Southfields is a district of inner
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
located within the
London Borough of Wandsworth
Wandsworth () is a London boroughs, London borough in southwest London; it forms part of Inner London and has an estimated population of 329,677 inhabitants. Its main named areas are Battersea, Balham, Putney, Tooting and Wandsworth, Wandsworth ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, 5.6 miles (9 km) south-west of
Charing Cross
Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City; ...
. Southfields is mainly residential, historically a part of Wandsworth itself, and is divided between the
SW18 and SW19 postcode areas.
History
Until the late 19th century Southfields was still fields, situated between the more developed villages of
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
and
Putney
Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
History
Putney is an ancient paris ...
. Several of the former pathways through the fields form the routes of parts of today's road system, in particular Wimbledon Park Road and its continuation through Southfields Passage, which was the field path from Wimbledon to Wandsworth, Kimber Road and The Baulk, both of which were field paths and can be seen on old maps of the area.
![Southfields school](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Southfields_school.jpg)
When the District & London & South Western Railway from Wimbledon to
Putney Bridge
Putney Bridge is a Grade II listed bridge over the River Thames in west London, linking Putney on the south side with Fulham to the north. The bridge has medieval parish churches beside its abutments: St Mary's Church, Putney is built on the s ...
opened in June 1889, the area started to take off, with the first school opening a year later on Merton Road, another of the main thoroughfares that were formerly paths through fields.
The area, like others around it, has undergone significant change in the last few decades, with house prices rising accordingly. The history of Southfields has been researched and documented in Neil Robson's 1999 book ''Roomy Villas''.
The main residential areas of Southfields are the "Southfields Triangle" and "The Grid".
The "Southfields Triangle" is a series of roads and streets that (somewhat) resemble a triangle. It covers the area from Standen Road in the south (bordering on the historic Coronation Gardens) up to Granville Road in the north, and Pulborough Road in the west across to Merton Road in the east. The "Southfields Triangle" consists almost entirely of Victorian and Edwardian houses. In 1904, the Frame Foods babyfood company opened its factory in Standen Road. The building is in a distinctive
art nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
style, with green ceramic tiles and the slogan 'Nourish and Flourish' on the exterior. The building is Grade II listed and has been converted into luxury flats.
Standen Road was also the home of the
Ault & Wiborg printing ink factory, and is the only street in the area where the some homes with south-facing gardens border Coronation Gardens, giving them a calm, rural feel.
"The Grid" is a series of parallel roads that are crossed at right angles by a series of parallel streets – so named because of the grid layout of the streets. The roads run from Replingham Road, in the north to Revelstoke Road, in the south, and the streets run from Elsenham Street, in the west, to Astonville Street (although Merton Road to the east of Astonville is the border of "The Grid"). "The Grid" consists mostly of Edwardian terrace houses and purpose built maisonettes. Some houses have been converted into flats in the past, although conversions are no longer permitted on The Grid owing to a change in policy by Wandsworth Borough Council. These Victorian terraced houses were built at the same time as the bordering terraced housing Wimbledon Park and the avenues to the south of The Grid originally had the same names as the streets in Southfields that led to them. A restrictive covenant or covenants at one time prevented any pubs from being built in the Southfields "Grid" area. However, in the 1990s, the covenants were apparently judged either to be ineffective or non-existent and two pubs were opened in adjoining premises on the south side of Replingham Road (one since closed, in late 2011).
The building on the corner of Kimber Road and Merton Road once housed the
OK Sauce
OK Sauce is a brand of brown sauce manufactured in the United Kingdom, first by George Mason & Company and later by Colmans. Early history
OK Sauce was first made in a factory called the Chelsea Works (formerly a swimming pool) in London.
In 192 ...
factory, until its takeover by Reckitt and Colman court.
Toponymy
Southfields takes its name from the old manorial system, where it was known as the South Field of the
manor
Manor may refer to:
Land ownership
*Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England
*Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism
*Man ...
of
Dunsford
Dunsford is a village in Devon, England, just inside the Dartmoor National Park.
The place-name 'Dunsford' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as ''Dunesforda'', meaning 'Dunn's ford'.
The village has a number of ...
.
The earlier name for the area dates back at least to the year 1247.
The equivalent North Field lay between West Hill and the River Thames and survives in the short road named Northfields which runs to the east of Wandsworth Park.
Governance
![Wandsworth Met](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Wandsworth_Met._B_Ward_Map_1916.svg)
Southfields is one of the 20
wards
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...
that make up the
London Borough of Wandsworth
Wandsworth () is a London boroughs, London borough in southwest London; it forms part of Inner London and has an estimated population of 329,677 inhabitants. Its main named areas are Battersea, Balham, Putney, Tooting and Wandsworth, Wandsworth ...
, and it supplies three of the Borough Council's 60 councillors – the Conservative Party's Kim Caddy, Guy Humphries & Terry Walsh. It is part of the
Merton and Wandsworth
Merton and Wandsworth is a constituency in the London Assembly. Since the 2016 election, it has been represented by Labour's Leonie Cooper.
It consists of the combined area of the London Borough of Merton and the London Borough of Wandsworth. ...
constituency for the
London Assembly
The London Assembly is a 25-member elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds super-majority, to amend the Mayor's annual budget and to reject ...
.
