Mitcham Common is an area of common land situated in South London. It is predominantly in the London borough of Merton, with parts straddling the borders with Sutton and Croydon. In England and Wales, a common is a piece of land over which other people -- often neighbouring landowners -- could exercise one of a number of traditional rights, such as allowing their cattle to graze upon it. ... South London area South London (known colloquially as South of the River) is the area of London south of the River Thames. ... The administrative area of Greater London contains 32 London Boroughs, of which 12 (plus the City of London) make up Inner London and 20 Outer London. ... The London Borough of Merton is a London borough in south west London. ... The London Borough of Sutton is a London borough in outer southwest London. ... The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London and part of Outer London. ...
The common is composed of formerly arable land, which gained protected status as common land through an 1891 Act of Parliament. The area had been used a source for gravel in the late 19th century. In geography, arable land is a form of agricultural land use, meaning land that can be (and is) used for growing crops. ... In Westminster System parliaments, an Act of Parliament is a part of the law passed by the Parliament. ... Gravel being unloaded from a barge Gravel is rock that is of a certain grain size range. ...
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Geography
The common is mainly made up of grassland, with a number of hills and ponds of interest. The Seven Islands pond is the largest of all the ponds, and was created as the result of gravel extraction during the 19th century. The most recent pond to be created, Bidder's pond, was created in 1990 and named for George Parker Bidder. Gravel being unloaded from a barge Gravel is rock that is of a certain grain size range. ...
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Buildings
There are a few buildings on the common. The buildings comprising the Windmill Trading Estate have existed in one form or another since 1782, when the estate was established as workhouses for the poor. The Mill House Ecology Centre and the Mill House Pub are located near the site of an old windmill, the remnants of which still exist. There also exists upon the common a statue in commemoration of George Parker Bidder.
Part of MitchamCommon provides views towards Croydon in one direction, London in another, and here the view is towards Crystal Palace.
Thousands of years ago the River Thames flowed where MitchamCommon is now and as the flow of the river gradually altered it left behind beds of gravel, which were later quarried.
Some of the ponds on the Common are the remmnants of these gravel quarries.
Mitcham was listed in the Domesday Book as a small farming community, with 250 people living in two hamlets; Mitcham, an area known today as Upper Mitcham; and Whitford, today known as the Lower Green area.
Mitcham became part of the London Borough of Merton in 1965, an effect of The London Government Act 1963, and this led to further expansion of the housing estates in Eastfields, Phipps Bridge and Pollards Hill.
Mitcham is part of the Mitcham and Morden parliamentary constituency, as of 2005 a safe Labour seat.
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