There are 50 places in London where three boroughs meet. I've already brought you thrilling reportage from severalofthem (including all the triple points around Wandsworth and Havering), and today I'm excited to bring you news of The Triple Points of Sutton. There are two of them.
1)Merton/Sutton/Croydon
This borough triple point is on the eastern edge of Mitcham Common, precisely at the point where Croydon Road becomes Mitcham Road. This is not a coincidence. The nearest tram stop is Therapia Lane which is a ten minute walk away. The 264 bus passes through the triple point and will drop you off much closer. What surprised me most standing here was the astonishing number of learner drivers heading past, more than I've ever seen in any other part of London, which it turned out was for a good reason. Let's take a look at the three adjacent boroughs.
Merton: entirely common
Mitcham Common is a varied open space almost 500 acres in extent and crisscrossed by oft-jammed roads, of which Croydon Road is one. This is the quieter end of the common with a number of hummocky rises, isolated ponds and not many trees. Near the triple point I found a list of byelaws dating from 1994, a map of the common that looked almost as old and a line of bollards to stop joyriders attempting impromptu motocross. It must be less of a mudbath in summer, and is probably less litter-strewn if you walk a few metres further, but it's still much more pleasant than the Sutton or Croydon sectors.
Sutton: light industrial
A lot of northeast Sutton is light industrial, even industrial, which is what tended to happen in the old days when a railway passed nearby. The former Preserving Works and Depot by the triple point are long gone and have been replaced by a big Selco warehouse which is a magnet for whitevanmen in need of sawn treated timber, flexible fast set tile adhesive and other diverse building supplies. Other trade sheds lurk behind, should you need plumbing pipes or bathroom bits, plus more hardcore silos belonging to a global manufacturer called Zotefoams. Until 2004 a pub called The Jolly Gardeners served pints inches from the triple point but was then demolished and the site used for a car wash, and today a vast grey shed containing seven warehouse units is rising in its place. The road alongside is called Red House Lane, a dead end I assumed all the learners were using for reversing manoeuvres but which turned out to be the location of Mitcham Test Centre hence the phenomenal L-plate density. Mind how you cross.
Croydon: mostly residential
The highest numbered house on Mitcham Road is number 692 because that's how far from central Croydon we are. A newish block of flats occupies the 700 spot while the cottages by the triple point have long been swallowed by a BP petrol station. This offers Costa caffeine, Subway carbs and Morrisons groceries to visiting drivers, and perhaps something a little stronger to those celebrating a pass. Round the side is a bank of Amazon lockers, a dark red coffee cup and an illegible noticeboard. Yesterday morning a bike advertising "Man & Van £50 p/h" was attached but while I was walking past a man in yellow hi-vis emerged from the garage with a giant pair of cutters and uncoupled it, so it's probably been nicked by now.
2)Merton/Sutton/Kingston
Sutton's other triple point can be found four miles to the west sandwiched between Motspur Park and Worcester Park. Alas this one's off-limits being in the centre of the Beverley Brook, a river well-fortified in these parts. The nearest bus route is the S3, but not that close and not very often. Look for the three disused gasholders on the Kingston side because the precise spot's only 100m away.
Merton: quite sporty
Welcome to the Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Playing Fields, which may or may not be London's longest-named recreation ground. It was opened in 1935 in memory of the recently deceased Mayor of Wimbledon and over the years has gained umpteen football pitches, a paddling pool, a crazy golf course and a rather super 1950s pavilion. What most local dogwalkers do is go for one long loop round the perimeter path, pausing regularly to interact with hounds bounding in the opposite direction. What triple-point-seekers need to do is bear off into Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Wood, a former hunting covert brimming with old oaks, where the Beverley Brook runs along one side. The triple point is in the far southwest corner, not quite on any well-trodden footpath, and currently so muddy in places that I was forced to turn back before I ended up brown-trousered. Best seen in summer, if you really must.
Sutton: totally equine
You won't be getting close to the triple point on the Sutton side unless you're a horse. The Lower Morden Equestrian Centre covers 30 acres of scrubby pasture adjacent to a cemetery and is crossed by a line of pylons so is hardly the most glamorous place to come for riding lessons. On the positive side a fenced-off footpath passes through the site allowing toddlers to gawp and point at "funny horseys", plus Alex and Miranda are more than keen for anyone to drop by for free manure, and the paddocks somehow exude an underlying feel of rural fringe you don't normally expect in a city.
Kingston: borderline residential
Here's a cartographic oddity, a clump of five streets in Kingston that can only be accessed via Sutton because the railway gets in the way. Closest to the triple point is Kingshill Avenue, a horseshoe of interwar semis ideal for those who prefer their suburban bolthole without through traffic. One resident keeps a boat in their front garden which, judging by the width of the Beverley Brook hereabouts, looks highly optimistic. An alley at the northern tip connects to a shrunken patch of allotments and a squelchy lane which leads to the riverside and a securely locked gate. The sign by the padlock suggests that the land beyond is owned by SGN, the gas company whose CEO is Mark Wild, the bloke who this time last year was in charge of Crossrail. This fact doesn't make the triple point any easier to reach but I have at least now almost sort-of seen it.
Less than a mile away in Worcester Park is the triple point between Sutton, Kingston and Surrey, except the latter isn't a London borough so this doesn't count. It's also out of reach, in this case behind the car park of The Brook restaurant, but if you walk up The Avenue you should spot this excellent boundary marker marking the point where Malden and Coombe once met Epsom and Ewell. If I ever feel the need to bring you an unedifying series exploring the 17 triple points around the Greater London boundary, rest assured I'll be back.
