Ditches and drains
by Robin Gill
This year (1907) was an election year with local men putting themselves forward for a seat on the council. There were letters in the papers about the “treating of workmen”. Getting voters intoxicated on the day of the election so that they would either vote a particular way in gratitude, or would be so drunk they didn’t know what they were doing. The candidates were not above using their children to get votes; the well-known chemist Cleasby Chorley had his little son dressed as a jockey mounted on a miniature pony upon which were displayed notices “Vote For Chorley”, while Joseph Schofield had his little daughter ride around on a small tricycle covered with election posters.
Building for the future
The population had reached 11,000, and seemed to be rising by about 1,000 a year. Houses were being built, and roads made up (e.g. Park View) but the council were finding it difficult to keep up with facilities. The latest amenity required was a public hall, but who was going to pay for such a building that would never pay for itself? The council explored many avenues to bring in extra revenue including pigsties to be built at Norbiton Common Farm part of the Kingston Union (now Windrush and England Way), with big profits from pig keeping.
Malden generally was in a state of disrepair. In wet weather Dukes Avenue was impassable due to mud and standing water, and the railway arch next to the station caused double problems with the leakage of tar onto the pathway underneath, mixed with water leaking from the bridge. The bridge was seventy years old, and was showing signs of its age. Elsewhere in the village, problems were being caused on the road surface by trams and a new form of transport, the automobile. The council had to apply to the Metropolitan Water Board to allow an entrance from the newly built Melrose Gardens to their land (The Cut) The Board agreed to this for a small fee, but reminded the Council that they had not been paid for when a similar entrance was allowed from Poplar Grove some years previous.
Roads in the course of building were ankle deep in mud in wet weather, and dust tracks in the summer. So much so, that there was great haste to get the streets taken over by the council as soon as the builders moved out. Such was the case with the far end of Chestnut Grove, Beech Grove, and Mount Pleasant in 1907. New residents there had the luxury of gas lit streets, but the roads themselves were in a disgraceful state with no access to council services. It really was (as one resident stated) like “living on the edge of paradise” as they watched the dust and water carts turn around before reaching their area.
Travelling out of their comfort zone
The tram company were only responsible for the maintenance of the road within a short distance of their tracks, and carts were becoming stuck in the sand laid down in a temporary measure by the council, sometimes having to be pulled out by the tram that was stuck behind it. Still these same trams allowed easy access to Wimbledon and South London after the 2½ mile extension to Raynes Park and Wimbledon was opened in June. The fare from New Malden to Wimbledon was 1d, with an extra penny to Tooting. Kingston was a penny in the other direction, and 2d would take you to Hampton Court.
But accidents involving trams and other vehicles at the junction of Malden Road/Kingston Road and Burlington Road prompted the council to erect special danger boards on the approach to the intersection. There was also a feeling that the laying of the tram tracks had contributed to an outbreak of diphtheria at the Burlington Road Schools. The road was in such a dreadful state with flooding which in turn had caused a blockage of the drains resulting in the infection.
Watch where you walk
You could escape to the park, but even there there were hidden hazards! After years of pressure from residents, in 1906 the council completed the purchase of the 17 acres of land that was to become Beverley Park. But by the following year, they had done nothing to designate it a public area. It was not even fenced in, and consequently anybody/anything could roam freely. These animals included sheep, cows, and horses who left their droppings behind. Children playing in the park, often came home mucky with the ordure as the Edwardians described it. It was disclosed later that Joseph Ransom the local butcher was paying the council 10/- (50 pence) a week to graze his animals there. There was also the danger of the ditch at the bottom of the park where the Pyl Brook joined Beverley Brook. This ditch was in parts 6-foot-deep, and after heavy rain it was full of water, and hazardous for children.
Water was a constant danger to children; when the local pond (known as the Ballast Hole) in Dickerage Lane froze over, small boys were not deterred from venturing out on the ice. When one boy (John Cook) fell through it was left to a local man William Harris to try to rescue him. Taking off his coat and waistcoat he proceeded to inch across the ice to the boy, but his attempt to drag the boy out caused the ice to break beneath them both. They went under the water twice, but in the end managed to get to the bank where the child, by this time unconscious, was taken to a nearby cottage and resuscitated. For his action, Harris was awarded a medal from the Royal Humane Society, and a collection throughout Malden raised £5 5shillings. He had been out of work for a number of weeks, and had nine children so the money was welcome.
