Description
The site is made up of 2 core areas: the current churchyard surrounding the medieval church with numerous monuments to local dignitaries; and Glebe Fields adjacent. In front of the church on church lane is a smaller elongated oval area of shrubland within the wider part of the dog-leg shape of Church Lane recorded on the Surrey OS 25 inch map from 1865.
The suburban development of Merton Park took place from the 1870s initially by John Innes, who was buried here in 1904. The churchyard also features some fine trees. A gate in the churchyard leads to Glebe Fields. Glebe Fields was shown as meadowland in Thomas Milne's Map of 1800. It remained undeveloped when the Merton Park estate was laid out in the late C19th. The site of the hedge marking the division between two fields remains as a bank and ditch and a row of horse chestnut trees. Glebe Fields forms a rare rural setting to the Church and its churchyard fully accessible to the public with a public path across from the car park of the (modern) church hall through to the corner of Erridge Road where it meets Stratton Close.
The suburban development of Merton Park took place from the 1870s initially by John Innes, who was buried here in 1904. The churchyard also features some fine trees. A gate in the churchyard leads to Glebe Fields. Glebe Fields was shown as meadowland in Thomas Milne's Map of 1800. It remained undeveloped when the Merton Park estate was laid out in the late C19th. The site of the hedge marking the division between two fields remains as a bank and ditch and a row of horse chestnut trees. Glebe Fields forms a rare rural setting to the Church and its churchyard fully accessible to the public with a public path across from the car park of the (modern) church hall through to the corner of Erridge Road where it meets Stratton Close.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Merton Parish Church |
|---|---|
| Site location | Church Lane/Church Path, Merton Park |
| Postcode | SW19 3HJ |
| What3Words | ///second.cafe.grain |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Merton |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted. Church open 8am-10am weekdays, 10am-noon Saturday, all day Sundays |
| Public Transport | Tube: South Wimbledon (Northern), Wimbledon (District). Rail: Wimbledon then bus. Tramlink: Merton Park. Bus: 152, 163, 164 |
| Research Updated | 27 February 2025 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The parish church is clearly shown Rocque's 1745 map, together with a defined curtilage which is presumably the churchyard. The church was founded in around 1115, by Gilbert the Norman, who later founded Merton Priory, however Domesday (1086) also refers to a church in Merton.
The current churchyard has a rural atmosphere and surrounds the medieval church with numerous monuments to local dignitaries, including those of John Innes, William Rutlish and Edward Raynes (of Raynes Park). Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton were worshippers at the church towards the end of his life when he lived nearby in Merton Place. Opposite the main gates, in Church Path, are 'Nelson’s Steps', a horse mounting block, supposedly used by Nelson to mount his horse. Near to the west door of the church, between the churchyard and the Georgian vicarage is a C12th decorative stone archway, thought to originate from Merton Priory; it was re-erected there in 1935 (probably by J.S. Brocklesbury). In front of the church on Church Lane is a smaller elongated oval area of shrubland which is shown on Surrey OS 25 inch Map of 1865 as one of two oval areas present in front of the church at the 'wider end' of the lane. The distinctive dog-leg shape of Church Lane is recorded from earliest records.
The suburban development of Merton Park took place from the 1870s initially by John Innes, who was buried here in 1904. The churchyard also features some fine trees including yew, copper beech, horse chestnut, a Blue Atlas Cedar, an Italian Alder, a Locust tree, an Indian Bean Tree and lime. A gate in the churchyard leads to Glebe Fields. Glebe Fields was shown as meadowland in Thomas Milne's Map of 1800. It remained undeveloped when the Merton Park estate was laid out in the late C19th. The site of the hedge marking the division between two fields remains as a bank and ditch and a row of horse chestnut trees. Glebe Fields forms a rare rural setting to St Mary's Church and its churchyard fully accessible to the public with an historic path across from the car park of the (modern) church hall through to the corner of Erridge Road where it meets Stratton Close.
