Historical Images
St John's Hill and Clapham Junction, Battersea c.1905
The fountain, Battersea Park c.1906
The Small Lake on Wandsworth Common c.1905Wandsworth Historical Society
The archaeology and history of the Borough of Wandsworth
Battersea : Balham : Putney : Tooting : Wandsworth Town
St John's Hill and Clapham Junction, Battersea c.1905The fountain, Battersea Park c.1906The Small Lake on Wandsworth Common c.1905Monthly Talks and Other Events.
We normally meet regularly on the last Friday of the month (but not in August or December) starting at 8.00 pm for an illustrated talk on either the history or archaeology of London.
The talks, except for January and February 2024, are held at The Friends' Meeting House, 59 Wandsworth High Street, London, SW18 2PT. Google maps link.
For full details of our forthcoming talks, please click here.
The next talk is on 26th January
The 14th Nick Fuentes Memorial Lecture:
'Before and after the Great Fire of 1666: debunking some myths' by John Schofield
Online via Zoom only.
Members will receive the link to this meeting by email.
We welcome guests - To obtain the link to the meeting please send an email to:
Membership of the Society
Membership of the Society costs just £12 a year for adults and £3 a year for students.
In addition to the programme of talks, the benefits of membership include 2 editions of our journal, the The Wandsworth Historian, every year.
There is also the opportunity to take part in the Thames foreshore survey.
Visits and walks are organised on an occasional basis.
The borough of Wandsworth covers 5 town centres:
| Balham | Battersea | Putney | Tooting | Wandsworth Town |
It also includes Earlsfield, Roehampton and Southfields.
As a small voluntary organisation, we are unable to undertake any research for you.
However some examples of WHS Research are available on line.
For any inquiries about the work of the society, please contact the Secretary at:
Exciting new publication venture
Dorian Gerhold's much praised book Villas and Mansions of Roehampton and Putney Heath has long been out of print. To make this significant research widely available once again, we have produced a free-to-download digitised version. Click [HERE] for more details.
Our Publications
The WHS offers an outstanding selection of local history publications. Here are the highlights:
Beating the lockdown: research without record offices
A list of online links to original records, so that you can continue to research local or family history relating to the Wandsworth area without having to visit a record office or library.
Online links compiled by Dorian Gerhold
The Tooting Common Heritage Project 2014 - 2019
For information on this see the Tooting Common Heritage Project webpage.
The project completed in December 2019 and a book was produced containing the historical research. There were a limited number of printed copies but it is also available online as a pdf via this link.
The Common Story - A History of Tooting Common.
Some background information from March 2014 when WHS had a Friday evening talk can be found [HERE].
The photos show the fountain and its dedication plaque which were restored as part of the project.
Wandsworth Museum
This no longer exists. It was briefly part of Battersea Arts Centre and rebranded as "Moving Museum" but post Covid and the fire at Battersea Arts Centre they are no longer involved. The collection remains in store under Wandsworth Council reponsibility.
Wandsworth Heritage Service
The Wandsworth Heritage Service can be contacted at:
Battersea Library,
265 Lavender Hill,
SW11 1JB.
Tel 020 7223 2334
Email heritage@gll.org
See their website for the situation regarding opening.
The Heritage Service has its Archives Catalogue and a selection of historic photos available online via these links: