Editing Mitcham

{{short description|Area of London, England}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox UK place
 | country                  = England
 | static_image_name        = File:Mitcham clock tower (geograph 1853146).jpg
 | static_image_caption     = Mitcham Clocktower was built in 1898 and renovated in 2016.
 | region                   = London
 | population               = 63,393
 | population_ref           = ([[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 Census]])<ref>Mitcham is made up of 6 wards in the London Borough of Merton: Cricket Green, Figge's Marsh, Graveney, Lavender Fields, Longthornton, and Pollards Hill.{{cite web |url=http://data.london.gov.uk/2011-census-ward-pop |title=2011 Census Ward Population Estimates &#124; London DataStore |access-date=9 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222202755/http://data.london.gov.uk/2011-census-ward-pop |archive-date=22 February 2014 |df=dmy}}</ref>
 | official_name            = Mitcham
 | coordinates              = {{coord|51.4009|-0.1517|display=inline,title}}
 | london_borough           = Merton
 | constituency_westminster = [[Mitcham and Morden (UK Parliament constituency)|Mitcham and Morden]]
 | post_town                = MITCHAM
 | postcode_area            = CR
 | postcode_district        = CR4
 | dial_code                = 020
 | os_grid_reference        = TQ285685
}}

'''Mitcham''' is an area within the [[London Borough of Merton]] in [[South London]], England. It is centred {{convert|7.2|mi}} southwest of [[Charing Cross]]. Originally a village in the county of [[Surrey]], today it is mainly a residential [[suburb]], and includes [[Mitcham Common]]. It has been a settlement throughout recorded history.

Amenities include [[Mitcham Library]] and [[Mitcham Cricket Green]]. Nearby major districts are [[Croydon]], [[Sutton, London|Sutton]], [[Beddington]], [[Wimbledon, London|Wimbledon]], [[Morden]], [[Tooting]], [[Streatham]], [[Norbury]] and [[Colliers Wood]]. Mitcham, most broadly defined, had a population of 63,393 in 2011, formed from six wards including [[Pollards Hill]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.london.gov.uk/2011-census-ward-pop |title=2011 Census Ward Population Estimates &#124; London DataStore |access-date=2014-06-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222202755/http://data.london.gov.uk/2011-census-ward-pop |archive-date=22 February 2014 }}</ref>

== Location ==
Mitcham is in the east of the [[London Borough of Merton]], bounded by boroughs of [[London Borough of Wandsworth|Wandsworth]], [[London Borough of Croydon|Croydon]], [[London Borough of Lambeth|Lambeth]] and [[London Borough of Sutton|Sutton]]. The [[River Wandle]] bounds the town to the southwest.<ref>Ordnance Survey</ref> The original village lies in the west. [[Mitcham Common]] takes up the greater part of the boundary and the area to the south part of the CR4 postcode is in the area of [[Pollards Hill]]. Some of the area which includes Mitcham Common and parts of Mitcham Junction are in the CR0 postcode area.

== History ==
[[File:Parish Church Mitcham (28833007202).jpg|thumb|Mitcham Parish Church, Church Road, dates in part to the Saxon era.]]
[[File:Eagle House, London Road, Mitcham. - geograph.org.uk - 22085.jpg|thumb|Eagle House, London Road, Mitcham, built in 1705]]
The [[Toponymy|toponym]] "Mitcham" is [[Old English]] in origin and means ''big settlement''. Before the [[Roman Britain|Romans]] and [[Saxons]] were present, it was a [[Britons (historical)|Celtic]] settlement, with evidence of a [[hill fort]] in the Pollards Hill area. The discovery of Roman-era graves and a well on the site of the Mitcham gasplant evince Roman settlement. The Anglo-Saxon graveyard on the north bank of the Wandle is the largest discovered to date, and many of the finds therein are on display in the [[British Museum]]. Scholars such as Myres have suggested that Mitcham and other Thames plain settlements were some of the first populated by the [[Anglo-Saxons]].

What became the parish lands could have hosted the [[Battle of Merton]], 871, in which King [[Ethelred of Wessex]] was either mortally wounded or killed outright. The [[Church of England parish church]] of [[Feast of Saints Peter and Paul|St Peter and St Paul]] dates from the early [[Kingdom of England]]. Mostly rebuilt in 1819–1821, the current building retains the original Saxon tower. The [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 lists Mitcham as a small [[farming]] community, an implied estimate of 250 people, living in two [[hamlet (place)|hamlets]]: Mitcham, the area today being Upper Mitcham; and Whitford (Lower Green).

