Old Malden

Old Malden is a ward of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in south London, 10 miles (16 km) south west of Charing Cross. It is between New Malden and Worcester Park, along the A2043 road, here named Malden Road.

Malden Manor is an alternative name for part of Old Malden, popularised by the name made up by Southern Railway for its local station built in 1938.

The area has a long history as the ancient parish of Malden, derived from the Old English mæl duna, meaning 'the cross on the hill'.

Malden appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Meldone, held partly by William de Wateville and partly by Robert de Wateville. Its domesday assets were: 4 hides and 3 virgates; 1 chapel, 1 mill worth 12s, 6½ ploughs, 5 acres (2.0 ha) of meadow, woodland worth 1 hog out of 7 hogs. It rendered £7 12s 0d.

St John the Baptist Church, close to the Hogsmill, is a Grade II listed building. The medieval church was built by Walter de Merton, Bishop of Rochester. It comprised nave, chancel and west tower. The flint south and east walls of the chancel survive. In 1611 the chancel's old flint walls were repaired and the nave and the tower rebuilt in brick. The church was restored in 1863 by T G Jackson. In 1875 a new nave and chancel were added, and in 2004 a two-storey extension was completed.

The Grade II listed Manor House, next to St John's, is also mentioned in the Domesday Book; in 1264 Walter de Merton, Bishop of Rochester, founded a college here that was later moved to Oxford as Merton College. The house was later used as a court in the reign of Henry VIII, and in the mid 18th century the house was the home of Captain Cook. In 1852 the Hogsmill River was the setting for the background of Ophelia painted by John Everett Millais.

Malden became Old Malden in 1870, with the development of New Malden, two miles (3 km) to the north in the parish of Kingston upon Thames.

At the heart of Old Malden is Plough Green, a traditional village green, surrounded by: