Cut Bench Mark - Windmill Road, Wimbledon Common, London, UK
N 51° 26.282 W 000° 13.823
30U E 692490 N 5702176
This bench mark is cut into a "Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association" trough on Wimbledon Common. The mark is on the east face of the trough at the north east corner.
Waymark Code: WMNX66
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 05/17/2015
Views: 3
The OS website does not list a benchmark as being at this location so it is highly probable that the trough was moved here, from another location, sometime after the mark was cut.
On one end of the trough is inscribed "Devas / 1887".
The Wimbledon Society newsletter of July 1994 sheds some light as to where the trough was situated prior to its arrival on the Common:
Environmental Action in Merton The horse trough at the windmill on the common was cleaned by Wimbledon Society volunteers as our contribution to the council's entry for the British Telecom/Civic Trust National Environment Week at the end of May.
This is one of eight troughs in the borough and is still used for its original purpose. It was originally located in Arterberry Road and bears the name and date 'Devas 1887'. Thomas Devas donated the trough to the borough and his concern for horses is also shown by the fact that when Arterberry Road was constructed on his land it was laid out in a zig-zag pattern to make the slope easier for horse drawn vehicles.