55-480: Clapham ( / ˈ k l æ p əm / ) is a district in south west London , England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth , but with some areas (including Clapham Common ) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth . The present day Clapham High Street is on the route of a Roman road . The road is recorded on a Roman monumental stone found nearby. According to its inscription,
110-536: A Victorian bandstand and a large number of mature trees, including horse chestnuts and a significant avenue of London plane trees along Long Road. It is overlooked by a variety of buildings, including a number of Georgian and Victorian mansions. It also has Holy Trinity Clapham , an 18th-century Georgian church, important in the history of the evangelical Clapham Sect . Clapham Town comprises Clapham High Street and residential streets including Clapham Manor Street, home to Clapham Leisure Centre, as well as Venn Street with
165-466: A cinema, restaurants, and a food market held every weekend throughout the year. The neighbourhood, where used, derives its name from a tube station —it has no fixed boundary from the rest of Clapham. Taking any definition in informal use, it is predominantly mid-rise and low-rise residential land, and usually takes in major parts of the Common. Where regard to historic Clapham parish and some street signs
220-411: A commemorative plaque records the fact, with an additional reference to the family vault nearby. A selection of photographs is displayed on the website of the former school named after him. A successful merchant banker , as a monetary theorist Thornton has been described as the father of the modern central bank . An opponent of the real bills doctrine , he was a defender of the bullionist position and
275-565: A detailed account of the British monetary system as well as a detailed examination of the ways in which the Bank of England should act to counteract fluctuations in the value of the pound . Thornton was one of the founders of the Clapham Sect of evangelical reformers and a foremost campaigner for the abolition of the slave trade . A close friend and cousin of William Wilberforce , he
330-767: A grant of land at Clapham to Jonas, son of the Duke of Lorraine, and Jonas was thenceforth known as Jonas "de [of] Clapham". The family remained in possession of the land until Jonas's great-great grandson Arthur sided against William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of 1066 and, losing the land, fled to the north (where the Clapham family remained thereafter, primarily in Yorkshire ). Clapham's name derives from Old English , meaning 'homestead or enclosure near
385-539: A hill', with the first recorded usage being Cloppaham circa 880. Clapham appears in Domesday Book as Clopeham . It was held by Goisfrid (Geoffrey) de Mandeville, and its domesday assets were three hides , six ploughs , and 5.0 acres (2.0 ha) of meadow . It rendered £7 10s 0d, and was located in Brixton hundred . The parish comprised 1,233 acres (499 ha). The benefice remains to this day
440-582: A major part in the establishment of the Sierra Leone Company , which took over the failed attempt by Granville Sharp to create a colony for the settlement of freed slaves in Africa. The company sponsored the voyage to London (1791–93) of the Temne prince John Naimbanna . As the company's foremost director, Thornton virtually administered the colony as chairman of the company until responsibility
495-519: A partner. In 1784 Thornton joined the banking firm of Down and Free of London, later becoming a partner of the company which became known as Down, Thornton and Free. It was under his direction that this became one of the largest banking firms in London , with regional offices in other British cities. In 1782 Henry Thornton had been urged to seek a seat in Parliament , and applied to contest one of
550-421: A population of 1,329,000. This definition is used by organisations such as Connexions . Between 2008 and 2011 it was replaced with a South East sub-region consisting of Southwark, Lewisham, Greenwich, Bexley and Bromley and a South West sub-region consisting of Croydon, Kingston, Lambeth, Merton, Sutton, Richmond and Wandsworth. In 2011 a new south London region was created consisting of Bromley, Croydon,
605-541: A rectory, and in the 19th century was in the patronage of the Atkins family: the tithes were commuted for £488 14s. in the early 19th century, and so the remaining glebe comprised only 11 acres (4.5 ha) as of 1848. The church, on the site of the current St Paul's and belonging to Merton Priory was, with the exception of the north aisle which was left standing for the performance of burials, taken down under an act of parliament in 1774. A new church, Holy Trinity ,
