is a suburb within the London Borough of Merton south-west London, centred around Raynes Park station and situated between Wimbledon and New Malden. It is 8.2 miles south-west of Charing Cross. The area is effectively divided into two by the Waterloo - Southampton mainline railway...