Colliers Wood
Encyclopedia
Colliers Wood is an area in south London
, England, in the London Borough of Merton
. Colliers Wood
station is served by the London Underground
's Northern Line
.
It is a mostly residential area, split down the middle by a busy High Street. There are two large shopping areas; The Tandem Centre and the Priory Retail Park, as well as a large supermarket complex built in 1989 on the site of an old print works.
Colliers Wood is home to two parks, including a Recreation Ground and the National Trust owned Wandle Park, which is spread over an area of approximately 11 acres (44,515.5 m²).
Colliers Wood United F.C.
is a semi-professional football club founded in Colliers Wood but now based about 5km to the west.
Colliers Wood shares its postcode district with Wimbledon
, with postcode lookups returning this suburb name and some organisations insisting on its use. It merges into Merton Abbey
.
In 2006, local resident and ex-resident of Slough
Keith Spears, having seen the BBC
TV series Making Slough Happy, started the "Making Colliers Wood Happy!" initiative as a way of building community spirit to counteract the decline in neighbourliness in suburban areas. This has resulted in a lively programme of social activities for local residents, including a choir, a ukulele band and an annual open gardens event, and its importance has been recognised by attracting grants for its work in community-building.
In July 2010 the first Barclays Cycle Superhighway opened, with a continuous bicycle lane known as CS7 linking Colliers Wood with the centre of London (specifically Southwark Bridge), although it was originally intended to continue to South Wimbledon.
Colliers Wood takes its name from a wood that stood to the east of Colliers Wood High Street, approximately where Warren, Marlborough and Birdhurst Roads are now. Contemporary Ordnance Survey
maps show that this wood remained at least until the 1870s but had been cleared for development by the mid-1890s.
It is home to 12th Century ruin Merton Priory
, one of 38 places in the UK currently being considered by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to go forward as British candidates for World Heritage status in 2011. Henry VI
, the only king of England to be crowned outside of Westminster Abbey
in the last 1,000 years, held his coronation ceremony at Merton Priory in 1437. Among those educated at the priory were Thomas Becket
and Nicholas Breakspear
, who was the only ever English Pope.
Close to Merton Priory is the market and heritage centre at Merton Abbey Mills
, which is on the bank of the River Wandle
. The Wandle was reputed to have more mills per mile than any other river in the world - 90 mills along its 11 mile length. William Morris
, at the forefront of the Arts and Crafts Movement
, relocated his dyeworks to Merton Abbey Mills, after determining that the water of the Wandle was suitable for dyeing. The complex, on 7 acres (28,328 m²), included several buildings and a dyeworks, and the various buildings were soon adapted for stained-glass, textile printing, and fabric- and carpet-weaving.. The works closed in 1940. The site is now occupied by a large shared Sainsbury/M&S supermarket complex (originally a SavaCentre
opened on 28 February 1989 with 107430 sq ft (9,980.6 m²) of sales area, making it the largest hypermarket in the UK at the time of its opening).
The world's first public railway, the Surrey Iron Railway
, passed through Colliers Wood on its route from Croydon to Wandsworth, between 1803 and 1846.
It was voted the ugliest building in London in a 2006 BBC
poll and one of the 12 ugliest in the UK in a 2005 Channel 4
poll for its programme Demolition
. The same BBC poll quoted an architect working for Golfrate Property Management, the current owners, as saying the building was due a make-over and new lease of life, but this has yet to materialise.
Currently the ground and first floor windows and doors have been boarded up, and green netting has been attached all the way down each end to prevent falling debris causing injury to passers by. In Spring 2011, two small samples of protective/decorative cladding have been fitted. These are much lighter than the underlying concrete surface and would change the look of the Tower completely.
Demolition of the adjacent spiral car park began in April 2010, but due to complications with an electrical substation was halted soon after, with half the car park still standing. By June 2011 it was eventually demolished entirely.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England, in 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...
. Colliers Wood
Colliers Wood tube station
Colliers Wood is a London Underground station in South London. The station is on the Northern Line, between and stations. It is located at the corner of Merton High Street and Christchurch Road...
station is served by the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
's Northern Line
Northern Line
The Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in...
.
It is a mostly residential area, split down the middle by a busy High Street. There are two large shopping areas; The Tandem Centre and the Priory Retail Park, as well as a large supermarket complex built in 1989 on the site of an old print works.
Colliers Wood is home to two parks, including a Recreation Ground and the National Trust owned Wandle Park, which is spread over an area of approximately 11 acres (44,515.5 m²).
Colliers Wood United F.C.
Colliers Wood United F.C.
Colliers Wood United Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in West Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton. The club are currently members of the Combined Counties League Premier Division and play at the Wibbandune Sports Ground....
is a semi-professional football club founded in Colliers Wood but now based about 5km to the west.
Colliers Wood shares its postcode district with 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...
, with postcode lookups returning this suburb name and some organisations insisting on its use. It merges into Merton Abbey
Merton Abbey, London
Merton Abbey is an area in southwest London, England. It lies between South Wimbledon and Colliers Wood in the London Borough of Merton. Merton Abbey takes its name from Merton Priory, which once stood on the northern edge of the district...
.
