Southfields
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- See Southfields, Leicestershire for the place in Leicester.
| Southfields | |
  Southfields shown within Greater London |
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| London borough | Wandsworth |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | London |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | SW18 and SW19 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| European Parliament | London |
| London Assembly | Merton and Wandsworth |
| List of places: UK • England • London | |
Southfields is a suburban district in the London Borough of Wandsworth, situated 5.6 miles (9 km) south-west of Charing Cross. Southfields is located partly in the SW18 postcode area and partly in SW19.
Southfields takes its name from the old manorial system, where it was known as the South Field of the manor of Dunsford. The earlier name for the area dates back at least to the year 1247[1].
Until the late 19th century Southfields was still fields, situated between the more developed villages of Wimbledon and Putney. Several of the former pathways through the fields form the routes of parts of today's road system, in particular Wimbledon Park Road and its continuation through Southfields Passage, which was the field path from Wimbledon to Wandsworth, Kimber Road and The Baulk, both of which were field paths and can be seen on old maps of the area. When the District & London & South Western Railway from Wimbledon to Putney Bridge opened in June 1889, the area started to take off, with the first school opening a year later on Merton Road, another of the main thoroughfares that were formerly paths through fields.
The main residential area of Southfields is "The Grid". "The Grid" is a series of parallel roads that are crossed at right angles by a series of parallel streets - so named because of the grid layout of the streets. The roads run from Replingham Road, in the north to Revelstoke Road, in the south, and the streets run from Elsenham Street, in the west, to Astonville Street (although Merton Road to the east of Astonville is the border of "The Grid"). "The Grid" consists almost entirely of Victorian built terrace houses, some of which have been converted into flats in the past, though conversions are no longer permitted on The Grid owing to a change in policy by Wandsworth Borough Council. These Victorian terraced houses were built at the same time as the bordering terraced housing Wimbledon Park and the avenues to the south of The Grid originally had the same names as the streets in Southfields that led to them.
A restrictive covenant or covenants at one time prevented any pubs from being built in the Southfields "Grid" area. However, in the 1990s, the covenants were apparently judged either to be ineffective or non-existent and two pubs have opened in adjoining premises on the south side of Replingham Road.
Once a working class enclave, the area has, like others around it, undergone a transformation in the 1990s, with house prices rising dramatically. It attracts people from all over due to the transport links with the District Line and South West Trains, its parks and primary schools.
Southfields tube station is the nearest to the Wimbledon tennis championships and during the tournament some local residents rent out their homes, while local shops enjoy a two week boost to sales.
Since 1984 the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has its headquarters in Southfields, due to the heavy persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan. The community's leader's life was in danger, since then he resides in Southfields.
The area is also home to a significant South African community, who were supposedly originally attracted to the area in the early and mid 1990s through their awareness of its proximity to Wimbledon, a name which they knew from their fondness of sports in general and tennis in particular. New arrivals told their friends, and with the change in the job market in South Africa in the 1990s, a trickle of new arrivals became a stream in the years that followed.
Contents |
[edit] Famous residents past and present
- Jimmy White - English snooker player.
- George Eliot - novelist; she wrote The Mill on the Floss while living in Wimbledon Park Road
- Paul Merton - comedian; star of TV show "Have I Got News For You"
- Will Greenwood - rugby player; Harlequins and England
- Andy Hamilton - scriptwiter of TV show "Drop the Dead Donkey"
- John Creasey - English Author.
- Ralph Ineson - actor
- Paul Richards - Labour politician and author
- Michael Meacher - Labour MP and former Minister
- David Blunkett - Labour MP and former Home Secretary
- Tom Mann - trade unionist and leader of the 1889 Dock Strike
- Jason Rebello - Jazz Pianist
- Peter Duncan - British actor and Television presenter, Blue Peter
- Ed Morrison - Comedian
- Jon Sobol
[edit] Historical Photos
[edit] Nearby places
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Southfields.net
- Borough history
- Story of Wandsworth
- Southfields Grid Residents Association
- Southfields Community College
- Wandsworth City Learning Centre (based in Southfields)
- The Southfields Times
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