The Domesday Book records Mitcham as ''Michelham''. It was held partly by the Canons of [[Bayeux]], partly by William, son of Ansculf and partly by Osbert.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/surrey1.html#mitcham | title=Surrey | website=The Domesday Book online – Surrey}}</ref> Its domesday assets were: 8 [[hide (unit)|hides]] and 1 [[virgate]]. It had ½ [[Mill (grinding)|mill]] worth £1, 3½ [[plough]]s, {{convert|56|acre}} of [[meadow]]. It rendered £4 5s 4d, at a time when a [[pound sterling]] still implied something similar to a pound of silver. The area lay in the [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] county subdivision of [[Wallington (hundred)|Wallington]] [[hundred (division)|hundred]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Open Domesday: Mitcham|url=https://opendomesday.org/place/TQ2768/mitcham/|access-date=30 October 2022}}</ref>

During her reign [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth I]] made at least five visits to the area. [[John Donne]] and Sir [[Walter Raleigh]] also had residences here in this era. It was at this time that Mitcham became gentrified, as due to the abundance of [[lavender]] fields Mitcham became renowned for its soothing air. The air also led people to settle in the area during times of [[Bubonic plague|plague]].

When [[industrialisation]] occurred, Mitcham quickly grew to become a town and most of the farms were swallowed up in the expansion. Remnants of this farming history today include: Mitcham Common itself; Arthur's Pond on the corner of Watney's Road and Commonside East, and named for a local farmer; Alfred Mizen School (Garden Primary School), named after a local nurseryman charitable towards the burgeoning town; and the road New Barnes Avenue, replacing part of New Barn(e)s Farm.

[[File:Potter&Moore.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Potter & Moore aftershave, made with Mitcham lavender]]
Many [[lavender]] fields were in Mitcham, and [[peppermint]] and lavender oils were also [[distillation|distilled]]. In 1749 two local [[Herb garden|physic gardeners]], John Potter and William Moore, founded a company to make and market toiletries made from locally grown herbs and flowers.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://potterandmoore.com/about-us/ | title=Potter and Moore – An Introduction | website=Potter & Moore}}</ref> Lavender features on Merton Council's coat of arms and the badge of the local football team, [[Tooting & Mitcham United F.C.]], as well as in the name of a local council ward, Lavender Field.

Mitcham was industrialised first along the banks of the Wandle, where [[Snuff (tobacco)|snuff]], [[copper]], flour, [[iron]] and [[dye]] were all worked. Mitcham, along with nearby [[Merton Abbey, London|Merton Abbey]], became the [[Calico (fabric)|calico cloth]] printing centres of England by 1750. [[Asprey]], suppliers of luxury goods made from various materials, was founded in Mitcham as a [[silk]]-printing business in 1781. [[William Morris]] opened a factory on the River Wandle at Merton Abbey. Merton Abbey Mills were the [[Liberty (department store)|Liberty]] silk-printing works. It is now a craft village and its waterwheel has been preserved.

Activity along the Wandle led to the building of the [[Surrey Iron Railway]], the world's first public railway, in 1803. The decline and failure of the railway in the 1840s also heralded a change in industry, as horticulture gradually gave way to [[manufacturing]], with [[paint]], [[varnish]], [[linoleum]] and [[firework]] manufacturers moving into the area. The work provided and migratory patterns eventually resulted in a doubling of the population between the years 1900 and 1910.

In 1829, Miss Mary Tate donated land and money to build almshouses on the site of the former Tate family home in Cricket Green. The buildings were designed in a Tudor style by John Butcher and established to accommodate twelve poor widows or spinsters of the parish. Miss Tate was the only surviving member of the Tate family, who had lived from about 1700 in a large mansion on the site of the almshouses.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://photoarchive.merton.gov.uk/collections/buildings/almshouses/97774-mary-tate-alms|title=Mary Tate Almshouses – Merton Memories Photographic Archive|website=photoarchive.merton.gov.uk|access-date=2019-06-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/0b39ce3f-0ca1-4300-ae4b-d651a8bf1892|title=Miss Tate's Almshouses, Mitcham}}</ref> The gardens at the rear of the property were originally provided for the use of residents, but later informally rented out as allotments.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.londongardensonline.org.uk/gardens-online-record.php?ID=MER028|title=Mary Tate Almshouses|website=www.londongardensonline.org.uk|access-date=2019-06-13}}</ref>

