Lower Morden

Coordinates: 51°23′18″N 0°13′11″W / 51.3884°N 0.2198°W / 51.3884; -0.2198

Lower Morden is an area within the district of Morden in south west corner of the London Borough of Merton, to the west of Morden Park and south of Raynes Park.

History

Until it was absorbed by the suburban expansion of the 1930s, the hamlet of Lower Morden was a small rural farming community within the parish of Morden approximately half a mile to the west of the main village situated at the top of the hill. Lower Morden had grown up around the village green and the Beverley and Pyl Brooks.

In the 1870s, the main properties of Lower Morden were Morden Farm (close to the modern school of the same name and on the site of Hatfeild School), Peacock Farm (now covered by Cranmer Close and Cardinal Avenue) and Hobalds Farm. Close by was Morden Common.

Today nothing of the original hamlet remains except perhaps a few ancient trees and old field boundary lines followed by the alignments of the roads that were to replace them. The first major development was the establishment in 1891 of Battersea New Cemetery (now Morden Cemetery) on land adjacent to Hobalds Farm to the north of Green Lane. The loss of Morden Common followed, its area now occupied by the Merton & Sutton Joint Cemetery and the Garth Road Industrial Estate. Garth Road is named after the Garth family, Lords of the Manor from the mid 16th century to the late 19th century.

Morden

Coordinates: 51°24′05″N 0°11′42″W / 51.4015°N 0.1949°W / 51.4015; -0.1949

Morden is a district in the London Borough of Merton. It is located approximately 8 miles (13 km) South-southwest of central London between Merton Park and Wimbledon (to the north), Mitcham (to the east), Sutton (to the south) and Worcester Park (to the west). Morden had a population of 48,233 in 2011 (which refers to the populations of the wards of Cannon Hill, Lower Morden, Merton Park, Ravensbury and St Helier).

Origin of name

Morden might get its name either from the British language words Mawr (great or large) and Dun (a fort), or possibly "The Town on the Moor".

History

Early history

Human activity in Morden dates back to the Iron_age period when Celtic tribes are known to have occupied areas around Wimbledon, but the first significant development in Morden was the construction of the Roman road called Stane Street from Chichester to London.

The route of Stane Street through Morden followed the current A24, London Road up Stonecot Hill from the south west crossing Morden Park to the west of the current dual carriageway road and passing through the pitch and putt golf course and the grounds of St Lawrence's Church. The road then descended the other side of the hill towards the town centre passing west of the Underground station and crossing the north corner of Morden Hall Park heading in the direction of Colliers Wood and Tooting. Small Roman artifacts, mainly coins and pottery, have been found at various locations within the area although there is no evidence of any settlement.

Morden (disambiguation)

Morden is the name of a number of settlements:

Morden may also refer to:

See also

Morden (Babylon 5)

Morden is a fictional character in the universe of the science fiction television series Babylon 5, played by Ed Wasser. He is a recurring antagonist in the show.

Character description

Overview

Morden serves as the spokesman on behalf of the Shadows, an ancient and incredibly powerful alien race whom he refers to as his "associates." Although outwardly polite and gracious, he represents a dangerous hidden agenda. Any conversation is overheard by two or three cloaked Shadows, who accompany him at all times and work through him as seen both in the television series and in the novel: Babylon 5: The Passing of the Techno-Mages - Invoking Darkness. Indoctrinated by the Shadows after his capture during an expedition to Z'ha'dum, the Shadows' homeworld, he has accepted to serve because of the Shadows' manipulation of his guilt of the death of his wife and child and because they promise to save his family whom he believed were trapped in hyperspace. When pushed, Morden drops any pretense of friendliness, openly threatening anyone who presents any difficulty to his associates. He is arguably the face of the primary villains of the series during its first four seasons, as he often manipulates the series' other characters for the Shadows sinister purposes.