Crime and Punishment in Lower Tooting

Tuesday 13 January 2026

Start the new year by joining Karen Ellis-Rees to hear about crime and punishment in and around Lower Tooting. Meet the victims, the police and the criminals – among them highwaymen, burglars, smugglers, shoplifters and murderers.

Visit the scenes of the crimes, including pubs, public transport, shops, Lambeth Cemetery and Tooting’s old mansion houses.

Histories of Heritage Park, Tooting: How to Remember an Asylum

Tuesday 10 February 2026

In erecting a plaque to remember the thousands of lives lived at Tooting Bec Asylum, we’ve opened up discussion of hidden histories and prompted more people to share memories and stories.

The history of mental health services has always been contested: do we highlight the accounts of the Alleged Lunatics’ Friends Society of the 1860s, and Survivors Speak Out of the 1980s – or the evidence from experienced clinicians, or NHS managers, or legal experts?

Liz Sayce’s talk will draw on stories we’ve heard and some different histories to develop the discussion.

The Mills of the River Wandle

Tuesday 10 March 2026

Said at one time to be the hardest-working river for its size in the world, the River Wandle attracted many industries. This chalk stream with its clean water was ideal for textile works, and it had the power to drive waterwheels, which were needed to work the mill equipment. The Wandle has been a hive of activity since Roman times.

Join Mick Taylor from the Wandle Industrial Museum to learn about its history and some of the people associated with it.

The Mills of the River Wandle

Tuesday 14 April 2026

The Survey of London is often described as the closest thing to an ‘official’ history of the capital, researching and recording its buildings past and present, area by area – their development, history and associations. The resulting scholarly volumes are the most detailed and reliable accounts available of London’s built environment and an invaluable resource for anyone with an interest in the city and urban change more generally.

This illustrated talk by Colin Thom, Director of the Survey, looks at its origins in the 1890s under the architect and designer C. R. Ashbee and explores how the series has evolved and changed since then, as London itself has expanded and transformed. Some of the Survey’s recent work will be described, and Colin will also touch on its plans to explore Tooting’s history, development and present-day character.