New Malden

New Malden exists because the railway turned up in 1846, and the commuters it was built for have been waiting on the same platform ever since. It is where people end up when Wimbledon wants a bigger deposit than they have, and the rows of 1930s semis up towards Coombe Hill show the compromise held. In 1936 the new borough was handed a civic mace bearing the insignia of Edward VIII, the only time New Malden has ever backed a man who wouldn't commit. Everyone since has taken the mortgage and stayed.