Wandsworth Common in Maps

This is the working index for the maps section. The old maps page (with all its research notes) has been renamed maps-old.html and remains available. Individual map pages are being built gradually; this index will grow as they are completed.

Status: Live page built and uploaded Stub page exists but thin To do folder exists, page not yet built Old page only content in maps-old.html only

Zoomable maps (live), in date order:

1746: John Rocque’s map, coloured — the Thames at Wandsworth and Battersea to Garratt Green and Balham; the Common unenclosed New
1787: John Corris’s Plan of Battersea — the whole parish, every plot numbered and coloured by owner; the open fields, the Marsh, and the West and East Commons New
1800: Thomas Milne’s land-use map — every field coloured by use: Battersea Bridge and Nine Elms to Merton and Mitcham New
c.1810: Ordnance Survey one-inch map — black and white: Brentford and Richmond to Peckham, Kensington to Mitcham; Wandsworth Common before enclosure New
1838: Battersea tithe map — the whole parish in colour, every field, garden and building numbered; from the Thames to the Five Houses on Bolingbroke Grove and Balham Lane New
1838–1841: Wandsworth and Battersea tithe maps, joined — Charles Lee’s two parish surveys joined along the boundary: the whole of Wandsworth Common on one map, from Wimbledon Park to Nine Elms New
1839: Streatham tithe map (Balham and Upper Tooting) — the north-western part of Streatham parish, every plot numbered; Balham and Upper Tooting on the London road, bordering Wandsworth, Battersea and Clapham New
1841: Wandsworth tithe map — the whole parish of All Saints, every plot numbered: the town and the Wandle, the open fields, the West Common, Wimbledon Park and the East Common (Wandsworth Common) New
1860s: Ordnance Survey 25-inch map — sixteen sheets, Chiswick and Hammersmith to Wimbledon Common and Streatham
1860s: Ordnance Survey six-inch map — four sheets, Chiswick and Richmond Park to Lambeth and Dulwich
1860s: Ordnance Survey five-foot (60-inch) town plan — six sheets, gently coloured: from the Thames, the Wandle and Wandsworth High Street to the north of Wandsworth Common, Clapham Junction, Lavender Hill and Battersea Rise; every house and tree
1862: Stanford’s Library Map — in colour, from the Thames at Wandsworth and Battersea to Tooting, and Wimbledon Park to Clapham Common; names “The Five Houses” New
1866: Stanford’s Library Map (south-west sheet) — in colour: Fulham and Chelsea to Merton and Mitcham, Wimbledon Common to Clapham Common and Tooting New
1866: Stanford’s Library Map (south-west sheet), joined — the same sheet with the linen joins of the folding original closed up and the border trimmed, so it reads as one map New
1877: Stanford’s Library Map — six sheets joined into one map: Fulham, Chelsea and Millbank to Merton and Mitcham, Wimbledon to Clapham New
1878: Stanford’s Geological Map — the geology in colour over the street map: Fulham and Chelsea to Upper Tooting, Wimbledon Park to Clapham and Balham; the gravel ridge under Wandsworth Common New
1889: Wandsworth Common as it was and is — the Common’s losses coloured and numbered over the six-inch Ordnance Survey of 1866–70 New
1890s: Ordnance Survey five-foot (60-inch) town plan — three sheets, gently coloured: Clapham Junction and Battersea Rise down the whole of Bolingbroke Grove to Nightingale Lane New
1905: Stanford’s map — in colour: Clapham Junction to Upper Tooting, Earlsfield to Clapham Common and Balham New
1905: Royal Commission on London Traffic, street plan — the whole of London, Wembley to Hackney, Highgate to Roehampton, with the proposed new streets and widenings in red, including Wandsworth Road New
1937: Geographia street map — Barnes to Streatham and Stockwell
1943: County of London Plan, “Social and Functional Analysis” — Abercrombie’s “potato map”: the whole of London as a cluster of communities, with Wandsworth Common as one of the green spaces between them New

17th century

18th century

Early 19th century (pre-railway)

Mid-to-late 19th century (enclosure period)

Early 20th century

Second World War and after

Modern & recent

Date	Cartographer / title	Description	Status	Folder / notes
c.1633–1640	Gardner–Porter	Map of Allfarthing Manor. Earliest map to name “Wandelesworth Common.” Created for Endymion Porter.	Live	/maps/gardner-porter-1640/

