A217, passing Figges Marsh (geograph 3515432)

Figges Marsh is a 25-acre public park in the

London Borough of Merton The London Borough of Merton () is a borough in Southwest London, England. The borough was formed under the London Government Act 1963 in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton ...

. It is in Mitcham, close to Tooting railway station. Originally, the park was next to a

toll road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented ...

into London, which was turnpiked in 1745; now known as London Road.

The Name

The park was named after William Figge who occupied the land from 1357. In maps of 1750, it is referenced as Piggs Marsh; in 1800, as Pigs Marsh Common ee External Source, The Underground Map, for map extracts Signage, erected in 2012, at the southern end, recognises that Figges Marsh is protected in perpetuity as a

Fields in Trust Fields in Trust, is a British charity set up in 1925 as the National Playing Fields Association (NPFA), by Brigadier-General Reginald Kentish and the Duke of York, later King George VI, who was the first president, which protects parks and green s ...

Queen Elizabeth II Field. This was in celebration of HM

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

's Diamond Jubilee & the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. The parks that participated in the scheme received a commemorative plaque, an oak sapling &, potentially, access to an improvement grant.

Surrounding Area

At the eastern boundary of Figges Marsh, during the medieval period, was the Biggin Farm estate. Industry developed at the southern end of the park from 1800. The Pascall's confectionery factory was located here in 1888, built on land purchased from James Bridger's Manor Farm, taking advantage of the locally grown peppermint oil. However, the area to the east and west remained agricultural and open; Swain's & Tamworth farm, at the western boundary of Figges Marsh, are made reference to in the 1900 map he Underground Map, as below That is, until the development of housing in the Victorian & Edwardian period.

References

External Sources

The Underground Map.com
– historical map of Figges Marsh from 1900 * Wikipedia, Toll Roads in Great Britain - summary of toll roads/turnpikes, in Great Britain
Figges Marsh photograph from 1950s

Photo gallery

Image:Figges Marsh, looking south, alongside London Road.jpg, Figges Marsh, looking south, alongside London Road (at sunset, Dec 2020) Image:Recent name plate erected at southern end of Figges Marsh, image 2 of 2.jpg, Name plate erected at southern end of Figges Marsh in 2012 Image:Recent name plate erected at southern end of Figges Marsh, image 1 of 2.jpg, Name plate erected at southern end of Figges Marsh in 2012 Image:Figges Marsh milestone - looking south east.jpg, London Road milestone opposite Figges Marsh, looking south east Image:Figges Marsh milestone - looking east.jpg, London Road milestone opposite Figges Marsh, looking east Image:Figges Marsh milestone - looking north.jpg, London Road milestone opposite Figges Marsh, looking north Image:Figges Marsh milestone - looking south west.jpg, London Road milestone opposite Figges Marsh, looking south west {{Green London Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Merton