Description
Poulter Park is named after the co-donor Reginald Poulter. Although much remains of the original estate Bishopsford House, first shown on the OS map of 1878, was burnt down in 2001. It was made into a public park c.1925 and has late C19th parkland around the house and avenues leading to it, although little there from the earlier park landscape.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Bishopsford House |
|---|---|
| Site location | Peterborough Road, Mitcham |
| Postcode | SM4 6BA |
| What3Words | ///bench.glitz.shall |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Sutton |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Facilities | Children’s playground, ball park |
| Public Transport | Rail. Mitcham. Bus: 118, 280, S1 |
| Research Updated | 1 November 2004 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Pending further research
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ271674 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 20.5 |
| Site Ownership | LB Sutton |
| Site Management | Parks Service |
| Dates | 1878, 1925 |
| 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 | Sutton |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Site of Wildlife Value |
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
Revesby Wood is the remains of old woodland to the north west of St Helier Open Space with mature oaks and other trees. The 1st edition OS map of 1867 shows woodland here as today. Some new planting has taken place in recent years. It is within the large St Helier Estate, which was built by the LCC from 1929-38.
Watermeads is a remnant of the historic watermeadows alongside the west bank of the River Wandle, which for centuries had industrial usage with numerous watermills along its banks as well as watercress beds and trout fishing. The site includes an old fish pond and Paper Mill Cut, one of the Wandle's many channels and branches dug for milling. The land was in private hands until it was purchased in 1913 following an active campaign led by Octavia Hill, one of the founders of the National Trust, Watermeads becoming one of the first sites acquired by the Trust. From the interwar years until shortly after the end of World War II, a major planting initiative was undertaken by the River Wandle Open Spaces Committee and the National Trust with local schoolboys encouraged to participate in planting new trees. Since then Watermeads was developed as a nature reserve, and at one time was only open to keyholders. The wetland habitat became clogged and overgrown but since 2015 the Trust has undertaken significant improvement and rehabilitation works and following a period of closure Watermeads Nature Reserve has now reopened with improved public access.
Watermeads Housing Estate was built in 1974-7 by Merton Borough Architects Department, one of a series of low-rise housing schemes that incorporated landscaping. It is on part of the former site of Mitcham Grove, a substantial house and estate that had existed here since medieval times, with eminent owners from Elizabethan times. After the death of the last resident, banker Henry Hoare, the house was demolished in 1846. A fine cedar tree remains from the former grounds. In the C20th the site housed film studios, then Hovis & Co. who had sports facilities here, before motor vehicle manufacturers Locomotors Ltd acquired the land, remaining here until 1973.