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#1732766042822660-645: A viable sanitary authority and the parish was grouped into the Wandsworth District , electing 18 members to the Wandsworth District Board of Works. In 1889 the parish was transferred to the County of London and in 1900 it became part of the new Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth . It was abolished as a civil parish in 1904, becoming part of the single Wandsworth Borough parish for poor law. The former Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth
715-483: Is credited with being the financial brain behind their many campaigns for social reform and philanthropic causes which the group supported. For some years Thornton and Wilberforce shared a house called Battersea Rise which Thornton had bought in 1792. The cousins spent much time here co-coordinating their activities and entertaining their friends. After their marriages in 1796–97 they continued to live and work in close proximity for another decade. In 1791 Thornton played
770-440: Is had, this area includes a detached part : the land bounded by Nightingale Square, Oldridge Road and Balham Hill. Clapham North lies on either side of Clapham Road and borders the relatively modern creation 'Stockwell' in the historic Lambeth parish on Union Road and Stirling Road. There is a "Stockwell Town" Partnership sign north of Union Road demarcating the boundary between Clapham and Stockwell. The northern part of Clapham in
825-538: Is made up of three Lambeth wards: Clapham Common and Abbeville , Clapham Town and Clapham East . Parts of the Clapham East ward like in neighbouring Stockwell Much of southern Battersea is often incorrectly referred to as Clapham, because of the name of Clapham Junction railway station , and to stress Battersea's proximity to Clapham Common, as well as their relative distance from Battersea's historic nucleus . The railway station now known as Clapham Junction
880-614: Is the southern part of Greater London , England , south of the River Thames . The region consists of the boroughs , in whole or in part, of Bexley , Bromley , Croydon , Greenwich , Kingston , Lambeth , Lewisham , Merton , Richmond , Southwark , Sutton and Wandsworth . South London originally emerged from Southwark , first recorded as Suthriganaweorc , meaning 'fort of the men of Surrey '. From Southwark , London then extended further down into northern Surrey and western Kent . South London began at Southwark at
935-411: The Bank of England (of which his elder brother, Samuel Thornton, was a director) had suspended in 1797, but the recommendation was not well received at the time, and gold redemption on demand was not restored until 1821. In the next few years he continued to press for these measures to be implemented, publishing two reports in 1811. This period 1797–1810 was a time of major change and great confusion in
990-540: The Cheap Repository Tracts . He served on committees to examine the public debt (1798), the Irish exchange (1804), public expenditure (1807) and the bullion committee (1810), which scrutinized the high price of gold, foreign exchange, and the state of the British currency. The report of the committee, written by Thornton, argued for the resumption of gold payments in exchange for notes and deposits, which
1045-634: The Overground East London Line was extended to Clapham High Street and Wandsworth Road stations. This links Clapham directly to stations including Shepherds Bush, Canada Water, Shoreditch and Highbury and Islington. Clapham Junction is one of the major rail transport hubs and network of railway junctions in England. There are frequent services to London Victoria ( Westminster ) and London Waterloo ( South Bank ). Shopping areas comprise: South London South London
1100-905: The abolition of slavery and child labour , and for prison reform . They also promoted missionary activities in Britain's colonies . The Society for Missions to Africa and the East (as the Church Mission Society was first called) was founded on 12 April 1799 at a meeting of the Eclectic Society , supported by members of the Clapham Sect, who met under the guidance of John Venn , the Rector of Clapham. By contrast, an opponent of Wilberforce, merchant and slave-trader George Hibbert also lived at Clapham Common, worshipping in
1155-546: The British banking system, and the currency crisis of 1797 led to Thornton's greatest contribution as an economist , for which he is most remembered today. In 1802 he wrote An Enquiry into the Nature and Effects of the Paper Credit of Great Britain , in which he set out to correct the view that the increase in paper credit was the principal cause of the economic ills of the day. This was a work of great importance, and gave
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#17327660428221210-483: The Clapham omnibus ". By the 1980s, the area had undergone a further transformation, becoming the centre for the gentrification of most of the surrounding area. Clapham's relative proximity to traditionally expensive areas of central London led to an increase in the number of middle-class people living in Clapham. Today the area is generally an affluent place, although many of its professional residents live relatively close to significant pockets of social housing. Clapham
