The top pond on Streatham Common, fed by a natural spring, remained a pond until 1938, when it was concreted over and converted into a paddling pool.

It was the fame of Streatham's mineral springs and their curative properties, particularly the three nearby at the Rookery, that resulted in the growth of the area from the middle of the 18th century.

The link-road marked by the fence in the background, seen as a path connecting Streatham Common North and South in the parish maps (c.1860), still exists though it is now closed to traffic.