Set in between two large green areas, the stunning Morden Hall Park and Mitcham Common, this quaint set of neighbourhoods is bounded by the River Wandle on the west side and Carshalton Road (A237) in the east. This wooded lane heads from Fair Green (Mitcham town centre) south towards Mitcham Junction, passing the same-name train station which sits at the foot of the Mitcham Golf Club. The classic mock-Tudor with bay windows semis and terraced houses, primarily built up in the inter-war housing boom, is the archetype accommodation here, especially in the north of the area. Heading south-west from Cricket Green down London Road, one passes a number of impressive buildings such as Vestry Hall, a community function hall for hire.

Passing some social housing blocks on the way to Mitcham tram station, take note of Casuarina Tree, a cosy ‘local pub with an Indian twist’, featuring a shisha garden and competitively priced guest rooms. There are two industrial parks in this neighbourhood area: Willow Lane, which accommodates “150 businesses employing over 2,500 people, the estate benefits from great transport links with tram, rail and bus”, and Liongate Enterprise Park towards Morden Hall. In the south, a modern settlement just below Poulter Park caters for families with flats, townhouses, and terraced homes, all affordably priced.

Like neighbouring areas, this part of Mitcham was historically a mauve landscape. With lavender fields constituting the main attraction since the aristocratic times, city men and women would settle here in a country house to benefit from the clean air. Mitcham common was initially a grazing field and was later used as gravel excavation pits for road building. The main dynasty of landowners here were the Cranmers, who have held the Canons estate just north of Cranmer Green for almost 300 years. Currently, the house is in the hands of the council and guided tours are available on selected days.

It was the arrival of Mitcham Junction railway station in 1868 which saw the scene change from horticulture to a vastly industrial one. This is when random enterprises began to spring up in the space between Mitcham Common and Poulter Park, which itself is named after Reginald Poulter, an early 20th century local architect. Recently, improvements to the Wandle Trail, running alongside the river through the park, have made it a popular location for an afternoon Sunday stroll.

Perhaps the combination of the fragrant country air, acting as inspiration, mixed with an urban setting from the numerous business parks has partially given rise to artistic talent originating from these neighbourhoods. The visual artist, model, record producer, director, photographer and rapper M.I.A had grown up in Mitcham close to Morden Hall before kick-starting her career in west-London as a visual artist. The Academy and Grammy Award nominee has been named as one of the defining artists of the 2000s decade, while in 2009, she was named as one of the world’s 100 most influential people in Time magazine.

Though Cricket was probably invented in Kent and Sussex, the oldest cricket ground which still serves the purposes of the game can be found at Mitcham’s very own Cricket Green. There are records which show the game being played here since 1685. The historic pavilion across the A239 was built in 1905 and was the first building to be registered by Merton Council – an ‘asset of community value’. At one point, over 200 Roma people lived on Mitcham Common, according to the 1881 census.

Despite an abundance of nature and open space for recreation and a convenient network of public transport links, the area has been criticised for not having anywhere ‘to see a film, watch a play or take in an exhibition’. That is, aside from the Wandle Industrial Museum, there is a noticeable lack of arts and culture activities. A 1,500- seater cinema closed in 1961 and this probably signified the beginning of the end. But with the average age in Mitcham now below 35 and new housing developments attracting a younger crowd into the area, locals are confident that this trend is speedily reversing. They are also very proud of Cricket Green serving as a historically important location.

The Burn Bullock Pub is set to be renovated by Wimbledon-based Marcus Beale architects. Plans include extensions to the pub and pavilion to make space for changing rooms and to rejuvenate the grade-II listed Burn Bullock with new owners and accommodation on the first and second floors. This is while £4 million through the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Big Lottery Fund is being plugged into the Canons as a cultural centre in the northern part of the area, intended to draw interest from outside Mitcham. The project will run until September 2023 and includes the restoration of Canons House, its transformation into space to accommodate communal, exhibition and business uses, the establishment of a new community garden and the restoration of the historic gardens and grounds.

A ten minute walk away, Fair Green, which constitutes Mitcham town centre, recently underwent a multi-million-pound upgrade. The makeover included an improvement to transport links, support to local businesses, and generally polishing the public square to create a more positive environment and improve confidence in the area to attract more economic activity. Less positively received have been some of the new development proposals submitted for sites in Fair Green and the general area. A planning application to add two storeys onto the Fair Green Parade building in Mitcham Village was unanimously approved by the council but criticised by locals for how it supposedly ruins the scale of the building in relation to the rest of the village.