Date	Cartographer / title	Description	Status	Folder / notes
1727	Senex	A New Map of Surrey. Shows Wandsworth, Battersea, Clapham, Streatham, Tooting. Wandle marked; Falcon Brook not shown.	Stub	/maps/senex-1727/
1746–1768	John Rocque	Four maps: 1746 (Ten Miles Round London), 1754 (Middlesex), 1766 (London and surrounds, incl. Bern edition), 1768. First to name “Wandsworth Common” as such (1746). 1746 coloured copy now zoomable.	Live	/maps/rocque/; /maps/rocque-1746-bern/ (zoomable; tiles on chargeofthelightbrigade.com)
1754	Isaak Tirion	Dutch map based on Rocque 1744. Shows Common as “Gemeene Weide” (Common Pasture). Clear hatching for slopes. Named “Half Farthing.”	Old page only	/maps/tirion_1754/ — to restructure
1760	Bowen	Surrey map. Detail showing Wandsworth and Battersea area.	Old page only	/maps/bowen_1760/ — to restructure
1787	John Corris	Two maps: detailed survey of Wandsworth and Battersea for Earl Spencer. Shows land holdings, parish boundaries, the “ghost road” to Battersea. Analysed by Dorian Gerhold (WHS, 2002). Battersea plan now zoomable (British Library copy).	Live (Battersea, zoomable)	/maps/corris-1787-battersea/ (zoomable; tiles on chargeofthelightbrigade.com); Wandsworth map: old page /maps/corris_1787/ — to restructure
1790–1819	William Faden	Three maps: 1790 (25 Miles Round London), 1800 (20 Miles Round London), 1819. Geographer to George III. Documents the Common before and during the early enclosure period.	Stub	/maps/faden/

Date	Cartographer / title	Description	Status	Folder / notes
1798–1809	Ordnance Survey — Survey Drawings	OS survey drawings. Wandsworth area surveyed c.1804.	Old page only	/maps/os-1804-surveyors-drawing/ — to restructure
1800	Thomas Milne	Pioneering land-use map. Colour-coded by agricultural use. Shows market gardens, meadow, arable. Wandsworth and Battersea Commons separately named. Zoomable.	Live (zoomable)	/maps/milne-1800/ (zoomable; tiles on chargeofthelightbrigade.com); old page /maps/milne_1800/
1801	Edwards, Companion	Maps from A Companion from London to Brighthelmston. Oriented NNE–SSW. Shows forked tracks across the Common; no Trinity Road.	Old page only	/maps/edwards_companion_1801/ — to restructure
1808–1822	Ordnance Survey — Old Series	OS Old Series one-inch. Exact date uncertain. Zoomable copy, c.1810.	Live (zoomable)	/maps/os-c1810-1-inch/ (zoomable; tiles on chargeofthelightbrigade.com); old page /maps/os_old_series_1808-1820/
1817	Mogg		To do	/maps/mogg-1817/ — to restructure
1829 & 1830s	Cruchley	Two editions of New Plan of London and its Environs: 1829 (pre-railway) and 1830s (with Southampton railway). Many further editions to 1847+.	Stub	/maps/cruchley/
c.1829	Cary	Shows lost houses and parks. Pre-railway.	Old page only	/maps/cary-1829/ — to restructure
1832	Environs of London	Baldwin & Cradock. Shows the “Iron Railway” running north–south parallel to the Wandle. Fine hatching for slopes.	Old page only	/maps/environs_of_london_1832/ — to restructure
1838	Battersea Tithe Map	Charles Lee’s survey of the whole parish of St Mary, Battersea, for the tithe apportionment. Colour copy, zoomable; every plot numbered.	Live	/maps/tithe-1838-battersea/ (tiles on chargeofthelightbrigade.com)
1839	Streatham Tithe Map	North-western part of the parish of Streatham (Balham and Upper Tooting), certified by the Tithe Commissioners Blamire and Buller. Zoomable; every plot numbered.	Live	/maps/tithe-1839-streatham/ (tiles on chargeofthelightbrigade.com)
1841	Wandsworth Tithe Map	C. Lee’s survey of the whole parish of All Saints, Wandsworth, for the tithe apportionment. Colour copy, zoomable; every plot numbered.	Live	/maps/tithe-1841-wandsworth/ (tiles on chargeofthelightbrigade.com)
1838–41	Wandsworth and Battersea Tithe Maps, joined	The Battersea (1838) and Wandsworth (1841) tithe maps, both by Charles Lee, joined into one along the parish boundary. Zoomable.	Live	/maps/tithe-1838-1841-wandsworth-battersea/ (tiles on chargeofthelightbrigade.com)
1840s	Tithe Apportionment	Wandsworth and Battersea tithe maps patched together. Shows pre-development field pattern, roads, railway route.	Old page only	/maps/tithe_1840s/ — to restructure
1841	Environs of London	Notice bridge across Southampton railway apparently leading from a quarry.	Old page only	/maps/environs_of_london_1841/ — to restructure

