Wandsworth Society of Friends Burial Ground (Wandsworth)
Brief Description
The site of the Meeting House and burial ground was land originally bestowed by Edward the Confessor on the Abbots of Westminster, which was subsequently given to the Earls of Spencer after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Copyhold on a small house, shop and three sheds on this land was held by Joan Stringer, a local Quaker, who in 1674 underleased this to the Society of Friends. The first Meeting House was built in 1674 and cost £202. Joan Stringer is buried in the burial ground, with a stone recording her as 'giver of the ground'. In 1778 the present Meeting House was built with the original flagstones kept to form a passageway; it was one of the first properties in the area to have a piped gas supply. The cottage on the street was probably here 300 years ago, now refurbished with a new façade in 1927; in c.1955 the side entrance was covered over. The burial ground has many of the old gravestones, including members of the Hanbury family; Thomas Hanbury had a house at Wisley that he later gave to the Royal Horticultural Society.
Practical Information
- Site location:
- 59 Wandsworth High Street
- Postcode:
- SW18 2PT
- What 3 Words:
- stay.melon.desk
- Type of site:
- Cemetery
- Borough:
- Wandsworth
- Open to public?
- Yes
- Opening times:
- Meeting house open every 2nd Tues of month 12.30-1pm and Sun 10.30-11.30am
- Special conditions:
- Facilities:
- Events:
- Has opened for London Open House
- Public transport:
- Tube: East Putney (District) then bus. Rail: Wandsworth Town. Bus: 28, 37, 39, 44, 77A, 156, 170, 220, 270, 337
- Research updated:
- 01/05/2005
- Last minor changes:
- 14/07/2022
Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. http://wandsworthquakers.com
Full Site Description
The meeting house is near the old medieval centre of Wandsworth Town, which grew up by a river crossing of the River Wandle near where it joined the Thames; Wandsworth High Street follows the old road. From early times it was an important manufacturing centre, and by the C19th industries included drug grinding, snuff milling, silk printing, felt making and calico bleaching. In the C17th and C18th Huguenots fleeing persecution had settled here, and the area became a centre of non-conformist communities, with Baptist, Methodist and United Reform Churches nearby.
Sources consulted:
London Open House 2002 sheet; David M Batler, 'The Quaker Meeting Houses of Britain' Volume I, Friends Historical Society, 1999
Further Information (Planning and Conservation)
- Grid ref:
- TQ257746 (525708,174617)
- Size in hectares:
- 0.03
- Site ownership:
- Wandsworth Society of Friends
- Site management:
- Wandsworth Society of Friends
- Date(s):
- 1674
- Designer(s):
- Listed structures:
- LBII: Meeting House
- On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:
No- Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:
No- Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:
No
Local Authority Data
The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.
- On Local List:
- No
- In Conservation Area:
- Yes
- Conservation Area name:
- Wandsworth Town
- Tree Preservation Order:
- No
- Nature Conservation Area:
- No
- Green Belt:
- No
- Metropolitan Open Land:
- No
- Special Policy Area:
- Yes - Archaeological Priority Area
- Other LA designation:
- None
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.