1265-628: The Larkhall ward includes the Sibella conservation area . The southern part is Ferndale ward and includes Landor, Ferndale and Bedford roads leading up to Brixton. As well as an extensive bus network, which connects the area with much of south and central London, Clapham has three tube stations and two railway stations. There are two railway stations in the district on London Overground 's East London line : London Underground's Northern line passes through Clapham, with three stations: In 2012,
1320-808: The Old Town. Samuel Pepys spent the last two years of his life in Clapham, living with his friend, protected at the Admiralty and former servant William Hewer , until his death in 1703. Clapham was also home to Elizabeth Cook , the widow of Captain James Cook the explorer. She lived in a house at 136 Clapham High Street for many years following the death of her husband. Other notable residents of Clapham Common include Palace of Westminster architect Sir Charles Barry , Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg and 20th century novelist Graham Greene . John Francis Bentley , architect of Westminster Cathedral , lived in
1375-570: The Pittites, and in 1783 voted for peace with America . In general he tended to support William Pitt , Henry Addington and the Whig administration of William Grenville and Charles Fox . He seldom spoke in the House of Commons , as much of his contribution was in the various parliamentary committees on which he sat. In 1795 he became the treasurer of the committee responsible for the publication of
1430-568: The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Richmond upon Thames, Merton, Sutton, Wandsworth, Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham. South London is, like other parts of London and the UK in general, a temperate maritime climate according to the Köppen climate classification system . Three Met Office weather stations currently collect climate data south of the river; Kew, Hampton and Kenley Airfield, on
1485-619: The Thames. Often snow can be seen to lie on the North Downs near Croydon when central London is snow free. The record high temperature at Greenwich is 37.5 °C (99.5 °F) recorded during August 2003. Sunshine is notably lower than other London area weather stations (by about 50–100 hours a year), suggesting Greenwich may be a fog trap in winter, and that the hillier land to the south may obscure early morning and late evening sunshine. The highest temperature recorded across south London
1540-529: The Tower' (East London) . The area now usually referred to as North London developed later. As late as the mid 18th century, however, there were no other bridges crossing the river and as a result urban growth was considerably slower in the south than in areas north of the Thames . The opening of Westminster Bridge and other subsequent bridges to the west encouraged growth in the south-west, but only Tower Bridge
1595-651: The Vikings. Southwark was also known as the Borough due to be it being an incorporated (nationally represented) Borough from 1295. From 1550 to 1899 it was administered as part of the City of London and referred to as the ward of Bridge Without . In 1720, John Strype's 'Survey of London' described Southwark as one of the then four distinct areas of London; in it he describes the City of London , Westminster (West London) , Southwark (South London) , and 'That Part Beyond
1650-515: The adjacent Old Town. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the Clapham Sect were a group of wealthy City merchants (mostly evangelical Anglican ) social reformers who lived around the Common. They included William Wilberforce , Henry Thornton and Zachary Macaulay , father of the historian Thomas Macaulay , as well as William Smith Member of Parliament (MP), the Dissenter and Unitarian . They were very prominent in campaigns for
1705-429: The area. The 12 boroughs included, in whole or part are: (Outer London for statistics) A small area of land, on which the southern end of Blackfriars Bridge stands, is not part of Southwark. It forms part of the City of London , a sui generis local authority which is mainly located north of the Thames. The term 'south London' has been used for a variety of formal purposes with the boundaries defined according to
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1760-479: The banking business, but the firm was merged into Williams Deacon's Bank following the financial crisis of 1825–6. One of the younger daughters, Sophia Thornton, married John Leslie-Melville, 9th Earl of Leven ). Another daughter, Isabella, in 1841 married the clergyman Benjamin Harrison who became a Canon of Canterbury and Archdeacon of Maidstone. Henry Thornton was buried at St Paul's Church, Clapham where
