Friends

I have mentioned Cannon Hill Common a couple of times in these photographs. It’s a large piece of land that’s just across the dual carriage way at the end of the street.  Since the lockdowns began it has been a location for exercise: I did some of Couch-to-5k here until I did something on the uneven ground that hurt my ankle and curtained my fledgeling running career. I should start again.   PY and I often take a walk here because there’s a lovely mix of environments: large areas of grass, a path through the wooded area and a short stretch of path alongside a pond. The weekly Raynes Park Artisan Market is held here and that’s been a great excuse for a Saturday walk to buy bread and coffee.

The land originally belonged to Merton Priory. My favourite story about the area is of a man named Richard Thornton, who owned a grand mansion that once stood here from 1932-1865, and, when he died, left nearly three million pounds. The sum is described by the Friends of Cannon Hill Common as “the greatest Victorian fortune”. No sign of the money anymore.

The house no loner exists but is the site of a closed-off nature reserve today.  Interestingly, the land was never ‘common land’ but was named Cannon Hill Common after Merton and Morden Urban District Council purchased the land in 1924.