Mitcham became a borough, within a two-tier council system, on 19 September 1934 with the charter of incorporation being presented to the 84-year-old mayor, R.M. Chart, by the [[Lord Lieutenant]] of Surrey, [[Henry Cubitt, 2nd Baron Ashcombe|Lord Ashcombe]].<ref>''[[Daily Mirror]]'' page 13, 19 September 1934</ref>

{| border="1" cellspacing="0"  style="float:right; margin-left:10px;"
|+'''Mitcham's population'''
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|19th Century || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|20th Century
|- style="text-align:center;"
|  style="width:25%;"|1801||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|3,466||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|1901||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|14,903
|- style="text-align:center;"
|  style="width:25%;"|1811||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|4,175||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|1911||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|29,606
|- style="text-align:center;"
|  style="width:25%;"|1821||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|4,453||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|1921||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|35,119
|- style="text-align:center;"
|  style="width:25%;"|1831||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|4,387||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|1931||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|56,859
|- style="text-align:center;"
|  style="width:25%;"|1841||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|4,532||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|1941¹||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|war
|- style="text-align:center;"
|  style="width:25%;"|1851||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|4,641||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|1951||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|67,269
|- style="text-align:center;"
|  style="width:25%;"|1861||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|5,078||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|1961||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|63,690
|- style="text-align:center;"
|  style="width:25%;"|1871||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|6,498||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|1971||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|60,608
|- style="text-align:center;"
|  style="width:25%;"|1881||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|8,960||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|1981||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|57,158
|- style="text-align:center;"
|  style="width:25%;"|1891||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|12,127||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"|1991²||  style="text-align:center; width:25%;"| n/a
|-
|style="font-size:smaller" colspan=4|
# no census was held due to war
# census data no longer relates to parish boundaries
|-
| colspan="4" style="font-size:smaller; text-align:center;"|source: [[Census#United Kingdom|UK census]]
|}
Social housing schemes in the 1930s included New Close, aimed at housing people made homeless by a factory explosion in 1933 {{Citation needed|date=August 2015}} and [[Sunshine Way]], for housing the poor from inner London.<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 November 1936 |title=New cottages by the church army |work=Church Times |url=https://mitchamhistorynotes.com/2015/05/23/sunshine-way/ |access-date=16 November 2022}}</ref> This industry made Mitcham a target for [[The Blitz|German bombing]] during [[World War II]]. During this time Mitcham also returned to its [[agriculture|agricultural]] roots, with Mitcham Common being farmed to help with the war effort.{{Citation needed|date=August 2015}}

From 1929 the electronics company [[Mullard]] had a factory on New Road.{{Citation needed|date=August 2015}}

Postwar, the areas of [[Eastfields]], [[Phipps Bridge]] and [[Pollards Hill]] were rebuilt to provide cheaper more affordable housing.{{Citation needed|date=August 2015}} The largest [[Council house|council housing]] project in Mitcham is [[Phipps Bridge Estate]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2015}} Further expansion of the housing estates in Eastfields, Phipps Bridge and Pollards Hill occurred after 1965. In Mitcham Cricket Green, the area lays reasonable, although not definitive, claim to having the world's oldest [[cricket ground]] in continual use, and the world's oldest club in [[Mitcham Cricket Club]].<ref name="MCC">{{cite news |last=Siddique |first=Haroon |title=World's oldest village cricket green under threat from developers, club says |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/aug/19/worlds-oldest-village-cricket-green-under-threat-from-developers-club-says |access-date=19 August 2018 |work=The Guardian |date=19 August 2018}}</ref>

The ground is also notable for having a road separate the pavilion from the pitch.<ref name="MCC" /> Local [[folklore]] claims Mitcham has the oldest [[fair]] in England, believing it to have been granted a [[charter]] by Queen Elizabeth I, a claim never proven.

;Literature
[[Charles James Apperley|Nimrod]], sporting writer of the early 19th century, advocated against the grazing on grass of racehorses. He finds a very fast donkey chaise, investigates the donkey's owner and finds it is a Mitcham blacksmith, who never turns out the donkey in summer onto Mitcham Common but keeps it fed with oats and beans as if a hunter racing horse.<ref>[[Pierce Egan]], ''Pierce Egan's Anecdotes (original and Selected) of the Turf, the Chase, the Ring, and the Stage'', Knight & Lacey, 1827, at page 57</ref>

Mitcham appears in local variants of mildly vulgar rhymes of 18th and 19th centuries, all beginning with:
:"[[Sutton, London|Sutton]] for good mutton"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/wmn/fow/fow16.htm|title=Chapter XIV: Local Allusions to Women|publisher=sacred-texts.com|access-date=5 December 2013}}</ref>

One variant ends with "Mitcham for a thief", another "[[Ewell]]" which is opposite in direction. An author noted for another genre, [[James Edward Preston Muddock]] as Dick Donovan penned ''The Naughty Maid of Mitcham'' in 1910.

== Open spaces ==
[[File:Pond on Mitcham Common. - geograph.org.uk - 22077.jpg|thumb|Pond on Mitcham Common]]
{{Main|Mitcham Common}}
Mitcham is home to a large area (460 acres) of South London's open green space in the form of [[Mitcham Common]], studded with a few ponds and buildings.

The buildings comprising the Windmill Trading Estate have existed in one form or another since 1782. The Mill House Ecology Centre and the Harvester (formerly the Mill House Pub) are located near the site of an old windmill, the remnants of which still exist.

The Seven Islands pond is the largest of all the ponds, created following [[gravel]] extraction of the 19th century.<ref>[https://wandlevalleypark.co.uk/locations/merton/mitcham-common/ ''wandlevalleypark.co.uk'']</ref> The most recent, Bidder's pond, was created in 1990 and named after [[George Parker Bidder]].

== Notable buildings ==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="165">
Eagle House, Mitcham - 2654478 ef0496f3.jpg|Eagle House, Mitcham
Formerly Mitcham Railway Station - geograph.org.uk - 1220242.jpg|Old Mitcham Station
Mitcham Public Library, London Road. - geograph.org.uk - 22087.jpg|Mitcham Library, London Rd
Elm Lodge, Cricket Green (geograph 4990472).jpg|Elm Lodge, Cricket Green
Mitcham Methodist Church - 2014, I.jpg|Mitcham Methodist Church
St Barnabas church, Gorringe Park Avenue - geograph.org.uk - 217133.jpg|St Barnabas Church
D61 0328 527 The White House Mitcham Cricket Green.jpg|The White House, Mitcham
Burn Bullock Public House - geograph.org.uk - 1220234.jpg|[[Burn Bullock (public house)|The Burn Bullock]]
The White Hart Mitcham (15310632588).jpg|The White Hart Public House
Vestry Hall (geograph 3607927).jpg|[[Mitcham Vestry Hall]]
</gallery>


