Commonside East, Mitcham Common
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Commonside East, Mitcham Common by Marathon as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
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Commonside East, Mitcham Common
Image: © Marathon Taken: 29 Mar 2017
Mitcham Common was once a much larger area of common pasture. The subsequent survival of the Common was helped by the division between four manors. As the boundaries were unclear, no single lord was emboldened to try to control the whole Common. In the early 19th century, gravel winning began in earnest. It became such a problem with gravel pits being started all over the Common that Mitcham Common was protected under the Metropolitan Commons Act of 1891. With the acquisition of mineral rights from the lords of the manors in 1894, the Conservators of Mitcham Common were able to bring the practice of gravel digging to an end. However, the tipping of domestic refuse on Mitcham Common dramatically altered the previously flat profile of Mitcham Common by creating artificial hills. The highest of these is Mill Hill (named after the nearby former windmill) which was completed in 1960 and subsequently landscaped.
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Image Location
Latitude
51.395297
Longitude
-0.135669