Sir Joseph Bazalgette

Sir Joseph Bazalgette (1819-1891) is credited with creating the London sewer system in response to growing pollution and disease. He created large underground tunnels which took effluent to new pumping stations at Abbey Mills and Crossness. Balzagette’s sewers are still used in much of the city and are only now being supplemented by the Thames Tideway tunnels. His designs reshaped London; he created the Thames Embankments, redesigned several prominent river crossings such as at Hammersmith, Putney and Battersea, and created new streets and parks. Bazalgette's achievements are viewed as a major contributing factor for reducing cholera outbreaks and improving the health of Londoners.

History of the Mausoleum

The mausoleum was first built for John Anthony Rucker, a banker, merchant, and slave owner, who owned extensive coffee and sugar plantations in Grenada. The original design featured a pyramid where the obelisk now stands. The lower section of the mausoleum remains to this day.

His nephew, who inherited the estates upon his uncle’s death, went bankrupt in the 1830s and much of the family's property was sold. The mausoleum was sold to the Bazalgette family in c.1886. There is no known connection between Bazalgette and Rucker, who died 20 years before Bazalgette was born. It is believed that Bazalgette bought the tomb for his family as the churchyard was at full capacity.

Conservation

Habitats & Heritage has received funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to conserve, research and educate about the mausoleum, Bazalgette, and Rucker.

The mausoleum is experiencing some structural issues that need repairing to avoid further damage.

For more information please visit our website:
habitatsandheritage.org.uk/get-involved/our-projects/sir-joseph-bazalgettes-mausoleum/

The Wimbledon Open House Festival Collection

Wimbledon & The Open House Festival

Landmarks, Faith, Architecture and Community in Merton
Wimbledon Village is often associated with tennis and the Common, But lying between the Common and Wimbledon town, this cluster of buildings tells the story of a community across three centuries. From a medieval parish site to a striking 1960s tent-roofed church, from a windmill that once ground corn, to a Victorian engineer's final resting place. This Open House Festival, step inside these landmarks, sacred, civic and domestic, and discover the layers of history, craftsmanship and community life that shape the area today.

PLEASE NOTE: Everything listed here is opening on SATURDAY 12th SEPTEMBER as part of the Open House Festival. Actual opening times will vary so please check the individual listings for times.

WHILE YOU’RE HERE: The area also boasts a wonderful selection of shops, bars and cafes to cater for your every need while visiting. You are guaranteed a warm welcome!

Walking map route on Google Maps:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/6sr2o5anemypXwhZA
ST MARK’S CHURCH: St. Mark's Place, SW19 7ND
A striking pentagonal church of 1968–69, where a tent-like timber roof and a glowing frieze of abstract stained glass by Keith New create one of Wimbledon's most surprising mid-century interiors.
15 EDGE HILL
New build rear extension to Victorian house, entailing extensive remodelling of ground floor to create a large open plan flow-through living, dining and kitchen space.
SACRED HEART CHURCH: Edge Hill, Wimbledon
Marvel at this great expression of grand ecclesiastical architecture, designed by Frederick Walters and built in stages between 1887 and 1901
ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH: Spencer Hill, SW19 4NZ
A Grade II listed Victorian Gothic church of 1875 by Sir Thomas Jackson, celebrated for its soaring red-brick nave, fine stone tracery and unusual buttress-mounted bellcote.
WIMBLEDON VILLAGE CLUB AND LECTURE HALL: 26 Lingfield Road (corner of Ridgway), SW19 4QD
Founded in 1916, peek behind the doors of this Victorian Gothic village hall of 1858, home to England's oldest continuously used social club and the Wimbledon Museum's 3,000-year local story.
ROGERS HOUSE: 22 Parkside SW19 5NA
Built as a private house for his parents, the project encapsulates Rogers' vision of a home built using industrially manufactured components. As such it was seen as a prototype for mass affordable housing. Opening for the Festival in association with The Wimbledon Society
WIMBLEDON WINDMILL MUSEUM: Windmill Road, Wimbledon Common, SW19 5NR
Climb inside a rare surviving hollow post mill of 1817, later home to six families and the spot where Robert Baden-Powell wrote part of Scouting for Boys, now a charming volunteer-run museum.
ST MARY’S CHURCH: 30 St Mary's Road, SW19 7BP
St Mary’s is Wimbledon’s ancient parish church and is a Grade II* listed building on a site of worship dating to the Domesday Book, rebuilt in 1843 by Sir George Gilbert Scott and packed with centuries of local history.
ST MARY’S GARDEN HALL: 30 St Mary's Road, SW19 7BP
Take a look inside this award-winning contemporary hall designed by Terry Pawson Architects, whose glazed wall folds open onto the churchyard garden and brings a light, modern addition to the historic St Mary's site.
BAZALGETTE MAUSOLEUM: St Mary's Church, 30 St Mary's Road, Wimbledon, SW19 7BP
Located within St Mary’s churchyard, this is the atmospheric Portland stone resting place of Sir Joseph Bazalgette, the engineer behind London's sewer network, in a rare chance to see this Heritage-at-Risk mausoleum up close.
WIMBLEDON VILLAGE: Shops, pubs, cafes, restaurants and beautiful architecture – A perfect end to your visit.
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Together these places reveal Wimbledon Village as a place of extraordinary architectural, religious and cultural diversity. Whether you're drawn by Gothic spires, mid-century design, engineering history or a glimpse of contemporary residential architecture, Wimbledon Village has something for every Open House explorer. Wander the area, meet the volunteers and custodians who keep these buildings alive, and see it through new eyes. We look forward to welcoming you.