Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth

Last updated

Wandsworth
Bas relief, Wandsworth Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 532786.jpg
Wandsworth Town Hall
Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth.svg
Wandsworth within the County of London
History
 • Origin Wandsworth District Board of Works
 • Created1900
 • Abolished1965
 • Succeeded by London Borough of Wandsworth
London Borough of Lambeth
Status Metropolitan borough
GovernmentWandsworth Borough Council
 •  HQ Town Hall, Wandsworth High Street
 •  Motto We Serve
Wandsworth arms.png
Coat of arms of the borough council
Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth Map of borough boundary

The Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth was a Metropolitan borough under the London County Council, from 1900 to 1965.

Contents

History

The borough was formed from five civil parishes: Clapham, Putney, Streatham, Tooting Graveney and Wandsworth. In 1904, these five were combined into a single civil parish called Wandsworth Borough, which was conterminous with the metropolitan borough. [1] Before 1900, these parishes, and Battersea until 1888, had been administered by the Wandsworth District Board of Works.

The borough had an irregular boundary with Mitcham in Surrey. On 1 April 1901 a small unpopulated exclave of Mitcham was transferred to Wandsworth. Part of the boundary followed the River Graveney, which had been culverted. On 1 April 1904 the boundary was straightened. [2]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms were granted on 6 July 1901. The blue wavy division represents the Rivers Wandle and Thames. French Huguenot refugees arrived in the area in 1685, and the blue drops represent the tears of their struggle. The five stars represent the constituent former parishes. At the top is a long boat, with a dragon's head, commemorating 9th century Danish incursions along the river. The borough council's motto was We Serve. [3]

Population and area

The borough covered 9,130 acres (36.9 km2), which made it the largest in the County of London. The population recorded in the Census was:

Constituent parishes 1801–1899

Year [4] 1801181118211831184118511861187118811891
Population14,28317,96322,72627,77933,23840,20450,80371,044103,172156,942

Metropolitan Borough 1900–1961

Year [5] 1901191119211931194119511961
Population232,024311,360328,307353,110 [6] 330,493347,442

Politics

A map showing the wards of Wandsworth Metropolitan Borough as they appeared in 1916. Wandsworth Met. B Ward Map 1916.svg
A map showing the wards of Wandsworth Metropolitan Borough as they appeared in 1916.

The borough was divided into nine wards for elections: Balham, Clapham North, Clapham South, Fairfield, Putney, Southfield, Springfield, Streatham, and Tooting. [7] [8]

Borough council

Parliament constituency

For elections to Parliament, the borough was divided into one and a half constituencies:

In 1918 the borough's representation was increased to five seats:

In 1950 the borough's representation was reduced to four seats:

Replacement

When the metropolitan boroughs were replaced with larger London boroughs in 1965, this borough was split. The core area of Wandsworth (about 11 km2 or 4.2 sq mi) became part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, along with the former Metropolitan Borough of Battersea, but the areas of Streatham and Clapham (totalling 4 km2 or 1.5 sq mi) became part of the London Borough of Lambeth.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balham</span> Area in south London, England

Balham is an area in south London, England. It has been settled since Saxon times and appears in the Domesday Book as Belgeham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tooting</span> Human settlement in England

Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is located 5 miles south south-west of Charing Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Borough of Wandsworth</span> Borough in United Kingdom

Wandsworth is a London borough in south London; it forms part of Inner London and has an estimated population of 329,677 inhabitants. Its main named areas are Battersea, Balham, Putney, Tooting and Wandsworth Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Borough of Lambeth</span> Borough in United Kingdom

Lambeth is a London borough in South London, England, which forms part of Inner London. Its name was recorded in 1062 as Lambehitha and in 1255 as Lambeth. The geographical centre of London is at Frazier Street near Lambeth North tube station, though nearby Charing Cross on the other side of the Thames in the City of Westminster is traditionally considered the centre of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth</span> Metropolitan borough of England

Lambeth was a civil parish and metropolitan borough in south London, England. It was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. The parish was included in the area of responsibility of the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1855 and became part of the County of London in 1889. The parish of Lambeth became a metropolitan borough in 1900, following the London Government Act 1899, with the parish vestry replaced by a borough council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Borough of Battersea</span>

Battersea was a civil parish and metropolitan borough in the County of London, England. In 1965, the borough was abolished and its area combined with parts of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth to form the London Borough of Wandsworth. The borough was administered from Battersea Town Hall on Lavender Hill. That building is now Battersea Arts Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battersea (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom since 1983

Battersea is a constituency in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It has been represented since 2017 by Marsha de Cordova of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Streatham (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1918 onwards

Streatham is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Bell Ribeiro-Addy of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tooting (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1974 onwards

Tooting is a constituency created in 1974 in Greater London. It is represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2016 by Dr. Rosena Allin-Khan, a member of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parliamentary constituencies in London</span>

The region of Greater London, including the City of London, is divided into 73 parliamentary constituencies which are sub-classified as borough constituencies, affecting the type of electoral officer and level of expenses permitted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Wandsworth</span>

The inner London borough of Wandsworth contains some 670 hectares of green space in the form of parks, commons, allotments and cemeteries, which is the largest amount for an Inner London borough. Central London borders some of the borough's boundary with the Thames the closest park to which is Battersea Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balham and Tooting (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1918–1950

Balham and Tooting was a constituency in South London, which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 1918 general election and abolished for the 1950 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clapham (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Former UK Parliament constituency, 1885–February 1974

Clapham was a borough constituency in South London which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was created in time for the 1885 general election then altered in periodic national boundary reviews, principally in 1918, and abolished before the February 1974 general election. In its early years the seat was officially named Battersea and Clapham Parliamentary Borough: No. 2—The Clapham Division.

Battersea South was a parliamentary constituency, originally in the County of London and later in Greater London. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the UK Parliament.

Wandsworth Central was a parliamentary constituency in the Wandsworth district of South London. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tooting Commons</span> Two adjacent areas of common land in south west London, England

The Tooting Commons consist of two adjacent areas of common land lying between Balham, Streatham and Tooting, in south west London: Tooting Bec Common and Tooting Graveney Common.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hundred of Brixton</span> Historic area of London

Brixton Hundred or the Hundred of Brixton was for many centuries a group of parishes (hundred) used for meetings and taxation of their respective great estates in the north east of the county of Surrey, England. Its area has been entirely absorbed by the growth of London; with its name currently referring to the Brixton district. Its area corresponds to London Boroughs: Southwark, Lambeth, Wandsworth and parts of Lewisham, Merton and Richmond upon Thames.

Wandsworth was the name of a borough constituency created in 1885, abolished in 1918, covering the vast bulk of today's London Borough of Wandsworth in South London but excluding Battersea. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the UK Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falconbrook</span> Covered river in London, England

The Falconbrook was a stream that rose in Balham and Tooting, draining much of those parishes then the south and west of the larger district of Battersea including Clapham Junction to enter the London reaches of the Thames. Before doing so it briefly formed the border of Wandsworth Town, reflected in the SW11/SW18 boundary today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wandsworth District (Metropolis)</span>

Wandsworth was a local government district within the metropolitan area of London, England from 1855 to 1900. It was formed by the Metropolis Management Act 1855 and was governed by the Wandsworth District Board of Works, which consisted of elected vestrymen.

References

  1. ↑ "GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, Wandsworth Borough CP through time, Census tables with data for the Parish-level Unit". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  2. ↑ The Counties of London and Surrey (Wandsworth and Mitcham) Order, 1903
  3. ↑ "London County Council". Civic Heraldry. Retrieved 15 January 2008.
  4. ↑ Statistical Abstract for London, 1901 (Vol. IV); Census tables for Metropolitan Borough of Battersea
  5. ↑ "GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, Wandsworth MetB through time, Population Statistics, Total Population". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  6. ↑ The census was suspended for World War II
  7. ↑ Post Office London County Suburbs Directory, 1919. 1919. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  8. ↑ "'County Series 3rd Edition' Map of London (1912–14) at 1:2500 scale". Ordnance Survey.

Further reading

51°27′26″N0°11′25″W / 51.4571°N 0.1903°W / 51.4571; -0.1903

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.