The church dates from pre-Norman times and marks the site of the old village of Merton. Within its churchyard is a Norman archway of c.1175 originally from Merton Priory of the Augustinians, which was founded in 1114 by Gilbert, Sheriff of Surrey, who was also responsible for rebuilding St Mary's Church between 1114-1125. The Priory was situated in the area of Station Road and was demolished after the Dissolution of the Monasteries; the doorway was discovered in 1914 during excavations and was erected by St Mary's Church in 1935.
Among the worshippers here were Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton when they lived in Merton Place, and the church contains hatchments of Nelson and also Sir William Hamilton. Rear Admiral Isaac Smith (d.1831), was buried here, whose great nephew later donated land for a commemorative garden and a church on the anniversary of Nelson's death in 1805. Smith was the cousin of Captain James Cook's wife Elizabeth and sailed with Cook on a number of journeys between 1770 and 1775; in 1770 he was the first European to set foot in Australia when Cook landed at Botany Bay. Smith retired due to ill-health having contracted hepatitis in 1794, and was promoted to the post of Rear Admiral. He inherited Merton Abbey from his brother-in-law and in his will left a sum of £700 to St Mary's, the interest from which was to support the poor of the parish. His memorial in the churchyard was financed by Elizabeth Cook.
Among the other significant memorials in the churchyard is the table tomb of John Innes (d.1904), who came to Merton in 1867 and lived at the Manor House until he died in 1904; a stained glass window in the church also commemorates him. As Chairman of the Rutlish Trust, Innes was instrumental in the establishment of Rutlish School in 1895, now situated on the former site of the John Innes Horticultural Institution. William Rutlish (d.1687), who was appointed Charles II's court embroiderer in 1661 and owned property in Merton, left a bequest for apprenticing poor children, which led to Rutlish Science School being founded.
The current churchyard has a rural atmosphere and surrounds the medieval church with numerous monuments to local dignitaries, including those of John Innes, William Rutlish and Edward Raynes (of Raynes Park). Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton were worshippers at the church towards the end of his life when he lived nearby in Merton Place. Opposite the main gates, in Church Path, are 'Nelson’s Steps', a horse mounting block, supposedly used by Nelson to mount his horse. Near to the west door of the church, between the churchyard and the Georgian vicarage is a C12th decorative stone archway, thought to originate from Merton Priory; it was re-erected there in 1935 (probably by J.S. Brocklesbury). In front of the church on Church Lane is a smaller elongated oval area of shrubland which is shown on Surrey OS 25 inch Map of 1865 as one of two oval areas present in front of the church at the 'wider end' of the lane. The distinctive dog-leg shape of Church Lane is recorded from earliest records.
The suburban development of Merton Park took place from the 1870s initially by John Innes, who was buried here in 1904. The churchyard also features some fine trees including yew, copper beech, horse chestnut, a Blue Atlas Cedar, an Italian Alder, a Locust tree, an Indian Bean Tree and lime. A gate in the churchyard leads to Glebe Fields. Glebe Fields was shown as meadowland in Thomas Milne's Map of 1800. It remained undeveloped when the Merton Park estate was laid out in the late C19th. The site of the hedge marking the division between two fields remains as a bank and ditch and a row of horse chestnut trees. Glebe Fields forms a rare rural setting to St Mary's Church and its churchyard fully accessible to the public with an historic path across from the car park of the (modern) church hall through to the corner of Erridge Road where it meets Stratton Close.
The church dates from pre-Norman times and marks the site of the old village of Merton. Within its churchyard is a Norman archway of c.1175 originally from Merton Priory of the Augustinians, which was founded in 1114 by Gilbert, Sheriff of Surrey, who was also responsible for rebuilding St Mary's Church between 1114-1125. The Priory was situated in the area of Station Road and was demolished after the Dissolution of the Monasteries; the doorway was discovered in 1914 during excavations and was erected by St Mary's Church in 1935.
