Sheet 21 of Stanford’s Library Map of London and Its Suburbs records Wimbledon and Merton in 1862, when much of south-west London beyond the built-up area still consisted of commons, estates, fields and small settlements.
Map Details
- Original title: Stanford’s Library Map of London and Its Suburbs
- Sheet: 21 of 24
- Publisher: Edward Stanford
- Published: London, 15 February 1862
- Scale: Six inches to one mile, approximately 1:10,560
- Area shown: Wimbledon, Merton and adjoining districts
- Orientation: North at the top
- Original appearance: Printed linework with hand-coloured roads, water, boundaries and open ground
Wimbledon and Merton in 1862
Wimbledon is shown as a distinct settlement beside extensive open land, while Merton follows the valley of the River Wandle. Farms, estates and older lanes remain dominant across much of the sheet.
Commons, the Wandle and Railways
Open ground around Wimbledon and the Wandle valley provide the principal landscape features, crossed by railway lines that were beginning to improve access to central London and stimulate later development.
Postal and Administrative Detail
The original map preserves parish boundaries and the South Western postal geography of the period.
Modern Postcode Coverage
The area shown broadly corresponds with parts of:
- SW19 – Wimbledon
- SW20 – Merton and Raynes Park
- SW18 – the northern edge towards Wandsworth
- SM4 – the southern edge towards Morden
Modern postcode boundaries do not precisely follow the historic divisions shown on the map.
