Colliers Wood

This is the third station I've visited on the Northern Line. This is another Charles Holden station with the same features as the previous stations.

Lighting was very important to Holden.

 

Across the road from the station is this pub named after Charles Holden.

A very busy straight road runs past the underground station.

Walking in the other direction I walked past this attractive looking primary school dating back to 1897.

Christ Church was built in 1874 and despite severe damage during WW2 it is still a prominent feature of the town.

I walked back towards the station and followed a pathway running alongside the River Wandle. 

It was here I spotted an egret and a kingfisher amongst the debris of a fallen tree.

I stayed for a while just observing the kingfisher and then continued along the path to the  Merton Abbey Mills Craft Village.

Merton Abbey was one of the most important monasteries of the Middle Ages. It was an Augustinian Priory built in the early 12th century. The priory was surrendered to the crown in 1538 during the Dissolution under Henry VIII.  Although most of its buildings were demolished some remain standing today. By 1600 the textile industries were attracted to this chalk stream which was ideal for the washing, dyeing and printing of textiles. For centuries afterwards it was the centre for the manufacture and printing of textiles and until 1970 was the silk printing works of the famous Liberty store in London. Left derelict for 20 years it was restored in 1989 and is now an arts and crafts market as well as a centre for cultural entertainment, mainly opened at weekends.

The colour house theatre is the oldest building on the site and it is believed that some some parts of it may have come from the priory itself. There is patterning in the stone and flint work that is typical of Tudor buildings. This building was used for the dyeing of the fabrics. In 1995 the Colour House opened as a studio theatre. It is also a venue for regular live music and comedy nights.

Small lending library on the site. the idea is you leave a book and take another book.

William Morris, a leading figure in the Arts and Crafts movement relocated his dye works here in 1881 after determining that the water from the River Wandle was suitable for dyeing. He adapted various buildings for stained glass, textile printing, fabric and carpet weaving. The Morris works closed here in 1940.

The show house was restored in 1990 as a suite of high quality design studios. Although it looks like someone's home it was designed as part of Liberty's printworks in 1912.

Early 19th century granite millstone from Bennetts Mill discovered during excavations in 2004.

The wheelhouse dates from c1860 and is London's only working example. Liberty used to drive spools to rinse the silk after gumming and printing. The water powered potters wheel is also unique.

Two hundred years ago there were nearly 100 watermills on the River Wandle. The one here is the only one in full working order. Nowadays the Wheelhouse is a pottery workshop and gallery. The wheel is used to turn the potter's wheel. It also generates electricity and powers other machinery including a lathe.

This was where the printwork apprentices were trained. It was restored in 1989 and is now used as craft shops and studio offices.

This was the Long Shop built in 1906. It used to house furnaces on which irons were heated to press the silk flat before printing. It was restored and used as a market hall in 1989.

Liberty built this building around 1910 to store his intricate printing blocks. It is typical of William Morris's Arts and Crafts movement being a factory that resembled a house. As it wasn't the weekend when I visited, everywhere was very quiet although there were a number of crafts people working in their studios. 

There wasn't much more to see other than a retail park with the usual shops so I decided to make my way home. I was pleased I had found the Abbey Mills Craft village as this is what I will recall when I think of Colliers Wood tube station.