Merton Park
| Merton Park | |
|---|---|
A house in Merton Park | |
Location within Greater London | |
| Population | 9,485 (2011 Census. Ward) |
| OS grid reference | TQ250695 |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | SW19 and SW20 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
Merton Park is an area in London Borough of Merton. Bordering areas are Colliers Wood, Morden, South Wimbledon and Raynes Park. It is 7.25 miles (11.67 km) southwest of Charing Cross. It lies 2.8 miles (4.5 km) east of Kingston upon Thames, 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Mitcham and 4.5 miles (7.2 km) north of Sutton.
Farmland in the area was bought by John Innes in 1864 and developed in the following decades. Innes provided in his will for his home, the Manor House, to become what is now the John Innes Centre which remains a leading centre for plant genetics albeit now in Norwich. While in Merton it created new plant varieties such as the ‘Merton Thornless’ blackberry and the Malling-Merton (MM) series of apple rootstocks, as well as John Innes composts.