1815-399: The children were adopted by a family friend, Sir Robert Inglis . The eldest child, Marianne Thornton , was a bluestocking who lived in Clapham for most of her long life. She was the subject of a biography by her cousin, E.M. Forster (1879–1970), the novelist, who was one of Henry Thornton's great-grandchildren. The eldest son, Henry Sykes Thornton (1800–1881), succeeded his father in
1870-544: The first half of the 20th century, towns in the Home Counties such as Kingston, Croydon and Bromley gradually coalesced with South London, until Greater London was formed in 1965. A significant feature of south London's economic geography is that while there are more than thirty bridges linking the area with West London and the City , there is only one, Tower Bridge , linking the area with East London . Very little of London's underground rail network lies south of
1925-609: The founding of the Society for Missions to Africa and the East (later the Church Missionary Society ) in 1799, and the British and Foreign Bible Society (now the Bible Society ) in 1804, of which he became the first treasurer. A friend of Hannah More , he assisted in the writing and publication of her Cheap Repository tracts. In 1806, Thornton served as Manager of the newly formed London Institution . He
1980-461: The large Queen Anne-, Regency- and Georgian-era homes of the Old Town and Clapham Common, to the grids of Victorian housing in the Abbeville area. As in much of London, the area also includes social housing on estates dating from the 1930s and 1960s. In the early 20th century, Clapham was seen as an ordinary commuter suburb, often cited as representing ordinary people: hence the familiar " man on
2035-522: The postal system, Clapham fills most of SW4 and as defined, at least since the Norman Conquest until 1885, includes parts of SW8, SW9 and SW12, London. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth (the border between the two boroughs runs across the common), but Lambeth has responsibility for its management. According to the 2011 census, the Clapham Area has a population of 40,850. For administrative and electoral purposes, Clapham
2090-472: The purposes of the designation. In 2017 the government asked the Boundary Commission for England to reconsider the boundaries of parliamentary constituencies. The commission's study, was to start with existing regions of England and then group the local authorities within that area into sub-regions for further sub-division. The south London sub-region included the 11 boroughs which lay south of
2145-535: The river, largely due to the challenging geology; however, 21st-century technology makes tunnelling much cheaper (though stations are still expensive) and this may lead to an improved underground provision in south London with the Crossrail 2 line proposed alongside extensions to the Northern and Bakerloo Lines . South London contains an extensive overground rail network and all of London's trams operate within
2200-513: The river, plus the parts of cross-river Richmond upon Thames that did so. An earlier 2013 study, whose recommendations were not adopted, took a different approach by including all of Richmond in its south London sub-region. For the purposes of progress reporting on the London Plan , there was a south London sub-region in operation from 2004 to 2008 consisting of Bromley, Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Richmond and Sutton. In 2001 this area had
2255-541: The same church, Holy Trinity. In 1848, Clapham was described in the Topographical Dictionary of England as a village which "has for many years, been one of the most respectable in the environs of the metropolis ". At this time, the patronage of Holy Trinity church belonged to the Atkins family . After the coming of the railways , Clapham developed as a suburb for commuters into central London. Clapham High Street railway station opened in 1862 and
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2310-444: The southern edge of the urban area. Long term climate observations dating back to 1763 are available for Greenwich, although observations ceased here in 2003. Temperatures increase towards the Thames, firstly because of the urban warming effect of the surrounding area, but secondly due to altitude decreasing towards the river, meaning the southern margins of south London are often a couple of degrees cooler than those areas adjacent to
2365-585: The southern end of London Bridge , the first permanent crossing over the river, with early development of the area being a direct result of the existence and location of the bridge . Southwark was first known as Suthriganaweorc , the fortress of the men of Surrey , mentioned in the Burghal Hidage as part of military system created by Alfred the Great to defeat the Great Heathen Army of
2420-459: The stone was erected by a man named Vitus Ticinius Ascanius. It is estimated to date from the 1st century AD. (The stone was discovered during building works at Clapham Common South Side in 1912. It is now placed by the entrance of the former Clapham Library, in the Old Town.) According to the history of the Clapham family, maintained by the College of Heralds , in 965 King Edgar of England gave
