Martin Linton

More about Battersea

Battersea was first recorded in a charter dated 693 AD, granting Bactrices Ege to the Abbess of Barking. The name means Badric's Island, the original site being surrounded by water or marshland. The existence of a Saxon settlement has been confirmed by excavations. Earlier occupation is indicated by objects of stone, bronze and iron, found mainly in the Thames, the best-known example being the Battersea Shield, now in the British Museum. The old village was centred on Battersea Square.

Until the late 19th century the chief local occupation was market gardening, the soil in the area being particularly fertile. The main crops were carrots, melons, lavender and the famous local asparagus sold in "Battersea bundles". Although the area was mainly agricultural, several industrial concerns developed from the late 17th century. These included a pottery, copperworks, a lime kiln, chemical works, docks, wharves and several windmills.

The beginning of change came with the opening of the London and Southampton Railway in 1838 with its terminus at Nine Elms. Next to the station a large depot and repair works grew up, creating many new jobs. Housing for the workers war required, and thus started the flood of new buildings. Within 30 years a great tangle of railway lines criss-crossed Battersea. The Nine Elms yard was now gone, replaced by the New Covent Garden Market.During the late 19th century new factories were established, such as Price's Candle Factory, Morgan Crucible Company, Garton Hill's Glucose Works and the Nine Elms Gas Works. Smaller concerns included laundries, a glove factory, starch and chemical works.

With the influx of new industry the population increased at a great rate. In 1801 it was just over 3,000 climbing to over 107,000 in 1881 and reaching a peaking in 1901 of nearly 169,000. This meant that more houses were needed - many of the large estates, mainly in the southern half of Battersea, were sold to speculators and they were soon covered by rows of new homes.

Down by the Thames was an area known as Battersea Fields. Over the years the area had been drained and had become one of the most fertile areas near London. Along the riverside were places of refreshment and entertainment, including the notorious Red House. The area acquired an unsavoury reputation and through public agitation a part of it was developed as Battersea Park. The rest of the open land was used for housing, such as the model development of the Shaftesbury Park Estate, built in 1872 -7.

The Metropolitan Borough of Battersea was first established in 1900, and existed until April 1965 when it was amalgamated with the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth to form the current London Borough of Wandsworth. The early part of this century saw the development of Edwardian terraced housing in the southern part of Battersea with industrial development continuing in the northern part of the constituency. During the 1920's and 1930's there was a lot of poverty in the Battersea north area and a more prosperous community in South Battersea. The Battersea Council carried out a lot of social welfare programs to alleviate the poverty and overcrowded homes in the area.

Much damage was done to the borough during the Second World War and much of the housing stock was bombed. There was a severe housing shortage in the 1950's, which led the Battersea Borough Council to build several large council estates to overcome the problem.

With the decline of industrial sites along the river frontage in the 1980's, property speculators moved into Battersea and developed expensive riverside flats. Meanwhile the sale of council housing reduced the supply of affordable housing, driving the sons and daughters of many established families out of the area and leading to a gentrification with large numbers of young professionals moving into the seat.

You can find out more information about me and my work for the people of Battersea at my own website: www.martinlinton.org.uk.