Over the last three years, volunteers from Tooting History Group together with Enable and Wandsworth Council have been researching a history of Tooting Common in a Heritage Lottery funded project. The research included the coming of the railways to the common, the refreshment cafe, the Commons during the Second World War and how the commons came into public ownership. The research has been edited together into a book by historian Katy Layton-Jones and will be launched at the opening event of the Wandsworth Heritage Festival.

Philip Bradley, Chair of Tooting History Group said “We’re very pleased to have been able to contribute to the Common Story History Of Tooting Common. Tooting Graveney and Tooting Bec Commons are highly valued green spaces for local people. We hope that the research undertaken by THG members will add to everyone’s enjoyment of Tooting Common and give them a greater understanding of how it has become the much-loved open space it is today.”

The free launch event is taking place in the Tooting Bec Lido Pavilion on Saturday 25th May at 2pm. Entrance is from the Lido Car Park.

Copies of the book will be available for sale or free to Tooting History Group members.

For more details of the Wandsworth Heritage Festival and the programme of events, see here.

Tooting has connections with several figures from the Victorian and Edwardian music hall. For our May monthly meeting, you can here about these stars and what their connections were. We are also promised some recordings for your delectation and delight! Peter Charlton from The British Music hall Society will be addressing us.

We meet at 7.30 on Tuesday 14th May in The United Reform Church, Rookstone Road, Tooting – details here

Merton Priory will be the subject of our next monthly meeting on Tuesday April 9th. John Hawkes from the Merton Priory Trust will be coming along to tell us about the 800 year history of the Priory and future developments. The meeting starts at 7.30 pm and is at The United Reform Church in Rookstone Road, Tooting.(Details here.)

You can read more about the Merton Priory Trust here.

THG Members At Lambeth Palace Library March 22 2019

THG Members At Lambeth Palace Examining Documents About Tooting. 22 March 2019

THG members visited Lambeth Palace Library for an informative tour of the archives, conservation room and Great Hall this month. Located oppositethe Houses of Parliament, the library has amassed a huge collection of books, documents and artefacts over many centuries. Of particular interest to us were documents relating to Tooting and the churches of St. Nicholas and Holy Trinity in Trinity Road.

You can find more about the Lambeth Palace Library here.

Poster For February 2019 THG Meeting

Our next meeting in February will be a talk by John Brown on The Dukes of Bedford:The Tooting Connection. This is a change to our previously advertised talk. The meeting will be on Tuesday 12th February at 7.30pm. Details of our meeting venue and how to get there are here.

Tooting History Group

Christmas Quiz 2018 Answers

1. In how many locations around the world does the Commonwealth War Graves Commission care for memorials and graves?

• 23,000

2. The “Classic”, the “Mayfair” and the “Astoria” are names of former cinemas in Tooting. Which of them, located between Derinton and Lessingham Avenues, is now used by the Tooting Islamic Centre?

• The Mayfair

3. Which style of architecture influenced Frank Dickinson, designer and builder of Little Holland House in Carshalton? Was it

• Arts and Crafts.

4. The Tooting History Group joined with The Friends of Tooting Common to celebrate an anniversary at the Café. What was the anniversary?

• 120 years since it opened.

5. What was the occupation of Mr. Henry Thrale, who occupied Streatham Park with his wife Hester Thrale and entertained Dr. Johnson?

• A brewer in Southwark.

6. Which Tooting Community is associated with “crubeen”, “poteen” and the “wearing of the green”?

• The Irish Community

7. Who donated the drinking fountain on Tooting Bec Common, recently restored to working order by the Tooting Common Heritage project.

• Joseph James Jones.

8. Which of these GLC byelaws did NOT apply to Tooting Commons?

• No person shall in any open space exercise racing pigeons.

9. Which Tooting secondary school did local author Beryl Kingston attend during the war and later teach at:

• Rosa Bassett.

10. What was the land now occupied by Streatham Crematorium in Blackshaw Road previously used for?

• Allotments.

11. The ancient boundary of Tooting Graveney Parish is still marked in some places by original boundary markers. Which date or dates can you find on these boundary markers:

• 1864
• 1882

12. In which year did Women of Tooting first get the vote?

• 1918