The History of Wandsworth Common
Fulham Chronicle, Friday 30 July 1937
(Click on image to enlarge)
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
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.]
Hansard, 26 November 1937
[I assume this is a joke, directed at utopian planning?]
26 November 1937
"The other day a Liberal Member was telling the Minister of Transport how London ought to be planned. He said there ought to be a great road running from Hampstead right across to, probably, Wandsworth Common, 300 feet wide and with trees down the middle, and [but] the Minister of Transport rightly reminded him that the difficulty of making new roads has been the difficulty of getting the land.
[Source: Link]