Southfields falls within the parliamentary constituency of
Putney
Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
History
Putney is an ancient paris ...
. The current Member of Parliament for the constituency is the
Labour Party's Fleur Anderson
Kathleen Fleur Anderson (born 6 February 1971) the Member of Parliament (MP) for Putney, elected in 2019. A member of the Labour Party, she has been Shadow Paymaster General since 2021 and was a member of Wandsworth London Borough Council from ...
, who was elected in
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
with a majority of 4,774.
Geography
Southfield's postcodes are split across the London Boroughs of Wandsworth and Merton. Of the two main parks, the above applies to Wimbledon Park whilst the second, King George's Park is situated wholly within the boundaries of Wandsworth. Tennis being a part of the fabric of Southfields life, both parks are home to a large number of public tennis courts. Wimbledon Park has an athletic track and a landscaped lake that is home to a number of water sports. The smaller but historic Coronation Gardens bordering the southern edge of the Southfields triangle commemorates the coronation of King Edward VII in August 1902.
Demography
![Southfields Library - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Southfields_Library_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2168804.jpg)
According to the
2011 census the ward of Southfields had a population of 17,962.
The population of the area is largely white in its ethnic origins, at 75.6%.
The area is also home to a significant
white South African
White South Africans generally refers to South Africans of European descent. In linguistic, cultural, and historical terms, they are generally divided into the Afrikaans-speaking descendants of the Dutch East India Company's original settlers, ...
community.
Transport
The
A3 trunk road runs south west towards
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
and north east into central London along Southfields' northern edge; the district is bounded by the A218 (Merton Road) to the east and the A219 (Parkside Avenue) to the west.
Southfields is served by bus routes
39 (
Clapham Junction
Clapham Junction is an urban locality around Clapham Junction railway station in London, England. Despite its name, it is not located in Clapham, but forms the commercial centre of Battersea.
Clapham Junction was a scene of disturbances durin ...
to
Putney Bridge
Putney Bridge is a Grade II listed bridge over the River Thames in west London, linking Putney on the south side with Fulham to the north. The bridge has medieval parish churches beside its abutments: St Mary's Church, Putney is built on the s ...
, operated by
London General
London General is a bus company operating in Greater London. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group and operates services under contract to Transport for London. The company is named after the London General Omnibus Company, the principal ...
),
493
Year 493 ( CDXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Albinus and Eusebius (or, less frequently, year 1246 '' Ab urbe ...
(
Tooting, St George’s Hospital to
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
, operated by London General) and
156 (
Vauxhall
Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...
to
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
, operated by
Transport UK London Bus).
Southfields tube station
Southfields is a London Underground station in Southfields in the London Borough of Wandsworth. The station is on the District line between and stations. The station is located on Wimbledon Park Road at the junction with Augustus Road and Re ...
is in
Travelcard Zone 3
Fare zone 3 is an inner zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail
Nationa ...
of the
London Underground
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...
network, situated between
East Putney and
Wimbledon Park
Wimbledon Park is the name of an urban park in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon and also of the suburb south and east of the park and the Wimbledon Park tube station. The park itself is in area. The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is immedi ...
on the Wimbledon branch of the
District line
The District line is a London Underground line running from in the east and Edgware Road in the west to in west London, where it splits into multiple branches. One branch runs to in south-west London and a short branch, with a limited servic ...
. Southfields is the main London Underground station for the
Wimbledon Tennis Championships
The Wimbledon Championships, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, All England Club in ...
. A five-minute walk takes spectators from Southfields Tube down Wimbledon Park Road to the
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, also known as the All England Club, based at Church Road, Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, London, England, is a Gentlemen's club, private members' club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon ...
.
Southfields is not served by the
National Rail
National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the p ...
network; the nearest National Rail stations are
Earlsfield
Earlsfield is an area within the London Borough of Wandsworth, London, England. It is a typical London suburb and comprises mostly residential Victorian terraced houses with a high street of shops, bars, and restaurants between Garratt Lane, Al ...
,
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
and
Putney
Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
History
Putney is an ancient paris ...
.
Popular culture
![Fazl Mosque](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Fazl_Mosque.jpg)
Part of the video for Shampoo's 1994 hit single 'Trouble' was filmed in Southfields.
The former cinema premises on Wimbledon Park Road, most recently used as a
snooker
Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sports, cue sport played on a Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets, one at each corner and o ...
club were demolished following a successful planning application from the owners of the site, despite a three-year campaign by a local group to convert the building back to a local cinema, which would have been named The Southfields Plaza.
In 1926, Southfields became home to London's first mosque. The
Fazl Mosque, also known as the ''London Mosque'', was built by the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
Ahmadiyya (, ), officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ, ar, الجماعة الإسلامية الأحمدية, al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmīyah al-Aḥmadīyah; ur, , translit=Jamā'at Aḥmadiyyah Musl ...
and served as the international headquarters of the community until 2019, when the headquarters moved to
Farnham
Farnham ( /ˈfɑːnəm/) is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a trib ...
.
The band
Lawson's debut album was named after Chapman Square SW19.
Notable people
Notes
References
:
External links
Southfields Village websiteSouthfields Triangle Residents AssociationSouthfields Grid Residents AssociationSouthfields Community College(based in Southfields)
{{Authority control
Districts of the London Borough of Wandsworth
Areas of London