*The [https://www.thecanonsmitcham.co.uk/ Canons]. House originally built in 1680; it was the home of the family Cranmer until it was sold to the local council in 1939. The name originates from an Augustinian priory that was given this site in the 12th Century. The pond next to which it is located and the dovecote (dated at 1511) both predate the house.<ref>{{Cite web|title = The Canons, Mitcham: Dovecote – Merton Memories Photographic Archive|url = http://photoarchive.merton.gov.uk/collections/buildings/49463|website = photoarchive.merton.gov.uk|access-date = 2016-01-26}}</ref>
*[[Eagle House (London)|Eagle House]], built in 1705. Eagle House is a Queen Anne house built in the Dutch style on land formerly owned by Sir Walter Raleigh. It is on London Road, Mitcham, the grounds forming a triangle bounded by London Road, Bond Road and Western Road. The building was commissioned by the [[wikt:Marrano|marrano]] doctor Fernando Mendes (1647–1724), former physician to King Charles II.
*Mitcham Common Windmill, a post mill dating from 1806.
*Old Mitcham Station, on the [[Surrey Iron Railway]] route. Now called Station Court, the building was a former merchant's home and is possibly the oldest station in the world.
*The Tate [[Almshouse]]s, built in 1829 to provide for the poor by Mary Tate.
*The Watermead Fishing Cottages.
*[[Mitcham Vestry Hall]], the annex of which now houses the Wandle Industrial Museum.
*[[Mitcham Library|Mitcham Public Library]], built in 1933.
*Elm Lodge, 1808. This listed [[Regency architecture|Regency]] house was occupied by Dr. Parrott, a village doctor, in the early 19th century, and for a short time by the artist, [[Sir William Nicholson]]. The curved canopy over the entrance door is a typical feature of this period.{{Citation needed|date=July 2015}}
*Mitcham Court. The centre portion, first known as Elm Court, was built in 1840, the wings later. [[Julius Caesar Czarnikow|Caesar Czarnikow]], a sugar merchant, lived here ca. 1865–86 and presented the village with a new horse-drawn fire engine. Sir [[Harry Mallaby-Deeley]], M.P., conveyed the house to the borough in the mid-1930s. The [[Ionic order|Ionic]] columned porch and the ironwork on the ground floor windows are notable features.
* Renshaw's factory, a [[marzipan]] factory, founded in 1898 in the [[City of London|City]] and thus one of the earliest in the country, which came to Mitcham in 1924.{{Citation needed|date=July 2015}} It was on Locks Lane until 1991, when the company moved its operations to [[Liverpool]]. The factory was featured in three 1950s British [[Pathé News]] shorts. The building has lent its name to the area where it stood, Renshaw Corner.
*Poulters Park, Home to Mitcham Rugby Union Football Club
*[[Imperial Fields]], [[Tooting & Mitcham United F.C.]]'s home ground.
*Mitcham Methodist Church was designed by the architect Edward Mills (1915–1998), and built in 1958–9. Regarded as the best surviving work by the most successful Nonconformist architect of the period. A radical and inspiring building that was forwarded by the 20th Century Society for listing as it was under threat. Grade II listed on 5 March 2010.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/rogersg/4502276383/in/set-72157623714132523 | title=Mitcham Methodist Church, exterior (E. Mills) | website=[[Flickr]]| date=8 April 2010 }}</ref>
*St Barnabas church, Gorringe Park Avenue, Mitcham. Built in the gothic style, on 17 May 1913 the foundation stone of the church building was laid, and on 14 November 1914 the church was consecrated – by the bishop of Southwark. The architect was HP Burke-Downing. The building is still in use as an Anglican church. Both the church itself and the adjacent parish hall are Grade II listed.
*The White House, Mitcham on which the wall plaque says: "This 18th Century house was renovated in the Regency style in 1826 by Dr. A.C. Bartley, a village doctor, whose daughter wrote reminiscences of old Mitcham. The house remained in his family until 1919. Fluted Greek Doric columns support a slightly altered porch with a bowed front." It is Grade II listed.<ref>[https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1286290 Historic England]</ref>
*[[Burn Bullock (public house)|The Burn Bullock]], a public house, London Road, Mitcham is a three-storey Grade II listed building originally called the King's Head Hotel. The front of the building dates from the 18th century whilst its wing dates from the 16th and 17th centuries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-205091-burn-bullock-public-house-greater-london|title=British Listed Buildings: Burn Bullock Public House, Merton|work=britishlistedbuildings.co.uk}}</ref> It is named after [[Burnett Bullock]], a well known, former cricket player from the locality.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukpubfinder.com/pub/28751|title=Burn Bullock, Mitcham, Surrey|work=ukpubfinder.com}}</ref><ref name="MCC" />
*The White Hart public house is Mitcham's earliest recorded inn, rebuilt in 1749–50 after serious fire damage. The central porch, with frieze and balustrade, is supported by four Tuscan columns. Stagecoaches used to start from a yard at the rear. It is Grade II listed. It is located in London Road, opposite Cricket Green.<ref>[https://mitchamhistorynotes.com/pubs/white-hart/ Mitcham History Notes]</ref>