Ditches were a danger for adults too, James Lovejoy who worked as a coalman and lived on Kingston Road, fell into a ditch in South Lane close to the railway line one night and died. South Lane was a private road, and was not maintained by the council, in fact, they were unsure who owned it. It was unlit, and although James’s wife went out to look for him that night, it was too dark to see anything and he wasn’t found until the following morning.
Lighting was also a problem, for although the Groves were supplied with gas lamps, a few minutes after they were lit, somebody was turning them out.
Very very frightning
In June Malden was visited by a tremendous thunderstorm between 5-6 o’clock with torrents of rain, loud peals of thunder, accompanied by vivid flashes of lightning. At its height, a large 10 room property in Sycamore Grove called Chiltern Lodge was struck by lightning. The elderly inhabitants Mr John and Mrs Mary Todd took refuge in an upstairs bedroom, but almost immediately the mantel piece, stove, and grate were blown across the room. Mrs Todd was knocked down with the force and collapsed, and had to be carried into another room. Large pieces of masonry had been thrown about making massive dents in a large wardrobe. Mr Todd was then alarmed to be told that the house was on fire, with the gas pipe in the scullery being broken in three places with flames escaping out. A deadlier accident was averted by the mains being turned off. All that remained of the massive fireplace was a black and charred hole through which the rain was pouring through. The fire brigade had been called and helped to cover the exposed area at the side of the house with tarpaulins. A large chimney on the roof had been completely destroyed raining bricks onto an adjoining property. The storm also played havoc with the alarm system at the fire station, causing the engine to be sent to a false alarm.
The public were having difficulty getting to grips with the new fire alarm posts of which there were five throughout the district. To operate it, you had to break the glass, pull a handle which would put you in contact with the fire station, then all you did was speak through the receiver to say where the fire was. Because of the lack of telephones in homes, the public were unsure how to speak into the apparatus, so a fire could be reported, but the service only had a general idea where the blaze was. If you had a telephone at home, the number to dial was 555. Although the number of households who had telephones was small, the council was worried about the growth of “unsightly telegraph poles”.
Malden was going through a period of change; the “village” feel was disappearing, and in seven years time, things would change the world forever.
by Robin Gill
This year (1907) was an election year with local men putting themselves forward for a seat on the council. There were letters in the papers about the “treating of workmen”. Getting voters intoxicated on the day of the election so that they would either vote a particular way in gratitude, or would be so drunk they didn’t know what they were doing. The candidates were not above using their children to get votes; the well-known chemist Cleasby Chorley had his little son dressed as a jockey mounted on a miniature pony upon which were displayed notices “Vote For Chorley”, while Joseph Schofield had his little daughter ride around on a small tricycle covered with election posters.
Building for the future
The population had reached 11,000, and seemed to be rising by about 1,000 a year. Houses were being built, and roads made up (e.g. Park View) but the council were finding it difficult to keep up with facilities. The latest amenity required was a public hall, but who was going to pay for such a building that would never pay for itself? The council explored many avenues to bring in extra revenue including pigsties to be built at Norbiton Common Farm part of the Kingston Union (now Windrush and England Way), with big profits from pig keeping.
Malden generally was in a state of disrepair. In wet weather Dukes Avenue was impassable due to mud and standing water, and the railway arch next to the station caused double problems with the leakage of tar onto the pathway underneath, mixed with water leaking from the bridge. The bridge was seventy years old, and was showing signs of its age. Elsewhere in the village, problems were being caused on the road surface by trams and a new form of transport, the automobile. The council had to apply to the Metropolitan Water Board to allow an entrance from the newly built Melrose Gardens to their land (The Cut) The Board agreed to this for a small fee, but reminded the Council that they had not been paid for when a similar entrance was allowed from Poplar Grove some years previous.
Roads in the course of building were ankle deep in mud in wet weather, and dust tracks in the summer. So much so, that there was great haste to get the streets taken over by the council as soon as the builders moved out. Such was the case with the far end of Chestnut Grove, Beech Grove, and Mount Pleasant in 1907. New residents there had the luxury of gas lit streets, but the roads themselves were in a disgraceful state with no access to council services. It really was (as one resident stated) like “living on the edge of paradise” as they watched the dust and water carts turn around before reaching their area.
