Description
The land for St John the Divine Church was donated to mark the anniversary of Nelson's death. The Church was built in 1914. It is adjacent to Nelson Gardens. It has a pleasant garden, which was re-designed in 1998 as a Quiet Garden and opened by the Bishop of Kingston and Mayor of Merton. Mementos of Nelson found in the church include an altarpiece made from timber from HMS Victory. Two cannon from the ship stand in the neighbouring gardens.
Practical Information
| Site location | High Path |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SW19 2JY |
| What3Words | ///pies.knee.else |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Merton |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: South Wimbledon (Northern). Bus: 57, 93, 152, 493 |
| Research Updated | 19 June 2025 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Small churchyard surrounding St John the Divine church, with garden planting. It is adjacent to Nelson Gardens (q.v.). The site for Nelson Gardens and St John the Divine Church was gifted by J. Mackerell, the great nephew of Rear Admiral Isaac Smith (1752-1831), the first European to set foot in Australia in 1770. Smith was the cousin of Captain James Cook's wife Elizabeth and sailed with Cook a number of times between 1770 and 1775. Smith is buried in Merton parish churchyard of St Mary the Virgin (q.v.).
Despite its medieval appearance the church of St John the Divine was built in 1913/14 to mark the centenary of the death of Admiral Lord Nelson, whose country house, Merton Place, formerly stood nearby. Other mementos of the hero of Trafalgar include an altarpiece in the church made from timber from HMS Victory, and two cannon from the ship that stand in the neighbouring Nelson Gardens.
The church, designed by the architect CH Gage, is built in the Gothic style made popular by the Arts and Crafts movement. The stained glass in the Lady Chapel includes a design by Edward Burne-Jones, a leading member of the Pre Raphaelite Brotherhood, and lifelong friend of William Morris, whose stained glass works and fabrics factory operated at Merton Abbey Mills, south east of the church. During WWII the church was seriously damaged by a 'doodle bug' that fell in the vicarage garden blowing the side off the house and the south aisle off the church, which not fully restored until 1956.
The church garden is laid out with flower beds and flowering shrubs and has gravel paths, mosaic roundels and small pebble mosaic circles along the path, and seating. It was re-designed in 1998 as St John's Quiet Garden and opened by the Bishop of Kingston and Mayor of Merton.
Despite its medieval appearance the church of St John the Divine was built in 1913/14 to mark the centenary of the death of Admiral Lord Nelson, whose country house, Merton Place, formerly stood nearby. Other mementos of the hero of Trafalgar include an altarpiece in the church made from timber from HMS Victory, and two cannon from the ship that stand in the neighbouring Nelson Gardens.
The church, designed by the architect CH Gage, is built in the Gothic style made popular by the Arts and Crafts movement. The stained glass in the Lady Chapel includes a design by Edward Burne-Jones, a leading member of the Pre Raphaelite Brotherhood, and lifelong friend of William Morris, whose stained glass works and fabrics factory operated at Merton Abbey Mills, south east of the church. During WWII the church was seriously damaged by a 'doodle bug' that fell in the vicarage garden blowing the side off the house and the south aisle off the church, which not fully restored until 1956.
The church garden is laid out with flower beds and flowering shrubs and has gravel paths, mosaic roundels and small pebble mosaic circles along the path, and seating. It was re-designed in 1998 as St John's Quiet Garden and opened by the Bishop of Kingston and Mayor of Merton.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ258698 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.15 |
| Site Ownership | St John the Divine, Diocese of Southwark, Church of England |
| Site Management | St John the Divine, Diocese of Southwark, Church of England |
| Dates | 1914; 1956 |
| Designers | Architect for Church: CH Gage |
| Listed Structures | Merton Local List: St John the Divine Church |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Merton |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
Gallery
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Nelson Gardens opened in 1906, created to honour the first centenary of Admiral Lord Nelson's death in 1805. Nelson had lived at Merton Place from 1801-1805, which had extensive estate lands within which was the plot that is now Nelson Gardens. When the adjacent road junction was constructed, the garden was used as builders' ground but it was recreated in c.1985 and replanted using plans from 1911, with lawns, a perimeter path and flower beds, hedged to the road. The entrance has the original gates with brick and stone gate piers. Two 12 pounder guns flank a block of stone with an inscription about the garden's dedication. The land for the adjacent St John the Divine Church was also donated to mark the anniversary of Nelson's death at the Battle of Trafalgar, and was built in 1914.
During WW2 air-raid shelters in Nelson Gardens were built to protect members of the public who were on the streets at the time of an enemy attack. On 16th August, 1940, Mitcham experienced the first sustained attack of the Blitz. One bomb fell in Nelson Gardens itself.
During WW2 air-raid shelters in Nelson Gardens were built to protect members of the public who were on the streets at the time of an enemy attack. On 16th August, 1940, Mitcham experienced the first sustained attack of the Blitz. One bomb fell in Nelson Gardens itself.
Abbey Recreation Ground was once within the lands of Merton Place estate owned by Lord Nelson, where he lived from 1801-1805 immediately prior to his death at the Battle of Trafalgar. In the C19th the estate was largely built over for housing. The site was open land up until theC19th and later in use for allotments before it became a recreation ground after WWI. The Recreation Ground is predominantly open green space that is used for playing fields, with perimeter path and trees. To the north is a woodland path following part of the old railway line between Merton Park and Morden Road, improved in the 1990s as part of Merton Park Green Walks.
Church Lane Playing Field is 1.8 hectares of land lying north of St Mary's Church and has C17th and C18th Grade II listed enclosing walls, probably those of a C17th house, Merton Place, which was later Church House. It was demolished in the 1920s and replaced by two houses. During the course of its history the site became a workhouse, a school and later occupied by the John Innes Horticultural Institute before being acquired by the Council Council becoming a public recreation ground. The site is grassland with trees generally around the perimeter, with a few recently planted scattered trees and an old mulberry near the entrance gate on Church Lane.