Woolwich, also known as Woolwich St Mary, was an
ancient parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority. ...
containing the town of
Woolwich on the south bank of the
Thames and
North Woolwich on the north bank. The parish was governed by its
vestry from the 16th century to 1852, based in the
Church of St Mary
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* Chris ...
until 1842, after which in the purpose-built
Woolwich Town Hall. The parish adopted the
Public Health Act 1848 and was governed by the Woolwich Local Board of Health from 1852. When the parish became part of the district of the
Metropolitan Board of Works in 1855 the local board was treated as if it were an incorporated vestry. It was in the county of
Kent until it was transferred to
London in 1889. In 1900 it was amalgamated with other parishes to form the
Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich and had only nominal existence until it was abolished as a civil parish in 1930. Since 1965 it has been split between the
Royal Borough of Greenwich and the
London Borough of Newham
The London Borough of Newham is a London borough created in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. It covers an area previously administered by the Essex county boroughs of West Ham and East Ham, authorities that were both abolished by the s ...
.
Geography
The main part of the parish was a roughly triangular area south of the
River Thames, including the town of
Woolwich. The boundary with
Plumstead
Plumstead is an area in southeast London, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, England. It is located east of Woolwich.
History
Until 1965, Plumstead was in the historic counties of England, historic county of Kent and the detail of mu ...
to the east was very close to the centre of the town, located approximately where the
Woolwich Arsenal station is now. The parish narrowed further south, including
Woolwich Common and reaching to Shooter's Hill Road. The western boundary at this point was with
Charlton Common in the parish of Charlton. North of the Thames the parish included two nearby sections of land known as
North Woolwich. The western part was divided from the eastern section by the parish of
East Ham
East Ham is a district of the London Borough of Newham, England, 8 miles (12.8 km) east of Charing Cross. East Ham is identified in the London Plan as a Major Centre. The population is 76,186.
It was originally part of the Becontree Hun ...
. The eastern section stretched to the
River Roding and had a boundary with the parish of
Barking. The former area of the parish is now part of the
Royal Borough of Greenwich to the south of the River Thames and the
London Borough of Newham
The London Borough of Newham is a London borough created in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. It covers an area previously administered by the Essex county boroughs of West Ham and East Ham, authorities that were both abolished by the s ...
to the north.
Governance
The
Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832, which transferred county exclaves to their local counties for election of members of parliament, explicitly treated the North Woolwich area as part of Kent. The
Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844, applied the 1832 designations for all civil purposes.
The parish became part of the Greenwich Poor Law Union in 1836 and then the Woolwich Poor Law Union from 1868.
Woolwich was added to the Registrar General definition of the London Metropolis in 1837, appearing in the weekly
tables of mortality from 1840. The parish was added to the
Metropolitan Police District
The Metropolitan Police District (MPD) is the police area which is policed by the Metropolitan Police Service in London. It currently consists of the Greater London region, excluding the City of London. The Metropolitan Police District was create ...
in 1840.
The vestry built a town hall, now known as the
Old Town Hall in 1842.
The parish adopted the
Public Health Act 1848 and a local board was formed in 1852, consisting of eighteen elected members and three nominated members.
In 1855 the parish was included in the district of the
Metropolitan Board of Works. It was an anomaly amongst metropolitan parishes, having a local board of health, and this was treated as if it were an incorporated vestry.
Following the
Local Government Act 1888, the parish was transferred from the
County of Kent to the
County of London in 1889.
Elsewhere in England, following the
Local Government Act 1894, local boards of health became urban district councils. The Woolwich Local Board of Health continued to exist until 1900 when, as part of the provisions of the
London Government Act 1899, the parish was combined with
Eltham and
Plumstead
Plumstead is an area in southeast London, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, England. It is located east of Woolwich.
History
Until 1965, Plumstead was in the historic counties of England, historic county of Kent and the detail of mu ...
to form the
Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich.
The parish continued to exist for election of a
board of guardians, but was abolished for this purpose in 1930. The parishes in the Borough of Woolwich were then combined into a single parish.
Politics
From 1832 the more urbanised northern part of the parish was in the parliamentary borough of
Greenwich with the southern part of the parish in the
West Kent division. In 1885 the whole parish was included as part of the
Woolwich constituency. In 1918 it was split, with the parish of Woolwich mostly becoming part of
Woolwich West, with a small part in
Woolwich East.
Population
The population at the decennial census was:
[Census of England and Wales, 1871: (33 & 34 Vict. c. 107.), Great Britain, Census Office, G. E. Eyre and W. Spottiswoode, (1872)]
See also
*
Old Woolwich
*
Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich
References
{{Authority control
Woolwich
Parishes governed by vestries (Metropolis)
Former civil parishes in the Royal Borough of Greenwich
History of the London Borough of Newham
1930 disestablishments in England