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Merton, London (parish)

Former civil parishes in LondonHistory of local government in London (pre-1855)History of the London Borough of Merton
St Mary's church, Merton geograph 3228637 by Dave Kelly
St Mary's church, Merton geograph 3228637 by Dave Kelly

Merton is an ancient parish historically in Surrey, but which has since 1965 been part of Greater London (under its current name Merton Priory). It is bounded by Wimbledon to the north, Mitcham to the east, Morden, Cheam and Cuddington (Worcester Park and rest of Motspur Park) to the south and (New) Malden to the west. The 1871 Ordnance Survey map records its area as 1,764.7 acres (7.1 km2) (2.7 sq mi). The parish was and is centred on the 12th-century parish church of St Mary in Merton Park. As a result of the disestablishment of the vestries the parish became of two legal types and areas: religious and civil. It had in the late 19th century seen breakaway ecclesiastical parishes but the civic aspect in 1907 was transformed into Merton Urban District; this in turn was enlarged and empowered into the London Borough of Merton in 1965.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Merton, London (parish) (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Merton, London (parish)
Church Path, London Merton Park (London Borough of Merton)

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 51.4102 ° E -0.2024 °
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Address

St. Mary the Virgin

Church Path
SW19 3HJ London, Merton Park (London Borough of Merton)
England, United Kingdom
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Website
stmarysmerton.org.uk

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St Mary's church, Merton geograph 3228637 by Dave Kelly
St Mary's church, Merton geograph 3228637 by Dave Kelly
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Nearby Places

New Wimbledon Theatre
New Wimbledon Theatre

The New Wimbledon Theatre is situated on the Broadway, Wimbledon, London, in the London Borough of Merton. It is a Grade II listed Edwardian theatre built by the theatre lover and entrepreneur, J. B. Mulholland. Built on the site of a large house with spacious grounds, the theatre was designed by Cecil Aubrey Massey and Roy Young (possibly following a 1908 design by Frank H. Jones). It seems to have been the only British theatre to have included a Victorian-style Turkish bath in the basement. The theatre opened on 26 December 1910 with the pantomime Jack and Jill. The theatre was very popular between the wars, with Gracie Fields, Sybil Thorndike, Ivor Novello, Markova, and Noël Coward all performing there. Lionel Bart's Oliver! received its world premiere at the theatre in 1960 before transferring to the West End's New Theatre. The theatre also hosted the world premiere of Half a Sixpence starring Tommy Steele in 1963 prior to the West End. With several refurbishments, most notably in 1991 and 1998, the theatre retains its baroque and Adamesque internal features. The golden statue atop the dome is Laetitia, the Roman Goddess of Gaiety (although many refer to her as the theatre's "angel") and was an original fixture back in 1910. Laetitia is holding a laurel crown as a symbol of celebration. The statue was removed in World War II as it was thought to be a direction finding device for German bombers, and replaced in 1991. The theatre is close to Wimbledon rail, tube, and tramlink station, and a short walk from South Wimbledon tube station.