In 1988 USM was invited to revive the picturesque but derelict Arts and Crafts buildings of the Liberty printworks on the River Wandle near Wimbledon. In 1989 it opened as a shopping village with twenty craft workshops, a 200 stall weekend craft market, antique market, 150-car Saturday bootsale, riverside pub, restaurants, studios, museum and theatre. By 1991, Merton Abbey Mills had become the Borough of Merton’s most significant all-year tourist attraction, with over 500,000 annual visits.
| Project dates | 1988 - 2005 |
| Uses | Market, shops, A3, offices, studios, theatre and museums |
| Area | 30,000sq.ft (built space) |
| Jobs created | 400 |
| Investment | £1.2 million |
| Major initial tenants | Gourmet Pizza, Regents Inns |
| Highlights | Abbeyfest Summer Arts Festival, Blues Festival, Colourhouse Children's Theatre, Wandle Valley Festival, working water wheel |
| Partnerships | J Sainsbury PLC, Countryside Properties PLC, Wandle Heritage Trust, London Borough of Merton |
The working mill, with its market, pub and theatre is the jewel in [the Wandle's] crown
Evening Standard
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