The Catherine Gladstone Convalescent Home

Built in 1864, Ravensbury Park House was built for the famous Victorian engineer, George Parker Bidder and was later home to his eldest son, George Parker Bidder Jnr. Q.C. 

There were legal wrangles following the judge's death and much of the estate was broken up. In 1900 the house was converted to form the Catherine Gladstone Convalescent Home for women and children. It was named after its founder, the wife of Liberal Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone.

During the First World War, the building was added to the list of military hospitals operating in the Merton area. Patients are likely to have been nursed by a combination of regular and Volunteer Aid Detachment nurses. They benefited from the picturesque surroundings, a special invalid diet and plenty of fresh air.

The building remained in use as a convalescent home for women and children during the interwar years and was an annexe of the London Hospital. It was demolished following bomb damage during the Second World War.

The site of the convalescent home is now occupied by the housing of Wandle Road, Morden. The grounds which surrounded the building are now accessible to the public as Ravensbury Park.