Date	Cartographer / title	Description	Status	Folder / notes
1858	Mylne — Geological	Geological map of London. Contours and geology colour-coded. Shows Falcon Brook distinctly.	Old page only	/maps/mylne-1858-geological/ — to restructure
1862	Stanford	Library Map of London, 6 inches to 1 mile. 24 sheets.	Live (zoomable)	/maps/stanford-1862/ (zoomable; tiles on chargeofthelightbrigade.com); old page /maps/stanford_1862/
1865	Whitbread	Map of London extending four miles round Charing Cross. Shows postal boundary in red.	Old page only	/maps/whitbread-1865/ — to restructure
1866	Stanford	Library Map of London, 6 inches to 1 mile, 1866 edition: the whole south-west sheet, in colour (David Rumsey Map Collection). Also a joined version, with the linen joins closed up and the border trimmed.	Live (zoomable)	/maps/stanford-1866/ and /maps/stanford-1866-joined/ (zoomable; tiles on chargeofthelightbrigade.com)
1867–9	Ordnance Survey	25-inch OS. Shows Common just before the 1871 Act. Great areas of furze; numerous gravel and sand pits. Key map for the enclosure story.	Old page only	/maps/os_1868/ — to restructure
c.1847–72	Wyld — sewer levels	Subtitled “Levels taken by order of the Commissioner of Sewers.” Red spot heights. Probably earlier than the “c.1872” date attributed by raremaps.com — no RVPA or Crystal Palace railway visible.	Old page only	/maps/wyld-said-to-be-1872-but-must-be-earlier/ — to restructure
1872	Stanford	Library Map of London, 6 inches to 1 mile.	Old page only	/maps/stanford_1872/ — to restructure
1872	Wyld		Old page only	/maps/wyld_1872/ — to restructure
1877	Stanford	Library Map of London, 6 inches to 1 mile, 1877 edition: sheets 13, 14, 17, 18, 21 and 22 joined into one map (David Rumsey Map Collection).	Live (zoomable)	/maps/stanford-1877/ (zoomable; tiles on chargeofthelightbrigade.com)
1878	Stanford — Geological	Geological Library Map of London. Zoomable (MAPCO copy, watermarks removed and panel joins filled).	Live (zoomable)	/maps/stanford-geological-1878/ (zoomable; tiles on chargeofthelightbrigade.com); old page /maps/stanford_geological_1878/
1884	Stanford — MBW boundaries	Map of London shewing the boundary of the Metropolitan Board of Works.	Old page only	/maps/stanford-1884-mbw-boundaries/ — to restructure
1886	Stanford		Old page only	/maps/stanford-1886/ — to restructure
c.1889	“As it was and is”	Wandsworth Common as it was and is — showing encroachments. Drawn over the six-inch OS of 1866–70. Zoomable.	Live (zoomable)	/maps/wc-as-it-was-and-is-1889/ (zoomable; tiles on chargeofthelightbrigade.com); old page /maps/wc-as-it-was-1889/
1891	Stanford	Library Map of London, 6 inches to 1 mile. 21 revisions 1862–1901.	Old page only	/maps/stanford-1891/ — to restructure
1893–4	Ordnance Survey	25-inch OS. N and S sheets combined.	Old page only	/maps/os_1893-4/ — to restructure
1894	Shaw-Lefevre	Map in English Commons and Forests (1894). Shows 194 acres remaining. “No Common in the neighbourhood of London has suffered more cruelly.”	Old page only	/maps/shaw-lefevre_1894/ — to restructure
1894–96	Ordnance Survey — five-foot town plan	Three 60-inch sheets (David Rumsey scans) joined and gently coloured, zoomable: Clapham Junction and Battersea Rise down Bolingbroke Grove to Nightingale Lane.	Live	/maps/os-1890s-60-inch/ (tiles on chargeofthelightbrigade.com)
1898–9	Charles Booth — Poverty Maps	Maps Descriptive of London Poverty. Spencer Park yellow (wealthy); streets near Price’s Candle Works black (lowest class). Only northern part of WC mapped.	Old page only	/maps/booth_1898/ — to restructure

