Ravensbury Mill
Ravensbury Mill is a Grade II listed 18-century building at Mitcham, symbolising the glorious Industrial history in this area. The building is most well-known as the snuff mill occupied by the Rutter family company, which produced the gold medal-winning Mitcham shag tobacco. It survived as the last working mill on the river until 1980 and had been partly converted into a private residence. The north wing part remains vacant today, and a pair of the original waterwheels are still inside the building.
History of the Surrounding Area
Merton had once the largest Norman-era community before Henry I significantly grew these areas and granted the estate to Gilbert the Knight in 1114. Gilbert established Merton Priory, a hub of royal councils and education for notable figures. The priory’s dissolution in 1538 marked a turning point as industry flourished in the Merton and Mitcham area along the River Wandle, powering mills and factories where snuff, copper, flour, iron and dye were all worked. Increased industrial output led to the construction of the world’s first public railway, the horse-drawn Surrey Iron Railway, which opened in 1803.
Ravensbury Park is a 7-hectare public open space on the north bank of the River Wandle between Morden Road and London Road in the Ravensbury Ward of Merton. The park was part of the medieval Ravensbury Manor, which dated back to the thirteenth century. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the site was the location of a calico mill and pleasure gardens. In 1929, Mitcham, Merton, and Morden Councils purchased part of the former gardens and opened the site as Ravensbury Park on 10 May 1930.
This area is characterized by its crucial relationship with the River Wandle which is a tributary of the River Thames, fed by springs in the London Boroughs of Croydon and Sutton. With a total length of about 9 miles (14 km), the river passes through Croydon, Sutton, Merton, and Wandsworth before reaching the Thames. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the River Wandle was heavily industrialised and powered 68 water wheels, including the pairs at Ravensbury.
History of Ravensbury Mill
The Mill was first mentioned in a manorial rent roll showing a ground rent of 5 paid to Sir Nicholas Carew of Beddington by Mr Westbrook in 1680 for his newly erected mill “below Ravensbury house.” A 1750 map further proved its existence, showing a building spanning the river, identified as “Westbrooks Mill.” The Mill was built in brick with a hipped slate roof.
The original use of the mill is uncertain, but it was mostly used to produce snuff due to its popularity. Snuff was introduced to the UK in the 17th century and reached its peak popularity during Queen Anne’s reign, which lasted from 1702 to 1714. In the next half-century, its ownership was overtaken by Co. tobacconists and Martin Pearkes, both of which produced snuff.
On May 16, 1805, Martin Pearkes transferred the building to John Rutter, an established tobacco and snuff manufactory. 1826, the business was overtaken by John’s nephew Isaac Rutter and his grandnephew John Rutter (son of the late John Rutter junior). They later changed the firm’s name to Isaac Rutter and Company by 1832. Rutter and Co. During the Victorian era, the declining popularity of snuff led Rutter & Co. to focus on the processing of pipe and cigarette tobacco. They produced the famous award-winning tobacco and designed many beautiful cigarette cards. In 1906, the Mitcham Shag tobacco produced by the mill was awarded a gold medal at Brewer’s Exhibition in October. Besides that, between 1868 and 1884, it was said the mills had also been used to produce flocks, recycling wool and old clothes for stuffing mattresses and flock paper.
The Mill in Recent Times
Between 1925 and 1980 the last commercial occupier of the mill, Whitely Products Ltd, manufactured sports and athletic goods. During the Second World War between 1939 and 1945, the mill was used to generate electricity and occasionally powered wood-turning machinery in the 1960s. During the same period, the mill’s wheel became redundant when Surrey County Council diverted the River Wandle during flood prevention work. It survived as the last working mill on the river until 1980.
The building remained empty for 14 years after the Whitely Products Ltd left. During this time the buildings were broken into repeatedly, and at last one fire severely damaged the old buildings.
Most parts of the building remain the same as when Whitely Products Ltd. left. A pair of its original vertical waterwheels are still inside the building, which was included in the 1965 edition’s Antiquities of Surrey. In 1992, the London Borough of Merton granted redevelopment permission, including turning the mill building into Wandle Industrial Museum and the remaining sites into residential accommodation.
The mill was partially converted into a residential building in the 1990s. However, section retained in its original condition to be used in collaboration with the Wandle Industrial Museum has suffered from set backs including ownership issues and planning complications. The continued hope is that this part of the building can be restored and shared with the community.
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