Local History

Photograph of the exterior of Du Cane Court

Balham

The origins of the name Balham can be traced back to a mention as a point on the boundaries of the Battersea-Wandsworth in the year 957.

Du Cane Court Photo © Photographer Colin Jenkins

Photograph of Battersea Power Station in 2008

Battersea

Battersea was once a small village by the Thames, with its population centred around Battersea Square.

Battersea Power Station Photo © Photographer Sue Cutler

Photograph of the Leather Bottle Pub in Earlsfield

Earlsfield

It is from a long-demolished 1860s mansion called ‘Earlsfield’ just south of Allfarthing Lane that the suburb gets its name.

The Leather Bottle Photo © Photographer Neil Robson

Photograph of Putney Bridge

Putney

Putney was occupied in prehistoric and Roman times, and there was a Roman settlement in the Star and Garter area.

Putney Bridge Photo © Photographer Sue Cutler

Photograph of the Kings Head Pub in Roehampton

Roehampton

Roehampton was a village within Putney parish, with its own open field system and its own local officials.

The Kings Head Photo © Photographer Dorian Gerhold

Photograph of the statue of the Victorian horticulturalist Fanny Wilkinson in Coronation Gardens, Southfields

Southfields

The development of Southfields dates from 1889, when the railway came to the area.

The statue of the Victorian horticulturalist Fanny Wilkinson in Coronation Gardens, Southfields © Photographer Neil Robson

Photograph of the exterior of Tooting Broadway underground station

Tooting

Described in 1876 as ‘a region of villas and nursery gardens, very pleasant’ (James Thorne, Handbook to the Environs of London), Tooting has ancient origins.

Tooting Broadway Station Photo © Photographer Sue Cutler

Photograph of the exterior of Wandsworth Town Hall

Wandsworth Town

Wandsworth’s history has been shaped by its position on the Wandle and the Thames and on a major east-west road (probably of Roman origin).

Wandsworth Town Hall Photo © Photographer Sue Cutler

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