== Notable people ==
*[[John Donne]] – [[Jacobean era|Jacobean]] poet and churchman<ref>{{cite ODNB|last=Colclough|first=David|title=Donne, John (1572–1631)|id=7819|date=19 May 2011}}</ref>
*[[James Chuter Ede]] – politician, MP for Mitcham 1923, resident till 1937, later [[Home Secretary]]<ref>'Lady Griffith-Boscawen cries over Mitcham result', ''Daily Graphic'' (4 March 1923), and other newspaper articles</ref>
*[[Michael Fielding]] and [[Noel Fielding]] – ''[[The Mighty Boosh]]'' comedians and brothers<ref name="Sunday Times">{{cite news|last=Rumbelow|first=Helen|date=28 November 2009|title=The Mighty Boosh's Noel Fielding says that 'Kids are frightened of me'|work=[[The Sunday Times]]|location=London|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/the-mighty-booshs-noel-fielding-says-that-kids-are-frightened-of-me-6lh8vz8nbt5|access-date=19 October 2010}}</ref>
*[[Mike Fillery]] – [[Association football]]<ref>{{NeilBrownPlayers|player1/mikefillery}}</ref>
*[[David Gibson (cricketer)|David Gibson]] – cricketer<ref>David Lemmon, ''The History of Surrey County Cricket Club'', Christopher Helm, 1989, {{ISBN|0-7470-2010-8}}, p253.</ref>
*[[Florence Harmer]] – historian<ref name=life>[[Dorothy Whitelock]], 'Florence Elizabeth Harmer', in ''Interpreters of Early Medieval Britain'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=NVLJD0nweukC&pg=PA369 pp. 369-380]</ref>
*[[Neil Howlett]] – [[opera singer]]<ref>{{cite book|editor=David M. Cummings|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BeTBnjmnypEC&dq=%22Howlett%2C+Neil+%22&pg=PA298 |title=International Who's Who in Music|publisher=Routledge|date=2000|page=268|isbn=0-948875-53-4}}</ref>
*[[Banaz Mahmod]], 20, an [[Kurds in Iraq|Iraqi Kurd]], victim of [[honour killing]] in 2006<ref name="observer">{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/sep/22/banaz-mahmod-honour-killing |title='They're following me': chilling words of girl who was 'honour killing' victim |first=Tracy |last=McVeigh |work=[[The Observer]] |date=22 September 2012 |accessdate=14 December 2015}}</ref>
*[[M.I.A. (artist)|M.I.A.]] – singer, songwriter and rapper<ref name="popmattMay052">{{cite web|author=Wheaton, Robert|title=London Calling – For Congo, Columbo, Sri Lanka..|work=[[PopMatters]]|url=https://www.popmatters.com/music/interviews/mia-0505062.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090124220154/http://www.popmatters.com/music/interviews/mia-0505062.shtml|archive-date=24 January 2009|date=6 May 2005|access-date=6 May 2007}}</ref>
*[[Peter D. Mitchell]] — Nobel prizewinner, born in Mitcham in 1920<ref>{{Cite ODNB | title = The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography | doi = 10.1093/ref:odnb/51236 | year = 2004 }}</ref>
*[[Michael Moorcock]] — author<ref name="fantasybookreview.co.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/Michael-Moorcock/biography.html|title=Michael Moorcock biography|work=Fantasy Book Review|access-date=15 November 2016|archive-date=2 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402153236/http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/Michael-Moorcock/biography.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Ramz (rapper)]] - singer, rapper<ref>{{Citation|last=Amarudontv|title=Ramz [Interview] Overcoming Exclusion From Secondary School And Growing Up In South London|date=26 December 2017|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy-lyEgyqMA|accessdate=3 January 2018}}</ref>
*[[Slick Rick]] – East coast Rapper, born in Surrey, moved to USA aged 11<ref>{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p97|pure_url=yes}} |first=John |last= Bush |title=Slick Rick Biography and History|website=AllMusic|access-date=April 11, 2016}}</ref>
*[[Alex Stepney]] – former [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] footballer and 1968 European Cup winner<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bethel|first1=Chris|last2=Sullivan|first2=David|title=Millwall Football Club 1940–2001|publisher=Tempus Publishing|year=2002|page=56|isbn=0-7524-2187-5}}</ref>
*[[Herbert Strudwick]] – cricket wicket-keeper<ref>{{ESPNcricinfo|id=20393|name=Herbert Strudwick|check-wikidata=no}}</ref>
*[[William Allison White]] – recipient of the [[Victoria Cross]]<ref name="MCIS">{{cite web|title=Merton: Carved in Stone: William Allison White|url=https://cis.photoarchive.merton.gov.uk/white-vc|access-date=30 October 2022}}</ref>
*[[Faryadi Sarwar Zardad]] – [[Afghanistan|Afghan]] warlord; lived in Mitcham for a time, later convicted and imprisoned for war crimes<ref name=Bbc20050718c>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/4693783.stm| date= 18 July 2005| title=How Newsnight found Zardad| author=John Simpson| publisher=BBC News| accessdate=12 April 2007| author-link= John Simpson (journalist)}}</ref>

