Figge’s Marsh, Merton
A triangular open space and its neighbouring housing at the fork of London Road and Streatham Road, in north Mitcham
Figge’s Marsh is nine miles from London, according to its 18th-century milestone. Despite suggestions by some authors that this was formerly Pigs’ Marsh it was in fact named after William Figge, who held the land from 1357. Swain’s Farm and Pound Farm stood near here and market gardening was carried on.
The area was mostly built up in the mid-20th century, much of it with council housing. The park was formerly home to Tooting Graveney football club (now Tooting and Mitcham FC) and Mitcham rugby club.
The ward of Figge’s Marsh has relatively high proportions of households with children and renting from the council. It has a significant black and Asian minorities. Figge’s Marsh is one of Merton’s priority wards for action on areas of social concern, such as the welfare of lone parent families.
Daniel Defoe is said to have lived in a house on London Road near Figge’s Marsh around 1688, when he was serving as a Presbyterian minister in Tooting, but this whole story is somewhat suspect. Other tall tales of Figge’s Marsh revolve around sightings of the semi-legendary Spring Heeled Jack on Streatham Lane (now Road) in the 1870s, some time after his heyday. A local posse was got up in a vain attempt to catch him.
