Mortlake
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mortlake is a district of London, England and part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.[1] It is on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes with East Sheen inland to the south. Mortlake was part of Surrey until 1965.
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[edit] Etymology
Mortlake appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Mortelage. It was held by Archibishop Lanfranc of Canterbury. Its domesday assets were: 25 hides; 1 church, 2 mills worth £5, 1 fishery, 33 ploughs, 20 acres of meadow, wood worth 55 hogs. It rendered £38 plus 4s 4d from 17 houses in London, 2s 3d from houses in Southwark and £1 from tolls at Putney.[2] Mortelage is thought to mean a small stream containing young salmon, referring to a former fishery in the area on a former tributary of the River Thames which is now gone.[1]
[edit] History
Its most famous former resident is Elizabeth I's advisor, John Dee. The cemetery of St Mary Magdalene's Church in Mortlake contains the tomb of Sir Richard Burton. Since 1845, the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race has had its finish point at Mortlake, marked by the University Boat Race stone just downstream of Chiswick Bridge. Several other important rowing races over the Championship Course also either start or finish at the stone. The village of Mortlake appears in the Domesday Book, and the manor belonged to the Archbishops of Canterbury until the time of Henry VIII, when it passed by exchange to the Crown. From the early part of the 17th century until after the civil wars, Mortlake was celebrated for the manufacture of tapestry, founded during the reign of JamesI/VI.
Little is left today of Mortlake high street. The Stag Brewery, formerly owned by Watney's and then Scottish Courage, is now leased to Anheuser-Busch Europe Ltd and produces the American lager Budweiser, often sending the smell of hops over a wide area when the wind changes direction. Mortlake bus garage situated in Avondale Road was closed in 1983. Much of the site was rebuilt as housing but a small area near the railway was retained as a turning point for buses, with toilet facilities and a small office. Mortlake garage had opened very early in the 20th century and originally catered for horse buses. In later years the stables were converted into the traffic office.
[edit] Local government and politics
The Mortlake & Barnes Common ward of Richmond-upon-Thames London Borough Council is highly marginal. Following the 2006 local elections, the Liberal Democrats currently hold all three seats in the ward (and, indeed, hold a majority on the Council). The local MP, Susan Kramer (Richmond Park), is also a Liberal Democrat. On a Greater London level, Mortlake falls within the Greater London Assembly seat of South West London. The elected member for this GLA seat is the Conservative Party's Tony Arbour.
[edit] Education
[edit] Transport and locale
[edit] Nearest places
[edit] Nearest railway stations
[edit] References
- ^ a b Mills, A., Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names, (2001)
- ^ Surrey Domesday Book
[edit] External links
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