Wandsworth District (Metropolis)


Wandsworth was a local government district within the metropolitan area of London, England from 1855 to 1900. It was formed by the Metropolis Management Act 1855 and was governed by the Wandsworth District Board of Works, which consisted of elected vestrymen.
Until 1889 the district was in that part of Surrey included in the area of the Metropolitan Board of Works, in which year the latter became the County of London, and the district board remained but under London County Council.
Since 1965 its area corresponds to the London Borough of Wandsworth plus all parts of Clapham and Streatham it included, some of which are in the south west of the London Borough of Lambeth.

Area

The district comprised the following civil parishes:
The district included a small exclave, namely of Streatham parish: Knight's Hill, but did not include the exclave of Battersea parish: Penge.
Under the Metropolis Management Act 1855 any parish that exceeded 2,000 ratepayers was to be divided into wards; as such the parish of Clapham within the Wandsworth District Boards of Works was divided into two wards : No. 1 or North and No. 2 or South.
In 1873 as its population had increased the parish of Battersea was divided into four wards : No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4.
In 1883 as its population had increased the parish of Streatham was divided into three wards : No. 1 or Balham, No. 2 or North Streatham and No. 3 or South Streatham.
In 1894 as its population had increased the parish of Wandsworth was divided into six wards : Southfield, Northfield, Fairfield, Heathfield, Earlsfield and Springfield.

Abolition

The district was abolished in 1900 becoming the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth and the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea.