Merton

The London Borough of Merton is a London borough in south west London.

The borough was formed in 1965 by the merger of the former area of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey.

The main commercial centres in Merton are Wimbledon, Mitcham and Morden, of which Wimbledon is the largest.

Other smaller centres include Raynes Park, Colliers Wood, South Wimbledon, Wimbledon Park and Pollards Hill.

The borough derives its name from the historic parish of Merton which was centred on the area now known as South Wimbledon. In a borough with a broad socio-economic range between generally affluent Wimbledon and less affluent Mitcham, the name was seen as a compromise.