"Wandsworth Bridge to Wandsworth Common / County Council's Costly Scheme / Gradient to be Engineered with Cuttings . Dual Carriageways and Footbridges", Fulham Chronicle, Friday 30 July 1937

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WANDSWORTH BRIDGE TO WANDSWORTH COMMON

County Council's Costly Scheme

GRADIENT TO BE ENGINEERED WITH CUTTINGS

Dual Carriageways and Footbridges

The London County Council on Tuesday decided to seek powers in the next session of Parliament to carry out a scheme estimated to cost £845,000 (£787,000 net) for the improvement of the southern approach to railway to provide room for a central Wandsworth Bridge, which is now being demolished preparatory to reconstruction.

The need for the provision of a new approach has been urged for many years by both Wandsworth and Fulham Borough Councils and by the Ministry of Transport. The Royal Commission on Cross River Traffic in 1926 also recommended the improvement of the approach.

It has alwavs been recognised that any scheme for the construction of an adequate southern approach should aim at joining up the southern bridge head with Trinity Road, which is a very well aligned road leading in the direction of Wandsworth Bridge and only separated from it by the steeply sloping ground

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lying between northside and York Road, a gap of less than 600 yards.

The scheme has the approval of the Ministry of Transport. It provides for a widening Bridgend-road at its southern end to feet, with a roundabout at York-read, the construction which will be facilitated by the impending change-over from trams to trolleybuses along York-road.

New Road Under East Hill and North Side

Between York-road and the Souther Railway the road will be 85 feet in width and will increase to 87 feet where the road passes under the railway to provide room for a central pier. Crossing Podmore-road the road will ascend by moderate gradients in open cutting to East Hill, under which it will pass in a covered cutting 77 feet wide, continuing in open cutting to North Side, and under the road in covered cutting again.

It will then continue 75 feet in width on an ascending gradient in open cutting to its junction with Trinity-road on Wandsworth Common, continuing across the common by a widening of Trinity-road to the junction with Windmill-road. The scheme provides for dual carriageways each 30 feet in width, separated by a continuous central strip five feet wide. The footways will be 10 feet wide on the 85 feet wide sections and five feet wide on the 75 feet section in cutting.

A Podmore Road Footbridge

There will be no access for between the new road and the severed portions of Eltringham-street and Podmore-road. The severed portions of Podmore-road will be connected by a footbridge. Woodwell-street will be closed to vehicles, the eastern end of Elmsleigb-terrace will be stopped up and also possibly Colligny-street. The Minister of Transport will be empowered on the application the Council or the Wandsworth Metropolitan Borough Council to prohibit or limit the access of vehicles between the new road and those streets.

At the suggestion of Wandsworth Borough Council, provision has been made for connecting roads to take traffic travelling between Trinity-road, Huguenot-place, and North Side, but, in view of traffic statistics and increased cost involved, a further suggestion of the Borough Council for a roundabout at the junction of Huguenot-place, North Side, and West Side was not adopted. The new road will, however, be so graded as to permit of the construction of the roundabout in future, if necessary.

[A roundabout!]

The scheme involves a net loss to Wandsworth Common of just over 1 acre and a third. In lieu of just over three and a third acres the common which will be absorbed by the scheme, another area and the site of certain roads (including St. Ann's-road) which will be closed, will be added to the common. The triangular area (of about two acres) at present detached from the main portion, will then become united with it

[Net loss!]

Increasing the General Amenities

and these proposals will mitigate any ill-effects attributable to the construction of the new road. The Council are in consultation with the Parks Committee as to compensation for the net loss of the common.

The Minister of Transport has been asked to agree that the scheme will rank for grant at the higher rate of 60 per cent. Wandsworth Borough Council has been asked whether it will contribute towards the cost.

[BNA: Link.]

Shirley Passmore:

Common affected by 1939-45 War and the Wandsworth Bridge Southern Approach Road

As early as 1937 there was a plan to build the Wandsworth Bridge Southern Approach Road (the Underpass). It was intended to turn [the entire length of] Trinity Road, from Wandsworth Bridge to Balham, into a dual carriageway. An Act of Parliament was passed in 1938 to allow this to happen. The plan entailed taking a great swathe of the Common for the extra road width and the LCC looked to see where it could find suitable exchange land.

The 8 acres in front of the prison, now leased to Neal's Nursery garden, was an obvious choice. The LCC had tried in 1890 to get possession of it from the Home Office, referring them to the restrictive covenant. They had failed but had acquired from Earl Spencer the manorial rights to prevent building. The 1924 LCC Parks publication said "It is improbable that the Home Office contemplate building on the land ... but the situation needs watching and the most strenuous opposition should be offered if ever an attempt is made." However, all plans for the new road came to a standstill in 1939 with the outbreak of WW2.

During the war the Common was dug up in places to make anti-tank trenches. It housed barrage-balloon sites and AA guns. All of these were removed when the war ended but the Common was then used for temporary housing. Pre-fabricated bungalows, known as the "prefabs', were placed alongside Spencer Park, Bolingbroke Grove and Bellevue Road. They developed all the appearance of permanency with neatly attended gardens, but the prefabs too were eventually removed in stages between 1956 and 1966 (exact date of removal not verified).

In 1964 the road plans were resurrected. A new Act of Parliament (repealing the 1938 Act) was passed for the purpose. The plan now was limited to a dual-carriageway as far as The County Arms.

The Home Office parted with half of the land in front of the prison in a long strip parallel to the road. Other exchange land was acquired by reducing the length of the gardens of Heathfield Gardens. These cottages had been compulsorily acquired with the intention that they be pulled down and all the land made into Common. However, public outcry and national publicity at the proposed loss of this attractive row resulted in just their gardens being taken. To make up for this, that part of Marcilly Road that crossed the Common from North Side was removed (an avenue of trees now indicates where the road once was). Work on the Wandsworth Bridge Southern Approach Road (now fortunately just an extension to Trinity Road [from the County Arms northward]) began in 1966/7, and was officially opened in March 1970. It had cost under-budget at £4m.

[WandsworthCommonHistory: Link.]