2475-447: The two seats for Hull . He soon withdrew on a point of principle, after learning that it was local custom to pay each voter two guineas in order to secure their vote. In September the same year Thornton was elected as member for Southwark , London. Despite lacking popular appeal, and refusing to bribe voters in a similar way to those of Hull, he became respected as a man of morals and integrity. As an independent MP, Thornton sided with
2530-417: The underground City and South London Railway was extended to the area in 1900. By 1900 Clapham had fallen from favour with the upper classes. Many of their grand houses had been demolished by the middle of the 20th century, though a number remain around the Common and in the Old Town, as do a substantial number of fine late 18th- and early 19th-century houses. Today's Clapham is an area of varied housing, from
2585-599: Was 38.1 °C (100.6 °F) on the same occasion at Kew Gardens. Although the Met Office accepts a higher reading from Brogdale in Kent, many have questioned the accuracy of this and regard the Kew reading as the most reliable highest UK temperature reading. Henry Thornton (abolitionist) Henry Thornton (10 March 1760 – 16 January 1815) was an English economist , banker , philanthropist and parliamentarian . He
2640-586: Was a pioneer of deaf education , setting up, with Rev John Townsend and Henry Cox Mason, rector of Bermondsey , Britain's first free school for deaf pupils, the London Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb. Its name and location changed over the centuries; The Royal School for Deaf Children Margate closed in 2015. In 1796 Thornton married Marianne Sykes (1765–1815), daughter of Joseph Sykes, a merchant from Hull. They had nine children. Both parents died in 1815 and
2695-629: Was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. For poor law purposes the parish became part of the Wandsworth and Clapham Union in 1836. The parish was added to the Registrar General London Metropolis area in 1844 and consequently it came within the area of responsibility of the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1855. The population of 16,290 in 1851 was considered too small for the Clapham vestry to be
2750-545: Was built to the east of London Bridge , so south-east London grew more slowly, at least until the Surrey Commercial Docks were built. The development of a dense network of railway lines in the mid nineteenth century significantly accelerated growth. The County of London was formed in 1899, which incorporated these boroughs south of the river: Wandsworth, Lambeth, Battersea, Camberwell, Southwark, Bermondsey, Deptford, Lewisham, Greenwich and Woolwich. During
2805-451: Was divided in 1965 and the area of the historic parish of Clapham was transferred to the London Borough of Lambeth , along with Streatham . Clapham gave its name to a Parliamentary constituency between 1885 and 1974. Between 1974 and 2024 Clapham was divided between the constituencies of Streatham and Vauxhall . From the 2024 General Election Clapham's wards are reunited in the new constituency of Clapham & Brixton . Translated to
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#17327660428222860-412: Was erected in the following year at an expense of £11,000 (equivalent to £1,748,234 in 2023), on the north side of the common. In the late 17th century, large country houses began to be built there, and throughout the 18th and early 19th century it was favoured by the wealthier merchant classes of the City of London , who built many large and gracious houses and villas around Clapham Common and in
2915-473: Was originally named Battersea Junction by its architect to reflect its geographical location. According to the 2021 census, Clapham has a population of 48,478. White is the largest ethnic group, at 64% of the population, followed by 19% Black. Clapham is home to one of the largest Australian communities in London. Clapham Common comprises 220 acres of green space, criss-crossed by footpaths, with three ponds,
2970-557: Was the son of John Thornton (1720–1790) of Clapham , London , who had been one of the early patrons of the evangelical movement in Britain. At the age of five, Henry attended the school of Mr Davis at Wandsworth Common , and later with Mr Roberts at Point Pleasant, Wandsworth . From 1778 he was employed in the counting house of his cousin Godfrey Thornton, two years later joining his father's company, where he later became
3025-523: Was transferred to the Crown in 1808. It was at this time that he became a friend of Zachary Macaulay , who was governor of the colony 1794–99. In 1802 Thornton was one of the founders of the Christian Observer , the Clapham Sect's journal edited by Zachary Macaulay , to which he contributed many articles. He was also involved in supporting the spread of Christian missionary work, including
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