== Demography and economics ==
;Mitcham and Morden (Westminster Parliamentary Constituency)
* Population – 103,298<ref name=2011census>{{cite web | url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?b=6508016&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2491 | title=Population Density, 2011 | work=Area: Mitcham and Morden (Westminster Parliamentary Constituency) | publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]] | access-date=23 November 2013 | archive-date=2 June 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150602142131/http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?b=6508016&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2491 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

;Ethnic Group<ref>{{cite web | url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?b=6508016&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2575 | title=Ethnic Group, 2011 | work=Area: Mitcham and Morden (Westminster Parliamentary Constituency) | publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]]}}</ref>
* [[White British|White]]
British – 40,608, Irish – 1,840, Gypsy or Irish Traveller – 161, Other White – 12,899
* [[Mixed (United Kingdom ethnicity category)|Mixed/Multiple Ethnic Groups]]
White and Black Caribbean – 1,862, White and Black African – 856, White and Asian – 1,163, Other Mixed – 1,444
* [[Asian people|Asian]]
Indian – 4,536, Pakistani – 5,054, Bangladeshi – 1,484, Chinese – 1,169, Other Asian – 10,194
* Black/African/Caribbean
African – 9,036, Caribbean – 7,029, Other Black – 1,912
* Other Ethnic Group
Arab – 670, Other ethnic group – 1,381

;Religion<ref>{{cite web | url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?b=6508016&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2579 | title=Religion, 2011 | work=Area: Mitcham and Morden (Westminster Parliamentary Constituency) | publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]]}}</ref>
* [[Christianity|Christian]] – 57,665
* No Religion – 17,677, Religion Not Stated – 6,887
* [[Islam|Muslim]] – 11,046
* [[Hinduism|Hindu]] – 8,400
[[Buddhism|Buddhist]] – 862, [[Sikhism|Sikh]] – 252, [[Judaism|Jewish]] – 147, Other Religion – 362

;Gender<ref>{{cite web |url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?b=6508016&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2493 |title=Se, 2011 |work=Area: Mitcham and Morden (Westminster Parliamentary Constituency) |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]]}}</ref>
* Female: 52,237
* Male: 51,061
{| class="wikitable"
|+Sales numbers and house prices in Mitcham - March 2023 <ref>{{cite web |title=Mitcham Property Market Snapshot |url=https://truuli.co.uk/mitcham-house-prices/ |access-date=2023-03-11 |website=Truuli |language=en-GB}}</ref>
!By property type
!Number of sales last 12 months
!Average price achieved last 12 months
!Average price change per square foot
|-
|Detached
|5
|£525,404
|–20.9%
|-
|Semi-detached
|46
|£531,304
|6.5%
|-
|Terraced
|279
|£478,749
|3.3%
|-
|Flat/Apartment
|212
|£276,956
|4.9%
|}

== Transport and locale ==
[[File:Tram 2552 at Mitcham.JPG|thumb|Mitcham is on the Croydon Tramlink providing easy access to Wimbledon as well as Croydon]]
Mitcham is served by two railway stations: [[Mitcham Junction railway station|Mitcham Junction]] and [[Mitcham Eastfields railway station|Mitcham Eastfields]]. Mitcham Eastfields was the first suburban station to be built in 50 years in the area.{{Citation needed|date=August 2015}} Both stations are served by [[Govia Thameslink Railway]]'s [[Southern (train operating company)|Southern]] and Thameslink brands with trains to [[Sutton railway station, London|Sutton]], [[Epsom railway station|Epsom]], [[London Victoria railway station|London Victoria]], [[London Bridge railway station|London Bridge]] (peaks only) and [[St Albans City railway station|St Albans]].<ref>[http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/ldbboard/dep/MIJ Mitcham Junction] National Rail</ref><ref>[http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/ldbboard/dep/MTC Mitcham Eastfields] National Rail</ref>