Travelling out of their comfort zone
The tram company were only responsible for the maintenance of the road within a short distance of their tracks, and carts were becoming stuck in the sand laid down in a temporary measure by the council, sometimes having to be pulled out by the tram that was stuck behind it. Still these same trams allowed easy access to Wimbledon and South London after the 2½ mile extension to Raynes Park and Wimbledon was opened in June. The fare from New Malden to Wimbledon was 1d, with an extra penny to Tooting. Kingston was a penny in the other direction, and 2d would take you to Hampton Court.
But accidents involving trams and other vehicles at the junction of Malden Road/Kingston Road and Burlington Road prompted the council to erect special danger boards on the approach to the intersection. There was also a feeling that the laying of the tram tracks had contributed to an outbreak of diphtheria at the Burlington Road Schools. The road was in such a dreadful state with flooding which in turn had caused a blockage of the drains resulting in the infection.
Watch where you walk
You could escape to the park, but even there there were hidden hazards! After years of pressure from residents, in 1906 the council completed the purchase of the 17 acres of land that was to become Beverley Park. But by the following year, they had done nothing to designate it a public area. It was not even fenced in, and consequently anybody/anything could roam freely. These animals included sheep, cows, and horses who left their droppings behind. Children playing in the park, often came home mucky with the ordure as the Edwardians described it. It was disclosed later that Joseph Ransom the local butcher was paying the council 10/- (50 pence) a week to graze his animals there. There was also the danger of the ditch at the bottom of the park where the Pyl Brook joined Beverley Brook. This ditch was in parts 6-foot-deep, and after heavy rain it was full of water, and hazardous for children.
Water was a constant danger to children; when the local pond (known as the Ballast Hole) in Dickerage Lane froze over, small boys were not deterred from venturing out on the ice. When one boy (John Cook) fell through it was left to a local man William Harris to try to rescue him. Taking off his coat and waistcoat he proceeded to inch across the ice to the boy, but his attempt to drag the boy out caused the ice to break beneath them both. They went under the water twice, but in the end managed to get to the bank where the child, by this time unconscious, was taken to a nearby cottage and resuscitated. For his action, Harris was awarded a medal from the Royal Humane Society, and a collection throughout Malden raised £5 5shillings. He had been out of work for a number of weeks, and had nine children so the money was welcome.
Ditches were a danger for adults too, James Lovejoy who worked as a coalman and lived on Kingston Road, fell into a ditch in South Lane close to the railway line one night and died. South Lane was a private road, and was not maintained by the council, in fact, they were unsure who owned it. It was unlit, and although James’s wife went out to look for him that night, it was too dark to see anything and he wasn’t found until the following morning.
Lighting was also a problem, for although the Groves were supplied with gas lamps, a few minutes after they were lit, somebody was turning them out.
Very very frightning
In June Malden was visited by a tremendous thunderstorm between 5-6 o’clock with torrents of rain, loud peals of thunder, accompanied by vivid flashes of lightning. At its height, a large 10 room property in Sycamore Grove called Chiltern Lodge was struck by lightning. The elderly inhabitants Mr John and Mrs Mary Todd took refuge in an upstairs bedroom, but almost immediately the mantel piece, stove, and grate were blown across the room. Mrs Todd was knocked down with the force and collapsed, and had to be carried into another room. Large pieces of masonry had been thrown about making massive dents in a large wardrobe. Mr Todd was then alarmed to be told that the house was on fire, with the gas pipe in the scullery being broken in three places with flames escaping out. A deadlier accident was averted by the mains being turned off. All that remained of the massive fireplace was a black and charred hole through which the rain was pouring through. The fire brigade had been called and helped to cover the exposed area at the side of the house with tarpaulins. A large chimney on the roof had been completely destroyed raining bricks onto an adjoining property. The storm also played havoc with the alarm system at the fire station, causing the engine to be sent to a false alarm.
The public were having difficulty getting to grips with the new fire alarm posts of which there were five throughout the district. To operate it, you had to break the glass, pull a handle which would put you in contact with the fire station, then all you did was speak through the receiver to say where the fire was. Because of the lack of telephones in homes, the public were unsure how to speak into the apparatus, so a fire could be reported, but the service only had a general idea where the blaze was. If you had a telephone at home, the number to dial was 555. Although the number of households who had telephones was small, the council was worried about the growth of “unsightly telegraph poles”.
Malden was going through a period of change; the “village” feel was disappearing, and in seven years time, things would change the world forever.
