Thames Tributary Falcon - Tooting Bec Common

Thames Tributary Falcon
The springs which feed the Falcon flow west and north west


Post to the west Upper Tooting
Post to the north Hyde Farm
Post to the east Leigham Court

Abbotswood Road
Central area of the Woodfield Estate, built by Wates
Streatham and Clapham High School. Originally this was Brixton Hill High School, and moved to a building currently in use by the Junior Department in Wavertree Road. Renamed Streatham Hill High School. In 1938 it merged with Clapham High School, and in 1944 the school was bombed. In 1994 the school took on the present site which had been in use by other schools. The school was renamed as Streatham and Clapham High School
Battersea Grammar School. This was established in 1875 as a development from Sir Walter St John's School. The original school building was on St John's Hill, Battersea but in 1935 the LCC offered them a site here in a new building designed by J. E. K. Harrison, FRIBA, and a former pupil. In 1977 it became comprehensive and moved to a new site as Furzedown Secondary School and the Abbotswood Road site closed although the playing-fields continued to be used

Bedford Hill
225 The Priory. Gothic House built 1810-20on the edge of Tooting Bec Common. The death of Charles Bravo there was a Victorian scandal. Turned into flats 1982 and housing built in the grounds. Listed Grade II.

Drewstead Road
Named for members of the Drew family, local developers
Falcon. The source of the Falconbrook are in the foundations of the parade of shops at the top of the road and Streatham High Road.
Streatham Hill Railway Depot. West of the station between here and Sternhold Avenue. The main line between Clapham Junction and Crystal Palace runs through it. On the south side is a train shed, sidings, training school, staff accommodation and railway apparatus. On the north side are sidings and staff accommodation.
81 Magdalen Lodge is the last remaining part of the Magdalene Hospital which had begun as Magdalen House in 1758 in Whitechapel as a charitable organization for the rehabilitation of prostitutes. The women had to be less than 30 years old and Preference was given to the youngest applicants. Training was given in needlework and laundry work. In 1772 it moved to Blackfriars Road. The site was sold in 1869 to the Peabody Trust and the Hospital moved here. In 1934 it changed to an Approved School for female offenders. During the Second World War the building was used as a refugee centre and then later as an LCC rest centre. In 1944 it became the Magdalen Hospital Classifying School for Girls. This closed in 1966 and the site was bought by Lambeth Council and the Magdalen Hospital Trust was dissolved in 1973.
Magdalene Estate. On the site of the Magdalen Hospital.

Garrads Road
Housing on the site of Saxoncroft, also called The Grove
Carn Brae
Woodfielde. Was in the corner with Bedford Hill. Now part of the school site
Line of oaks parallel to the road are the successors to an avenue first recorded in the 1600s.

The Spinney
Wates Housing from the 1930s

Tooting Common
There are two commons - Tooting Bec, and Tooting Graveney. They are the remains common land, which once stretched as far as Mitcham. It became a Metropolitan Open Space in 1873 and taken over by the Metropolitan Board of Works, bought for £17,771. There are many mature oaks and beeches,

Tooting Bec Common
Tooting Bec Common — the northern and eastern part of the commons — was within Streatham, thus in the past was sometimes called Streatham Common. In the 19th the common was divided by railways .It is nearly 152 acres and one of the earliest commons to be preserved by the Metropolitan Board of Works. There are formal avenues of trees — one is a line of oaks to commemorate a visit by Elizabeth I in 1600. Horse chestnuts planted in the 19th century line the roads but there had been loss to Dutch Elm disease.
Falcon. The stream crossed Tooting Bec Common in a westwards direction.
Sculptures made from old tree trunks - including a telephone.

Woodbourne Avenue
Woodbourne – name of the local stream which fed the Falcon from this area. There are dips in the land along the avenue
66 Cottage-style front garden with roses, irises plus proteas from South Africa.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Bromley by Bow

South Norwood

River Lea/Bow Creek Canning Town