Overview

Clapham and Battersea, both medieval villages to the south-west of London, enjoy rich and fascinating histories. In time, Clapham became home to wealthy City merchants who built grand mansion houses around Clapham Common, and Battersea’s fortunes changed for the better with the building of a bridge across the Thames in the 1770s, ending its prior isolation. Both areas were to benefit greatly from the coming of the railway in the mid-1800s and then the Tube towards the end of the century, which established their suburbanisation and rapid development. Almost overnight, row upon row of Victorian terraced housing was built, as well as shops, pubs and entertainment venues. The construction of Clapham Junction station in Battersea resulted in the development of a thriving shopping area, including Arding & Hobbs department store. Towards the end of the century Battersea built its new Town Hall, its Polytechnic and the now famous Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. Clapham’s public library appeared around the same period, as did many new churches catering for the greatly enlarged residential population of both neighbourhoods. Today, the two suburbs are wonderfully vibrant areas with a superb variety of architecture – domestic, civic, religious and industrial, the latter best seen in the newly converted Battersea Power Station. Battersea & Clapham in 50 Buildings explores the history of these fascinating areas of South London through a selection of their most interesting buildings and structures, showing the changes that have taken place over the years. This book will appeal to all those who live in Battersea or Clapham or who have an interest in the area.

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9781398120952

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Author Information

Lucy McMurdo is a modern history graduate and native Londoner who has lived in the capital all her life. In 2003 when she qualified as a London Blue Badge Tourist Guide she combined two of her major loves, history and London and has been sharing her knowledge of the city with local and foreign visitors ever since. Always keen to explore and learn about London’s secrets she spends many hours ‘walking the streets’ looking out for hidden corners, unusual curiosities as well as architecturally significant buildings and ones that have a story to tell. She is the author of many local history books on the London area.

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