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The Neal Family:
Neal’s Farm and Neal’s Nursery
Research notes

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For more than a century the Neals were the Common’s biggest commercial neighbours. Starting as carmen and contractors, the firm of R. and G. Neal became nurserymen on a huge scale: at its height Neal’s Nursery covered about forty acres either side of Trinity Road, much of it land that had once been Common.

The family’s name survives in Neal’s Farm, the subject of a planning dispute that reached the courts in 2017. The main page so far is Neal/Neale, Neal’s Farm, Neal’s Nursery.

These are working notes. The newest findings are in the research log at the foot of the page.

Contents

• The family in outline
• Robert Neal (c.1801–1880)
• R. and G. Neal
• Neal’s Nursery
• The Patriotic Fund land
• Neal’s Farm
• The graves at Battersea
• Open questions
• Research log
• Sources

The family in outline

The relationships between the Roberts and the George of “R. and G. Neal” still need to be worked out from the census. The name is spelled both Neal and Neale. to check

Robert Neal (c.1801–1880)

Robert Neal died on 1 January 1880, aged 78. The South London Press called the firm “one of the largest employers… in Surrey”. He was buried in Battersea cemetery. confirmed

The path to that success was not smooth: there were bankruptcies in 1848 and 1855. confirmed

R. and G. Neal

The firm worked as carmen (carters), contractors and nurserymen, with the “Wandsworth Common Nurseries” as its base. confirmed In 1897 the South London Press ran a long and admiring puff about “R. NEAL, The Nurseries”. (Chronicles, August 2023) confirmed

Neal’s Nursery

In the 1890s the nursery covered about 40 acres. Until 1912 it occupied both sides of Trinity Road; the land on the Common side, the “Extension”, then returned to the Common and is now the cricket pitches. The dualling of Trinity Road in the 1960s cut through what was left. (Chronicles, August 2023) confirmed

The Patriotic Fund land

The Neals leased more than twenty acres from the Royal Patriotic Fund, in front of Wandsworth Prison. Their use of it caused a public outcry in 1885–88, with court cases, before the land was eventually bought by the London County Council. (Chronicles, November 2023: the Prison Banks) confirmed

Neal’s Farm

Part of the old nursery land is still known as Neal’s Farm. It was the subject of Muir v Wandsworth Borough Council (2017); the judgment is on this site (PDF). (Chronicles, May 2024) confirmed

The graves at Battersea

Transcribing both stones in full would settle several of the family relationships. to check

Open questions

• Who were the R. and the G. of R. and G. Neal, and how were the Roberts related? to check
• When did the Neals first take land on or beside the Common, and from whom? to check
• The court cases of 1885–88: full references. to check
• When did the nursery business end? to check

Research log

Sources

• Neal/Neale, Neal’s Farm, Neal’s Nursery (this site)
• Muir v Wandsworth Borough Council, 2017: judgment (PDF, this site)
• Chronicles, August 2023: Neal’s Nursery
• Chronicles, November 2023: the Prison Banks
• Chronicles, May 2024: Neal’s Farm

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