Category Archives: Cricket Green Conservation Area

Mitcham Heritage Day – Saturday 14th September 2019

10.00am to 4.30pm Saturday 14 September 2019

Enjoy a day of experiences, visits, tours, exhibitions, and more at Mitcham Heritage Day, and discover just some of the great heritage our area has to offer.

Everything is free.

There are refreshments at many venues.

Below are just some of the things you can do. Full details are on the downloadable programme including the location of each venue and the timing of guided walks and other events.

  • Mitcham Cricket Green Community & Heritage is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Mitcham Cricket Green Conservations Area with the Golden Jubilee Guided Walk starting at 2.00 on the Cricket Green.
  • Mary Tate Cottages – new this year – the Mayor of Merton will unveil a new garden ornament to commemorate the 190th anniversary of the cottages.
  • Mitcham Golf Club – new this year – Exhibition about the history of the club, golfers dressed in historic and modern clothing, display of hickory clubs, access to locker rooms normally only open to members.
  • Melanie’s Walk – new this year – 3-4 miles guided walk around the green spaces of Mitcham, to include a visit to Mitcham Cricket Club and the Canons.
  • Mitcham Parish Church – bell chamber open (up a narrow spiral staircase), guided tours of churchyard, exhibition – From Green to Green an illustrated guide to sites of interest near Cricket Green and Fair Green, Mitcham, exhibition Memories of Mitcham a display combining images from the Merton Memories collection and extracts from the reminiscences of local people.
  • Mitcham Cricket Club – pavilion open for free access. Cricket match celebrating the Centenary of the Mitcham CC Match against the Australian Imperial Forces Touring Team, guided boundary walk covering cricketing history of the Green.
  • Mitcham Bowling Club – pavilion open, try your hand at bowling, support the club in a match in the afternoon.
  • Wandle Industrial Museum – waiving its entry fee. Special exhibition for Mitcham Heritage Day – Mitcham 25 linked with the 25th anniversary of Merton Heritage Service the display will highlight 25 aspects of Mitcham history.
  • The Former Three Kings Pub – three separate exhibitions. History of the building when was a pub. Mitcham History Notes exhibition of History Nuggets prepared for Mitcham Cricket Green Community & Heritage. Old Mitchamians of Mitcham County Grammar school for boys exhibition with Old Boys present to talk about life in the school.
  • Cricket Green School – open for visitors to view the only remaining part of the Hall Place on which the school is built – its 14th Century arch.
  • Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church – open for visits plus timed guided tours of the church including a visit to the Grotto in the parish garden.
  • Canons House & Dovecote – learn about the Lottery funding which will restore the house and landscape over the next three years. Canons in View: an exhibition of photography and art by local primary children interpreting the area through art. Craft demonstrations and workshops throughout the day. Please note The Canons House will not be open.
  • Mitcham Methodist Church – open for visits plus a performance by the church choir.

Evening concert at Mitcham Parish Church – Wessex Vocal Consort celebrates “Hardy and Heritage” in English Choral Music – 7.00pm. Tickets £10.00 from the Parish Church, or 020 8646 0666. Full details and poster here.

Mitcham Cricket Green Community & Heritage would like to thank all the volunteer participants for making this year’s Mitcham Heritage Day such a packed, vibrant and varied event.

For all the details Download the programme

Mitcham Heritage Day is part of Heritage Open Days and is an opening day event for this year’s Wandle Fortnight.

 

 

Want more? Download our self-guided audio tour and take a tour at your leisure

Special thanks to

  • Sarah Gould, Merton Council Heritage & Local Studies, for providing special exhibitions.
  • Mitcham Golf Club for financial support
  • M3 for financial support
  • Mitcham Parish Church for financial support
  • The Canons Parks for People project for financial support

It’s official – Mitcham cricket pavilion is a community asset

Mitcham cricket pavilion is locally listed and a wonderful example of a building of its time.

Opened in 1904 it is undoubtedly an important heritage asset. Do come along and have a look inside on Mitcham Heritage Day on 14th September.

The cricket pavilion’s true value, however, lies in the community role it plays. It supports Mitcham Cricket Club and the continuing story of the game being played on the oldest cricket ground in the world. This is turn adds immensely to the sense of civic pride in Cricket Green and literally defines our identity.

This is why we were pleased to secure Mitcham cricket pavilion at Merton’s first registered asset of community value in 2014 and we are delighted that the registration has just been renewed for another five years following our application.

The renewal affirms the the vital contribution the pavilion makes to the local community at a time when its future is uncertain.

The pavilion shares ownership with the Burn Bullock, a nationally listed building which has declined to the point where it is on the national Heritage at Risk register. We have seen stop/start plans for both new flats and then a hotel for the rear car park and there is now talk of a care home being built. It remains unclear whether this will impact on the land occupied by the pavilion which includes essential storage and garaging facilities for the equipment needed to care for the cricket square.

Everyone agrees that the cricket pavilion is an essential community asset. This has now been officially reconfirmed. Now we need to work with Merton Council and Mitcham Cricket Club to ensure control of the pavilion is transferred to the local community as a condition of any planning permission to develop other parts of the Burn Bullock site.

Mitcham Garden Village – vehicle barrier

Mitcham Garden Village is one of the jewels of the Cricket Green Conservation Area.

It is a living legacy of Sir Isaac Wilson’s local philanthropy and an architectural gem.

We’re greatly concerned, therefore, by proposals for a intrusive road barrier across the key view into the estate from Cranmer Road.

This view is specially recognised in Merton Council’s appraisal of the Conservation Area and the design of

the barrier shows no respect for the sensitivity of the site.

We’re asking for any changes to Mitcham Garden Village to be informed by a management plan to ensure they are well considered and don’t harm what makes it special.

Read our comments on the barrier application.Mitcham Garden Village barrier – June 19

Cricket Green Charter – have your say

It’s the 50th anniversary of Mitcham Cricket Green Conservation Area and so there is no better time to be refreshing the Cricket Green Charter.

The Charter was first prepared in 2013 and sets out principles that have been informing development and other decisions for more than five years.

The Canons Lottery project is a direct result of the Charter, and is just one of the important achievements it has inspired.

We have been inviting views on the refresh since the beginning of 2019 and been in touch with more than 5,000 households in the local area.

We have received some great feedback.

We also held a workshop earlier this month for local people and councillors. This also heard from Merton Council’s futureMerton team about the changes Cricket Green can expect in the coming years.

Thank you to everyone who has been involved so far. We produced a report on the consultation feedback.

We are now asking for your views on a final draft of the new Cricket Green Charter.

Have a look and let us know what you think.

  • Have we pitched things properly?
  • What have we missed?
  • Are these your priorities?
  • How would you like to see Cricket Green change?

You can email us, get involved on Twitter, or come along and talk things through at our stall at Merton Heritage Discovery Day (at the Civic Centre in Morden on May 11th) or Mitcham Carnival (at Three Kings Piece in Mitcham on June 15th).

We also have an Open Meeting in Mitcham Cricket Pavilion on May 28th at 7pm and would love to chat to you there.

We need to have your feedback by the time of Mitcham Carnival.

Report on the consultation feedback

Final draft of the new Cricket Green Charter