In 2006, local resident and ex-resident of Slough
Slough
Slough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
Keith Spears, having seen the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV series Making Slough Happy, started the "Making Colliers Wood Happy!" initiative as a way of building community spirit to counteract the decline in neighbourliness in suburban areas. This has resulted in a lively programme of social activities for local residents, including a choir, a ukulele band and an annual open gardens event, and its importance has been recognised by attracting grants for its work in community-building.
In July 2010 the first Barclays Cycle Superhighway opened, with a continuous bicycle lane known as CS7 linking Colliers Wood with the centre of London (specifically Southwark Bridge), although it was originally intended to continue to South Wimbledon.
History
- For a history of this part of the borough, see MertonMerton (historic parish)Merton was an ancient parish in the Brixton hundred of Surrey, England. It was bounded by Wimbledon to the north, Mitcham to the east, Morden to the south and Kingston upon Thames to the west. The 1871 Ordnance Survey map records its area as . The parish was centred around the 12th century parish...
.
Colliers Wood takes its name from a wood that stood to the east of Colliers Wood High Street, approximately where Warren, Marlborough and Birdhurst Roads are now. Contemporary Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
maps show that this wood remained at least until the 1870s but had been cleared for development by the mid-1890s.
It is home to 12th Century ruin Merton Priory
Merton Priory
Merton Priory was founded in 1114 by Gilbert Norman, Sheriff of Surrey under Henry I. It was located in Merton, Surrey, England at the point where the Roman Stane Street crossed the River Wandle....
, one of 38 places in the UK currently being considered by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to go forward as British candidates for World Heritage status in 2011. Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
, the only king of England to be crowned outside of Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
in the last 1,000 years, held his coronation ceremony at Merton Priory in 1437. Among those educated at the priory were Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
and Nicholas Breakspear
Pope Adrian IV
Pope Adrian IV , born Nicholas Breakspear or Breakspeare, was Pope from 1154 to 1159.Adrian IV is the only Englishman who has occupied the papal chair...
, who was the only ever English Pope.
Close to Merton Priory is the market and heritage centre at Merton Abbey Mills
Merton Abbey Mills
Merton Abbey Mills is a former textile factory in the parish of Merton in London, England near the site of the medieval Merton Priory, now the home of a variety of businesses, mostly retailers....
, which is on the bank of the River Wandle
River Wandle
The River Wandle is a river in south-east England. The names of the river and of Wandsworth are thought to have derived from the Old English "Wendlesworth" meaning "Wendle's Settlement". The river runs through southwest London and is about long...
. The Wandle was reputed to have more mills per mile than any other river in the world - 90 mills along its 11 mile length. William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
, at the forefront of the Arts and Crafts Movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
, relocated his dyeworks to Merton Abbey Mills, after determining that the water of the Wandle was suitable for dyeing. The complex, on 7 acres (28,328 m²), included several buildings and a dyeworks, and the various buildings were soon adapted for stained-glass, textile printing, and fabric- and carpet-weaving.. The works closed in 1940. The site is now occupied by a large shared Sainsbury/M&S supermarket complex (originally a SavaCentre
SavaCentre
Sainsbury’s SavaCentre was a chain of 13 hypermarkets and later a further seven discount supermarkets operated by Sainsbury's and BHS, then later by Sainsbury's alone, from 1977 until 2005. The stores have now been integrated into the Sainsbury's supermarket brand. The hypermarket stores ranged in...
opened on 28 February 1989 with 107430 sq ft (9,980.6 m²) of sales area, making it the largest hypermarket in the UK at the time of its opening).
The world's first public railway, the Surrey Iron Railway
Surrey Iron Railway
The Surrey Iron Railway was a horse drawn plateway whose width approximated to a standard gauge railway that linked the former Surrey towns of Wandsworth and Croydon via Mitcham...
, passed through Colliers Wood on its route from Croydon to Wandsworth, between 1803 and 1846.
Colliers Wood Tower
Colliers Wood is dominated by the "Colliers Wood Tower". Originally named the "Lyon Tower", it was originally occupied as the headquarters of property company Ronald Lyon Holdings but has also been known as "The Vortex" and the "Brown & Root Tower". When being built, the tower reached the third storey before an error in construction was discovered and it was demolished to begin again.It was voted the ugliest building in London in a 2006 BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
poll and one of the 12 ugliest in the UK in a 2005 Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
poll for its programme Demolition
Demolition (TV series)
Demolition is a 2005 television series from Channel 4, which can be seen as being the reverse of the BBC's 2003 series Restoration. The public were encouraged to vote for buildings which they want demolished and replaced, with 12 buildings making The Dirty Dozen.The show was shown on four days,...
. The same BBC poll quoted an architect working for Golfrate Property Management, the current owners, as saying the building was due a make-over and new lease of life, but this has yet to materialise.
Currently the ground and first floor windows and doors have been boarded up, and green netting has been attached all the way down each end to prevent falling debris causing injury to passers by. In Spring 2011, two small samples of protective/decorative cladding have been fitted. These are much lighter than the underlying concrete surface and would change the look of the Tower completely.
Demolition of the adjacent spiral car park began in April 2010, but due to complications with an electrical substation was halted soon after, with half the car park still standing. By June 2011 it was eventually demolished entirely.