A HISTORY OF
WANDSWORTH COMMON

IN PROGRESS — NOT FOR PUBLICATION

Working gallery (2 of 3) — photos extracted and captioned by Claude from Cathy Rowntree’s scanned album pages; PB to check before anything goes live.

Wandsworth Common / Photograph Albums

Cathy Rowntree’s Photographs (2 of 3)

Cathy Rowntree’s Photographs: Start · Part 1 · Part 2 · Part 3

The second of three PDFs of scanned album pages sent to Philip Boys by Cathy Rowntree, covering the John Archer Way development of the former Spencer Park / John Archer School site, Wandsworth Common Lake, the Chivalry Road playground, and the 2024 Beating the Bounds ceremony. As with Part 1, each original page carried two or more photographs mounted together with typed captions; they have been separated out below into individual images at the full resolution of the scan.

The John Archer Way development, 1996–7

Autumn 1996. The site of the demolished John Archer School, formerly Spencer Park, with the houses of Bolingbroke Grove in the distance.
Autumn 1996. The site of the demolished John Archer School, formerly Spencer Park, with the houses of Bolingbroke Grove in the distance.
October 1997. Construction of the new railway bridge to link the new housing estate and the Patriotic Building with Windmill Road.
October 1997. Construction of the new railway bridge to link the new housing estate and the Patriotic Building with Windmill Road.

John Archer Way railway bridge and new housing estate under construction, 1997–8

John Archer Way railway bridge and new housing estate under construction, 1997–8.
John Archer Way railway bridge and new housing estate under construction, 1997–8.
John Archer Way railway bridge and new housing estate under construction, 1997–8.
John Archer Way railway bridge and new housing estate under construction, 1997–8.
John Archer Way railway bridge and new housing estate under construction, 1997–8.
John Archer Way railway bridge and new housing estate under construction, 1997–8.

The completed development, 1998

New railway bridge, John Archer Way, viewed from Windmill Road.
New railway bridge, John Archer Way, viewed from Windmill Road.
New housing on the site of Spencer Park / John Archer School: centre, the Patriotic School Chapel; right, the Patriotic Building and the
New housing on the site of Spencer Park / John Archer School: centre, the Patriotic School Chapel; right, the Patriotic Building and the new bridge, John Archer Way. October 1998.

Wounded soldiers from Gallipoli & Academy fencing rehearsal, Royal Victoria Patriotic Building

Wounded soldiers from Gallipoli, painted by George Coates, 1921.
Wounded soldiers from Gallipoli, painted by George Coates, 1921.
The Academy of Live & Recorded Arts students rehearse fencing for the stage at the Royal Victoria Patriotic Building, autumn 1996.
The Academy of Live & Recorded Arts students rehearse fencing for the stage at the Royal Victoria Patriotic Building, autumn 1996.
The Academy of Live & Recorded Arts students rehearse fencing for the stage at the Royal Victoria Patriotic Building, autumn 1996.
The Academy of Live & Recorded Arts students rehearse fencing for the stage at the Royal Victoria Patriotic Building, autumn 1996.
The Academy of Live & Recorded Arts students rehearse fencing for the stage at the Royal Victoria Patriotic Building, autumn 1996.
The Academy of Live & Recorded Arts students rehearse fencing for the stage at the Royal Victoria Patriotic Building, autumn 1996.

Wandsworth Common Lake, ‘the big pond’, 1997

Wandsworth Common Lake, ‘the big pond’, with its sadly-missed swans and cygnets, 1997.
Wandsworth Common Lake, ‘the big pond’, with its sadly-missed swans and cygnets, 1997.
Wandsworth Common Lake, ‘the big pond’, 1997.
Wandsworth Common Lake, ‘the big pond’, 1997.
Wandsworth Common Lake, ‘the big pond’, with its sadly-missed swans and cygnets, 1997.
Wandsworth Common Lake, ‘the big pond’, with its sadly-missed swans and cygnets, 1997.

Wandsworth Common Lake, 1997

Later in 1997 the new brood of swans is thriving.
Later in 1997 the new brood of swans is thriving.
The railway footpath is concreted, but much of the lake shoreline is loose earth and gravel.
The railway footpath is concreted, but much of the lake shoreline is loose earth and gravel.
Wandsworth Common Lake, 1997.
Wandsworth Common Lake, 1997.
Wandsworth Common Lake, 1997.
Wandsworth Common Lake, 1997.

Feeding the ducklings and heron, summer 2012

Feeding the ducklings and heron from the lakeside pontoons on the large lake, Wandsworth Common, summer 2012.
Feeding the ducklings and heron from the lakeside pontoons on the large lake, Wandsworth Common, summer 2012.
At the lakeside pontoons, Wandsworth Common, summer 2012.
At the lakeside pontoons, Wandsworth Common, summer 2012.

Chivalry Road playground, early 1960s–2012

Chivalry Road playground, early 1960s.
Chivalry Road playground, early 1960s.
Chivalry Road playground, 2000.
Chivalry Road playground, 2000.
Chivalry Road playground, 2012.
Chivalry Road playground, 2012.

Wandsworth Common lakeside swings & Chivalry Road playground

Wandsworth Common, lakeside swings, summer 2007.
Wandsworth Common, lakeside swings, summer 2007.
Another view of Chivalry Road playground, 2000.
Another view of Chivalry Road playground, 2000.

Beating the Bounds, May 2024 (i) — Routh Road & Baskerville Road

Beating the Bounds, May 2024, on Wandsworth Common at the rear of Routh Road.
Beating the Bounds, May 2024, on Wandsworth Common at the rear of Routh Road.
Beating the Bounds, May 2024, in the alleyway to Baskerville Road.
Beating the Bounds, May 2024, in the alleyway to Baskerville Road.

Beating the Bounds, May 2024 (ii) — the Battersea Oak

Beating the Bounds, May 2024, at the Battersea Oak on Wandsworth Common near Routh Road.
Beating the Bounds, May 2024, at the Battersea Oak on Wandsworth Common near Routh Road.

(Click on any image to enlarge)

PB: source — IMG_20260507_0002.pdf, one of three PDFs of scanned album pages from Cathy Rowntree. See cathy-rowntree-archive folder for the originals and the other two parts.

Cathy Rowntree’s Photographs: Start · Part 1 · Part 2 · Part 3