From Wat Buddhapadipa on: Merton’s list
Among the places to visit in and near Merton are 24 museums, 7 art galleries and 7 attractions. Look within 5 km of its edge and the list grows by 51 beyond the 6 inside Merton’s built-up area. Here, 2 places are kept up by the National Trust. For a full day, there is British Museum, 13 km away.
Merton’s big names
Close behind Wat Buddhapadipa are 3 museums, an abbey or priory and a historic house.
Abbey or prioryWat Buddhapadipain town
Abbey or prioryMerton Priory Chapter House Museumin town
MuseumWimbledon Lawn Tennis Museumin town
Historic houseSouthside Housein town
MuseumMuseum of Wimbledonin townMuseumMuseumWandle Industrial Museumin townEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Where things are
At the edge of the map sits Crystal Palace Park, 8.6 km out.
The dashed line is Merton’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
The list by type
Most are museums or galleries, 31 in all, ahead of castles or historic places (9).
Green: inside Merton. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
2 places are cared for by the National Trust (Carlyle's House and 575 Wandsworth Road).
Every place, in and near Merton
6 in town lead, with 51 more within 5 km of its edge after them.
Merton Priory Chapter House Museum
English Augustinian priory founded in 1114.
7Crystal Palace High Level Station Entry
Former building originally in Hyde Park, London, 1854 relocated to Bromley, South London.
8Dulwich Picture Gallery
Art gallery in Dulwich, South London, United Kingdom.
9
10
12White Lodge
Georgian house situated in Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
13Fulham Palace
Grade I listed historic house museum in London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, United Kingdom.
14
15
16Crystal Palace Park
Victorian pleasure ground in Crystal Palace, Bromley, London.
17South London Botanical Institute
Organization formed to support the study of plants.
19
20
Kingston Museum
History museum in Wheatfield Way, Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom.
Paultons Square
Communal garden square in the Chelsea district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London SW3.
198 Contemporary Arts and Learning
Arts gallery/organisation in London.
Antique Breadboard Museum
Small museum in Putney, London, England, UK.
Ubuntu Museum: African Museum of Humanity
Small museum in Roehampton, London, United Kingdom.
Clapham South Deep Level Shelter
Deep shelter under Clapham South tube station.
Fusiliers London Volunteer Museum
Museum in Wandsworth, London, England, UK.
The 6 inside Merton come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
231 listed buildings and 1 scheduled monument are on Merton’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Merton →
Further out, the best known
Start with British Museum, 13 km off, the best known of 12.
Big drawMuseumBritish Museum13 km north · 5.8M visitors a year (2023)
Historic houseBuckingham Palace11 km north
Cathedral · English HeritageWestminster Abbey11 km northeast
AttractionElizabeth Tower11 km northeast
Big drawCastleTower of London14 km northeast · 2.7M visitors a year (2016)
Big drawArt galleryNational Gallery12 km north · 709K visitors a year (2021)
AttractionLondon Eye12 km northeast
Big drawMuseumVictoria and Albert Museum9.8 km north · 858K visitors a year (2021)
Big drawMuseumNatural History Museum9.7 km north · 1.6M visitors a year (2021)
CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral13 km northeast
Big drawArt galleryTate Modern13 km northeast · 1.2M visitors a year (2021)
Historic houseKensington Palace11 km north · 383K visitors a year (2015)Places well known beyond Merton (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Questions before you go to Merton
What are the main attractions in Merton?
The best known inside Merton’s built-up area are Wat Buddhapadipa, Merton Priory Chapter House Museum, Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum and Southside House. In all, 6 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 51 more within 5 km.
Does Merton have a museum?
31 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Merton: Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum, Museum of Wimbledon, Wandle Industrial Museum and Crystal Palace High Level Station Entry.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Merton?
Yes. In or within 5 km of Merton, 2 places are cared for by the National Trust (Carlyle's House and 575 Wandsworth Road).
What are the best-known days out near Merton?
Within 40 km: British Museum (13 km), Buckingham Palace (11 km), Westminster Abbey (11 km), Elizabeth Tower (11 km).
Where are Merton’s historic buildings listed?
Merton has 231 listed buildings, 3 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Merton when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (45)
- Wat Buddhapadipa: Noel Foster, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Merton Priory Chapter House Museum: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum: ozziebackpacker, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Southside House: David Anstiss, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Museum of Wimbledon: No Swan So Fine, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Crystal Palace High Level Station Entry: Dickinson Brothers, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Dulwich Picture Gallery: Julian Osley, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Nonsuch Palace: Joris Hoefnagel, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Wimbledon Park: Bumper12 at English Wikipedia / Stu Clayton, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- White Lodge: Jim Osley, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fulham Palace: Michael Coppins, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Grove Park: G.Rogers (Rodge500), CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Carlyle's House: J.L., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Crystal Palace Park: Ewan-M, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Nonsuch Mansion: Dr Neil Clifton, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- 575 Wandsworth Road: JRennocks, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Pembroke Lodge: steve, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Whitehall: Roger Miller, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cadogan Pier: Alexander P Kapp, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Studio Voltaire: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kingston Museum: Zoopraxiscope, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Museum of Croydon: Pafcool2, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Pump House Gallery: Garry Knight, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Paultons Square: David Hawgood, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Putney Pier: Images George Rex from London, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Chelsea Harbour Pier: Images George Rex from London, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning: Barby Asante, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Honeywood Museum: woodenscroll, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dorich House Museum: AndyScott, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Clapham South Deep Level Shelter: Secretlondon, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Little Holland House: Jhsteel, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bourne hall: AndyScott, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Crystal Palace Museum: Stephen Craven, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- British Museum: Ham, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Buckingham Palace: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Westminster Abbey: Σπάρτακος, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Elizabeth Tower: Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tower of London: Bob Collowan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- National Gallery: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- London Eye: Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Victoria and Albert Museum: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Natural History Museum: Christine Matthews, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St Paul's Cathedral: Mark Fosh, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tate Modern: Christine Matthews, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kensington Palace: Steve Cadman from London, U.K., CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
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