Among the worshippers here were Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton when they lived in Merton Place, and the church contains hatchments of Nelson and also Sir William Hamilton. Rear Admiral Isaac Smith (d.1831), was buried here, whose great nephew later donated land for a commemorative garden and a church on the anniversary of Nelson's death in 1805. Smith was the cousin of Captain James Cook's wife Elizabeth and sailed with Cook on a number of journeys between 1770 and 1775; in 1770 he was the first European to set foot in Australia when Cook landed at Botany Bay. Smith retired due to ill-health having contracted hepatitis in 1794, and was promoted to the post of Rear Admiral. He inherited Merton Abbey from his brother-in-law and in his will left a sum of £700 to St Mary's, the interest from which was to support the poor of the parish. His memorial in the churchyard was financed by Elizabeth Cook.
Among the other significant memorials in the churchyard is the table tomb of John Innes (d.1904), who came to Merton in 1867 and lived at the Manor House until he died in 1904; a stained glass window in the church also commemorates him. As Chairman of the Rutlish Trust, Innes was instrumental in the establishment of Rutlish School in 1895, now situated on the former site of the John Innes Horticultural Institution. William Rutlish (d.1687), who was appointed Charles II's court embroiderer in 1661 and owned property in Merton, left a bequest for apprenticing poor children, which led to Rutlish Science School being founded.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ251694 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 1.82 |
| Site Ownership | Diocese of Southwark |
| Site Management | Church |
| Dates | C12th |
| Listed Structures | LBII*: St Mary's Church. LBII: Norman archway from Merton Priory; garden wall north of church, war memorial |
| 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 | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | John Innes Merton Park |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Local Importance |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Archaeological Priority Zone |
| Other LA Designation | Glebe Fields: Urban Open Space. |
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
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.
Greystones, an Arts & Crafts style house at 29 Mostyn Road, Merton Park, was built in 1913 and its gardens were designed by Gertrude Jekyll. They survived for half a century and although destroyed in the 1970s, were partly restored in 1992 by the then owners. Jekyll’s distinctive box and yew hedging has since been re-established as have the original broad shapes of the beds containing shrubs and flowers. However, subsequent owners have chosen not to allow access of any kind and it is not possible to check whether Jekyll’s detailed plant listings are still maintained. Nevertheless the site was once part of the John Innes estate and remains within the John Innes Conservation Area today. Its architect, JS Brocklesby, also designed John Innes Park, virtually next door to Greystones, which opened to the public in 1909.
This (2.28 ha) park and associated recreation ground (1.75 ha of playing field) linked by a footpath were originally the grounds of the Manor House, home of John Innes. On his death in 1904 he left the house, grounds and most of his money to found a school of horticulture, if possible, or a museum and other charitable schemes. The layout of the park was adapted from the original manor house gardens by the architect J S Brocklesby and was formally opened to the public in 1909. The Recreation Ground, which is connected by public footpath to John Innes Park, was established at the same time. The Park and Recreation Ground were transferred by way of deed of gift to the Urban District Council in 1949. They are currently both managed and maintained by the London Borough of Merton’s Greenspaces teams
Screened by evergreen hedges and shrubs and secluded evergreen walks the park has an intimate character. The layout of 1909 is little altered today although the bowling green has been relocated in the south-east corner. Buildings predating the park layout include the entrance lodge on the junction of Church Path and Mostyn Road, a two-storey lodge and an archway, both inside the park. The bandstand, cricket pavilion and toilet block all date from the 1909 layout. More recent works have sought to reinstate original features with a substantial replanting of the rockery in 2004.
Screened by evergreen hedges and shrubs and secluded evergreen walks the park has an intimate character. The layout of 1909 is little altered today although the bowling green has been relocated in the south-east corner. Buildings predating the park layout include the entrance lodge on the junction of Church Path and Mostyn Road, a two-storey lodge and an archway, both inside the park. The bandstand, cricket pavilion and toilet block all date from the 1909 layout. More recent works have sought to reinstate original features with a substantial replanting of the rockery in 2004.