Merton Abbey Mills Update February 2004

Figure 1 [41.8kb]

Pile of Finds, with the newly discovered wheel underneath [25.7kb]

The new residential building reflecting the proportions of the 1929 building behind [33.7kb]

Merton Abbey Mills, run along the River Wandle, and provides a beautiful and scenic mixture of specialist markets and leisure facilities, this was formerly the home of the Liberty Print Works.

The Liberty site, a collection of Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian buildings encompassing over two centuries of industrial history was sold by Liberties in 1977. It then stood empty and neglected for vandals and fly-tippers.

As the panorama above shows, work is now far advanced on the htel complex to the East, and the two residential block in the old pub car park to the West. Some archaeological evidence is still emerging - see the small pile here, with the object at the bottom being a 5' mill stone - but nothing cohesive is now likely, except, possibly, from the works to tidy up Bennets ditch.

The footings for the new footbridge across the Wandle [41.5kb]

The clear view upstream which is about to be cut off by the new footbridge [43.2kb]

The picture of one of the new residential blocks here shows how the architect was required to adapt his design to one more in keeping with the Merton Abbey Mills buildings - this can be seen particularly in the window proportions when compared with the 1929 building behind.

Finally, the development on the site has hit the viability of the traders at MAM hard. Would it not have been easy for the new signs which have gone up pointing prospective house buyers to the site to have included reference to the market and/or the historic site? A bit of free advertising would have helped, and wouldn't have hurt the sales of units.

Ed, February 2004

Related articles

---