Date	Cartographer / title	Description	Status	Folder / notes
1903	Bacon — Geological	Geological map of London and environs, SW sheet. 4 inches to 1 mile.	Old page only	/maps/bacon-1903-geological/ — to restructure
1905	Stanford	Library Map of London, 4 inches to 1 mile. Zoomable detail round the Common.	Live (zoomable)	/maps/stanford-1905/ (zoomable; tiles on chargeofthelightbrigade.com); old page /maps/stanford_1905/
1905	Royal Commission on London Traffic (Stanford)	Street plan showing the new streets and improvements proposed by the Advisory Board, lettered A to T; route O is the widening of Wandsworth Road. Kensington Public Libraries copy, from Antique Maps & Prints. Zoomable.	Live (zoomable)	/maps/royal-commission-london-traffic-1905/ (zoomable; tiles on chargeofthelightbrigade.com)
1913	Ordnance Survey	N and S sheets combined. Also published 1934 with no revisions.	Old page only	/maps/os_1913/ — to restructure
1923	Geographia — Street Map		Old page only	/maps/geographia_street_map_1923/ — to restructure
1930s	Geographia	Shows Magdalen Park Estate laid out as garden suburb — partly speculative/futuristic.	Old page only	/maps/geographia_1930s/ — to restructure
1930s?	German Military Map	Militargeographische Angaben uber England (SW). Probable invasion planning map. Prison and hospitals outlined in red.	Old page only	/maps/german_military/ — to restructure

Date	Cartographer / title	Description	Status	Folder / notes
1939–45	LCC Bomb Damage Maps	London County Council bomb damage maps. Most reliable bomb record. V-1 and V-2 locations. Colour-coded damage severity.	Old page only	/maps/bombs-lcc/ — to restructure
1939–45	WBC Bomb Map	Wandsworth Borough Council bomb map (made 1984/1994). Shows some bombs not on LCC map.	Old page only	/maps/bombs-wbc/ — to restructure
1939–45	Bombsight	Online WW2 bomb census map. Attractive but not reliable.	Old page only	/maps/bombs-bombsight/ — to restructure
1943	County of London Plan (Forshaw and Abercrombie)	Plate C.3, “Social and Functional Analysis”, the “potato map”: London as communities, open spaces and industry. From Antique Maps & Prints. Zoomable.	Live (zoomable)	/maps/county-of-london-plan-1943/ (zoomable; tiles on chargeofthelightbrigade.com)
c.1944–67	Ordnance Survey 1:1250/1:2500	Shows wartime pre-fabs along Bellevue and Bolingbroke Grove, near Spencer Park, and at Clapham Junction triangles.	Old page only	/maps/os-1944-1967/ — to restructure
c.1954	Ordnance Survey — 7th Series	1-inch OS 7th Series.	Old page only	/maps/os_1937-1961/ — to restructure
1947 / 1949	OS Aerial photographs	Vertical (1947) and oblique (1949) aerial photographs.	Old page only	/maps/os-aerial-1947-vertical/ and /os-aerial-1949-oblique/

Date	Cartographer / title	Description	Status	Folder / notes
2009	WBC — Conservation Area	Wandsworth Borough Council Conservation Area map and character areas.	Old page only	/maps/conservation_area_2009/ — to restructure
2009	WBC — Dog Control Zones	Wandsworth Borough Council dog control zones.	Old page only	/maps/wbc_dog_control_2009/ — to restructure
2010	Shirley Passmore	Map showing areas of Common enclosed by 1871. Cover image: “Wandsworth Common divided.”	Old page only	/maps/passmore_2010/ — to restructure
2013?	Survey of London	Map of Battersea showing areas covered by vol. 50 chapters.	Old page only	/maps/survey_of_london/ — to restructure
c.2018	Friends of Wandsworth Common	FoWC map of the Common. On sale at Skylark and Toast Rack cafés.	Old page only	/maps/fowc/ — to restructure
2019	OpenStreetMap / Google	Contemporary map and aerial photograph, March 2019.	Old page only	/maps/openstreetmap/ and /maps/google/
2020	Crossrail 2	Proposed Crossrail 2 route through WBC area, 200m buffer zone.	Old page only	/maps/crossrail_2/ — to restructure

Working index compiled June 2026. The old maps page with full research notes is at maps-old.html. Individual pages being built gradually — update status labels as pages are completed.

historyofwandsworthcommon.org