Everyone has their traditions at Christmas. Alongside turkey and telly is the annual display of Christmas lights adorning houses across the country. Yet it’s fair to say some take this tradition more seriously than others.
Lower Morden Lane has earned its reputation as the go-to destination for Christmas lights spotting in London. For the last 25 years, the Merton street has seen thousands of people pass through to catch a glimpse of some of the capital’s most impressive lighting displays.
This long-running public support has meant the residents of Lower Morden Lane have been able to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for the local hospice, St Raphael’s. Residents hope they can continue that trend this festive season.
Lower Morden Lane resident Martin told the local democracy reporting service (LDRS): “It’s become a real tradition for us. We’ve had people who have moved away but drive up from Brighton or Portsmouth just to drive along Lower Morden Lane on Christmas Eve and soak it up.
“People who came as kids are now bringing their own kids and we just get all sorts of people around here. We’ve got a little old guy that comes up and knocks on Dave’s door every Christmas Eve and gives him a donation. We’ve got kids bringing up their piggy banks in bags and tipping it all out into the bucket.
“It’s been going for about 30 years but around 25 years ago one of our previous residents Sylvia, who lived at 55, got it more organised. We raised over £250,000, which is absolutely bonkers, and it all goes to the local hospice St Raphaels. Sylvia passed away about a year and a half ago and ended up in the care of St Raphaels.
“Me and my neighbour Dave do bucket collections most weekends over Christmas. We also do hot drinks, teas and coffees. The hospice set up on the other side of the road and did mulled wine and baileys, which all went down very well. We have a few people that go out and dress up as well. Sylvia used to have a whole team of people she could call on.”
Dave, Martin’s neighbour and fellow Christmas lights enthusiast spoke about what the hospice means to the street. He said: “St Raphael’s is a cause that resonates at this time of year. It is remarkable what respect the Hospice has around here.”
“The atmosphere is brilliant, with thousands of people walking up and down the lane talking to each other, which doesn’t happen very often in London. As well as fundraising, the Christmas lights have helped to build a sense of community on the street. It’s a fantastic spirit that you won’t find anywhere else.”
Dave boasts a display that some see as the pride of the street. With his front driveway display showing Santa on his sleigh among a raft of other festive characters it was no wonder that his house was recently chosen as the backdrop for a recent Good Morning Britain report.
When asked if the annual tradition can get competitive, Martin joked and pointed to David’s display next door, saying: “You can’t compete with Dave’s house, there is no competition. But seriously, we bought these lights when we moved in. In January, we’re not buying clothes we’re looking for cheap light up reindeer.”
“We drop off donated lights to people that have just moved in so they’re not caught by surprise. For example, if someone’s just had a baby and couldn’t get any lights we would drop some round. It’s cooperative, not competitive. It’s a really lovely street. It’s a nice simple once-a-year thing. It all seems to come together around Christmas. There’s no real resident’s association it just happens.”
While Dave and Martin’s stretch of the road near the Morden Brook pub hosts some of the road’s most visually striking displays, wander further down the road towards Morden and you find yet more Christmas wonder. Near the entrance from the A24 road, you will find candy canes, an army of Santas, and a giant penguin guarding the doorway of Vincent’s house.
Self-confessed Christmas fan Vincent echoed Dave and Martin in his love for the road and its sense of the community. In fact, it was the road’s sense of community that led him to move to the street twenty years ago.
He told the LDRS: “I’ve been here twenty years and the lights have always been going. I used to live down the other end of the road behind the Morden Brook. I used to joke that when a house came up on this road I would move there because I’d love to live on Lower Morden Lane. Then one day I managed to do it.”
Pointing to the penguin, Vincent said: “The penguin is the first to go up. Years ago kids would come up to it and say it’s pingoo, when happy feet they started to say it was happy feet.”
He added: “I’ve already got some stuff for next year in the sales. Now is the best time to look for Christmas lights, especially if you’re looking forward to next year. I want to get more lights up at the top. We’re also planning to get an extension and knock the garage through and place lights across the new round window.”
“It’s not competitive, no one says look at that I’ve got to beat that but you do have to make an effort. Pretty much everyone does it, it’s a good laugh. It only takes a day out of my time and if it makes the kids happy it’s all worth it.”
