Wandsworth Historical Society

The archaeology and history of the Borough of Wandsworth

Battersea : Balham : Putney : Tooting : Wandsworth Town

Tooting Common Heritage Project
Wandsworth Council Parks Service wins Heritage Lottery Fund grant in March 2014

For those of you who missed Hannah Pemberton's excellent talk on this exciting new HLF-funded project in March 2014, here is a brief summary of the project which aimed to improve how the Common is managed and to provide a better and more interesting environment for those who live and work in the area:

Wandsworth Council's Parks Service won initial funding from the HLF for a project to explore the cultural and natural heritage of Tooting Common. This involves restoring biodiverstiy and habitats, unravelling its historical mysteries, conserving and restoring heritage features, teaching people about the Common's rich past and biodiversity and providing new volunteering opportunities AND skills that people can use in the future. Initial funding was awarded to Wandsworth Council to develop these plans and later they sucessfully applied for a full grant which will fund the project to 2019.

One of the three pilot projects was of particular interest to WHS members - The Common Story project focused on producing a historical research report of Tooting Common's history and provided training for volunteers who were interested in learning researching and archiving skills. Volunteers did not need to have any experience, just lots of enthusiasm, as training was given. Attached at the time was an expression of interest form.