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Merriman Park
A pleasant area close to the High Street
Some of the blue lias stone houses that line one side of the park are notable for the lias fencing, garden walls formed of vertical lias paving stones. Merriman Road on another side of the park is lined with one of the first examples of council housing in Britain, constructed 1911-12 as the picture on the right shows, also in blue lias stone.
Below, a selection of views of Merriman Park throughout the year, with one historic photo of the shelter set up as a war memorial and now in a state of ruin.
Click any photo to enlarge.
The Merriman family
Merriman Park and Merriman Road were named after the Merriman family, who went on to achieve celebrity in South Africa, the father Nathaniel, for some time Curate of Street, being Bishop of Grahamstown and the son John, born in Street Rectory, Prime Minister of Cape Colony.
"The Book of Street" has this to say about Nathaniel: Among those who contributed to the restoration of Street Church was Lord John's curate, Rev
James Merriman, a member of a handsome, vigorous and talented family, an earnest Christian
much loved in Street for his genialitv and kindness. To identify more closely with his flock he
learnt shoemaking and had a work bench in his study. Merriman was a strong supporter of the
Club and, although of small means, gave generously to charity. When giving £10 towards Irish
famine relief he chose the Quaker fund, as he knew the money would be shrewdly invested, dining
oft horse beans twice a week in order to give more. Street proved too small to hold this hard-
working curate, who had an adventurous nature and a vocation for missionary work. His
opportunity came in 1848, when he was invited to go to South Africa as Archdeacon of
Grahamstown, a post he accepted, being sped on his way with one of Clark's multicoloured rugs
and a sum of money towards his task. During years of mission in the burning velt his thoughts
returned from time to time to the green fields of Street. He became Bishop of Grahamstown and
was killed in a carriage accident in 1884. His son, the HonJohn X. Merriman (1841-1926), born in
the house in High Street now part of Clark's factory, bought by Lord John Thynne for the use of
the curate, had a gift for mathematics and surveying, but was a diamond dealer and wine
merchant before entering the Parliament of Cape Colony, where he gained a reputation for
wrecking governments. Eventually, from 1908-10, he was Prime Minister himself, and narrowly
missed becoming Premier of the Union of South Africa. The younger Merriman was regarded as a
dyed in the wool Englishman, with an 'innate sense of British Liberty', tolerant, honourable and
freedom loving, qualities imbibed, perhaps during his Street childhood.
Other biographical material on Nathaniel James Merriman (1809-1882) can be found
here.
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