en Figges Marsh

Figges Marsh is a 25-acre^[1] public park in the London Borough of Merton. It is in Mitcham, close to Tooting railway station.^[2]

Originally, the park was next to a toll road into London,^[3] which was turnpiked in 1745;^[4] now known as London Road.

The Name

The park was named after William Figge who occupied the land from 1357.^[5] In maps of 1750, it is referenced as Piggs Marsh; in 1800, as Pigs Marsh Common [see 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 Queen Elizabeth II Field.^[6] This was in celebration of HM Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee & the 2012 London Olympics. The parks that participated in the scheme received a commemorative plaque, an oak sapling &, potentially, access to an improvement grant.^[7]^[8]

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,^[9] taking advantage of the locally grown peppermint oil.^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]

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 [The Underground Map, as below]. That is, until the development of housing in the Victorian & Edwardian period.

References

^ "Figges Marsh". www.merton.gov.uk. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
^ "Figges Marsh". Merton Town Council. 2008-12-23. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
^ Wade (2015-05-24). "Figges Marsh Toll Gate". Mitcham History Notes. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
^ "Restoration and Early Georgian Mitcham". MERTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 2017-07-31. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
^ "Figge's Marsh | Hidden London". Retrieved 2021-07-31.
^ Fields in Trust. "Figges Marsh". Retrieved 18 February 2022.
^ "Queen Elizabeth II Field - Wikishire". wikishire.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
^ "Figges Marsh | Fields in Trust". www.fieldsintrust.org. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
^ Wade (2016-03-12). "James Pascall, Ltd". Mitcham History Notes. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
^ Wade (2017-02-17). "Peppermint in 1875". Mitcham History Notes. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
^ "Mentha". iwr.msu.edu. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
^ "Farming mint". The Field. 2008-05-19. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
^ "Sir Michael Colman, the man who is reviving the English mint crop". the Guardian. 2007-07-22. Retrieved 2021-07-31.