Trains on the Thameslink route from Central London continue on via the [[Sutton Loop Line]] to Sutton and [[Wimbledon railway station|Wimbledon]] back towards Central London. [[Tramlink]] also serves Mitcham with four stops in the area; [[Mitcham Junction railway station|Mitcham Junction]], [[Mitcham tram stop|Mitcham]], [[Belgrave Walk tram stop|Belgrave Walk]] and [[Phipps Bridge tram stop|Phipps Bridge]]. Trams provide a direct service to [[Wimbledon tram stop|Wimbledon]], [[West Croydon tram stop|Croydon]], [[Beckenham Junction tram stop|Beckenham Junction]] and [[Elmers End station|Elmers End]] from Mitcham and also [[New Addington tram stop|New Addington]] with a change at Croydon.

=== Bus ===
Bus services operated by [[London Buses]] are available from Mitcham. These include [[Night Buses in London|night buses]] to [[Aldwych]] and [[Liverpool Street bus station|Liverpool Street]] in central London.<ref>[http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/mitcham-juntion-com-w-a4-120915.pdf Buses and trams from Mitcham Junction] Transport for London</ref>

=== Coach ===
[[National Express Coaches|National Express]] services 028 [[Victoria Coach Station|London Victoria]] to [[Eastbourne]], 025 London Victoria to [[Brighton]] and [[Worthing]] via [[Gatwick Airport]], 026 London Victoria to [[Bognor Regis]] and A3 London Victoria to Gatwick Airport hourly shuttle all stop at Mitcham (Downe Road/Mitcham Library bus stop)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://coachtracker-embed.nationalexpress.com/stops/57944/London_Mitcham_Downe_Road_Library|title=London (Mitcham) — National Express Coach Tracker|website=coachtracker-embed.nationalexpress.com|access-date=2019-10-05}}</ref>

{{Geographic Location
|title     = '''Neighbouring areas'''
|Northwest = [[Colliers Wood]] & [[Wimbledon, London|Wimbledon]]
|North     = [[Tooting]]
|Northeast = [[Streatham]]
|West      = [[Morden]]
|Centre    = Mitcham
|East      = [[Pollards Hill]], [[Norbury]] & [[Thornton Heath]]
|Southwest = [[Sutton, London|Sutton]] & [[Rose Hill, London|Rose Hill]]
|South     = [[Hackbridge]]
|Southeast = [[Beddington]] & [[Croydon]]
}}

== Footnotes ==
*{{cite web | title=Merry Making at Mitcham | publisher=The [[University of Sheffield]]'s National Fairground Archive | url=http://www.shef.ac.uk/nfa/history/worlds_fair/articles/mitcham.php | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041221055635/http://www.shef.ac.uk/nfa/history/worlds_fair/articles/mitcham.php | archive-date=21 December 2004 | website=[[Wayback Machine]]}}
*{{cite web | url=http://www.merton.gov.uk/history/makingmerton.htm | title=Making Merton | publisher=[[Merton London Borough Council|Merton Council]] | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426101503/http://www.merton.gov.uk/history/makingmerton.htm | archive-date=26 April 2009 | df=dmy-all }}
*{{cite web | title=A Brief History of Merton by John Precedo: Part 1 – Romans to the Norman Conquest | publisher=Tooting Community Website | url=http://pages.britishlibrary.net/rhavy/heugont.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050413092553/http://pages.britishlibrary.net/rhavy/heugont.html | archive-date=13 April 2005 | website=[[Wayback Machine]]}}
*{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f0OWAAAACAAJ | title=The 'Canons' Mitcham | author=Eric Norman Montague | publisher=Merton Historical Society | year=1976 | isbn=0-9501488-3-0}}
*{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SMSnAAAACAAJ | title=North Mitcham | author=Eric Norman Montague | publisher=Merton Historical Society | year=2001 | isbn=1-903899-07-9}}
*{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cfdgNAAACAAJ | title=The Historic River Wandle: Phipps Bridge to Morden Hall | author=Eric Norman Montague | publisher=Merton Historical Society | year=1996 | isbn=0-905174-25-9}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Mitcham, London}}
*[http://www.merton.gov.uk/index.htm Merton Borough Council]

{{LB Merton}}
{{London Districts}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Areas of London]]
[[Category:Districts of the London Borough of Merton]]
[[Category:District centres of London]]