Raynes Park is a primarily residential area within the London Borough of Merton. It is a suburb of London situated between Wimbledon and New Malden and 8.2 miles (13.2 km) south west of Charing Cross. The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... 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. ... Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. ... Greater London is the top level administrative subdivision covering London, England. ... The region, also known as Government Office Region, is currently the highest tier of local government subnational entity of England in the United Kingdom. ... 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New Malden is a suburban town and shopping centre mostly in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and partly in the London Borough of Merton, and is situated 9. ... The Victorian Eleanor Cross at Charing Cross The name Charing Cross, now given to a district of central London in the City of Westminster, comes from the original hamlet of Charing, where King Edward I placed a memorial to his wife, Eleanor of Castile. ...

Transport and amenities

Raynes Park has a station on the National Rail network. The station has four platforms, and trains run north-east towards London Waterloo. At the station there is a junction; here the branch towards Epsom and Dorking diverges from the main line which continues towards Surbiton and Kingston on Thames. A distinctive local landmark is the station footbridge which spans all four main running lines at an angle of about 45 degrees and links the up platforms (1 & 2, for London) with the down (3 & 4). The south-side (down) entrance to Raynes Park station, at the junction of Approach Road with Grand Drive Facade of Waterloo Station, London Waterloo is a major train station and transport interchange located in the Waterloo district of London, which was itself named after the Battle of Waterloo in which Napoleon was defeated near Brussels. ... Epsom railway station is the main railway station for Epsom in the county of Surrey. ... Dorking is a market town nestling under the North Downs approximately 25 miles south of London, in Surrey, England. ... Surbiton is a suburban area of London situated in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. ... Kingston upon Thames, part of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is an ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned, and is now a lively suburb of London. ...

Raynes Park also benefits from London bus services running to Streatham, Wimbledon, New Malden, Kingston on Thames, Colliers Wood and more. Streatham is a place in the London Borough of Lambeth. ... Wimbledon (pronounced ) is a suburb of London, part of the London Borough of Merton and located seven miles (11. ... New Malden is a suburban town and shopping centre mostly in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and partly in the London Borough of Merton, and is situated 9. ... Kingston upon Thames, part of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is an ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned, and is now a lively suburb of London. ... Colliers Wood is an area in south London, England in the London Borough of Merton. ...

The A238 (Bushey Road), a fast dual carriageway leading off the A3 road, runs through Raynes Park in the direction of central London. That dual carriageway travels past the local branch of the David Lloyd Club, and also past a Tesco Extra. The David Lloyd cluub is situated on St. Georges playing field, which homes Raynes Park Vale F.C and plays host to Sunday league football. The field also has other purposes and has in the past held fun fairs and Hindu festival celebrations. The A3 near Liphook The A3 is a trunk road in Southern England, connecting London to Portsmouth. ...

There is a public library on Kingston Road, close to Raynes Park railway station.

Nearest Tube Station: Wimbledon Wimbledon station is a National Rail, London Underground, and Tramlink station located in Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton. ...

Other information

Raynes Park Secondary school, the local mixed secondary school, is away from the town centre at Shannon Corner and the A3 flyover. The A3 near Liphook The A3 is a trunk road in Southern England, connecting London to Portsmouth. ...

Wimbledon College, which Paul Merton attended, is situated nearby as is the Edge Hill Explorer scout unit, part of the Ninth Wimbledon Scout Group. Wimbledon College is a state-maintained voluntary-aided Roman Catholic (Jesuit) secondary school for boys aged 11 to 18. ...

It is where the actor Richard Briers lived as a child. Richard Briers, CBE (born on January 14, 1934) is a popular English actor whose career encompasses the theatre, television, film and radio. ...

External links

• Residents association site
• Raynes Park Residents' Lawn Tennis Club
• Morden Corinthians Cricket Club (Home games played in Taunton Avenue, Raynes Park)

Raynes Park is basically two sections divided by the railway. Indeed, it grew up because of the expansion of the railway. 'The permanent way' dominates the suburb's centre, with fast lines to London one way and the south coast the other. The land on which the railway runs was owned by a local landlord, Lord Cottenham. Cottenham is remembered by the small localised area between Raynes Park and what is referred to as 'West Wimbledon' (close to the A3 and the borough boundary with Kingston-upon-Thames), Cottenham Park.

It is a typical commuter dormitory suburb in that it's relatively prosperous, stable and mostly Caucasian and middle class. Towards the west are the upper class enclaves of Copse Hill and Coombe with their large detached houses, golf courses and gated lands. Between Raynes Park and nearby Wimbledon is a sprawl of bedsitters and terraced housing, most built between the two world wars and in the 1930s when Raynes Park was developing as a suburb. Between the railway and the A3 spur Bushey Road lies a grid of twelve parallel roads known locally as the 'Apostles'. These roads contain residential Victorian style homes.

The area is significantly under-populated by pubs, counting just four close to the railway embankment. There are few major retail chains - Wimbledon has many - which is convenient for anyone living in Raynes Park. Like its near neighbour New Malden, it's not a place one would associate with having a busy nightlife, but anyone who lives there can quite easily go to Wimbledon, Wimbledon village, Kingston, Sutton, Croydon or Guildford for such things. Raynes Park is within 7 miles of most of these places.