Place Name
Originally a continuation of Church Lane. This is one of the oldest streets in the area, leading to St Mary’s is the parish church of Merton (not to be confused with the nearby St Mary’s parish church in Wimbledon). A church has stood on this site since before the Domesday Book. It was founded by the Augustinian Canons who also founded Merton Priory. Parts of the present building date back to 1115. The roof of the nave is nearly 900 years old and that of the chancel dates from 1400. The two aisles were built in the 19thCentury to accommodate the local increase in population. The churchyard has a number of notable graves and monuments, including those of local property developer and horticulturalist John Innes, embroiderer to Charles II and local benefactor William Rutlish, naval officer Isaac Smith, the first European to set foot in eastern Australia, and twenty-seven Commonwealth War Graves. The ancient gateway to Merton Priory stands in the churchyard. Inside the church can be seen Lord Nelson’s seat – he worshipped regularly here towards the end of his life, and his funeral hatchment, as well as that of his lover’s husband Sir William Hamilton, can be seen. Some stained glass from the 1400s survives, and in the south aisle is the tomb of Edward Rayne, after whom Raynes Park is named. In the mid-19thCentury the road, whichwas surrounded by fields, also lead to the Church House National School for boys and girls.