Win A Copy Of 'Putney & Roehampton Through Time'

A fascinating photographic history of SW15 & a great gift for Christmas

This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which Putney and Roehampton have changed and developed over the last century. There are 91 pages showing a 'then & now' image for locations dotted around the SW15 area.

Putney & Roehampton is known from many references in popular culture, frequent appearances on film and television and, of course, as the starting point of the Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race. Recorded as Putelei in the Domesday Book, it has many historic associations, not least as the birthplace of Thomas Cromwell and post-war Prime Minister Clement Attlee.

Putney’s very first bridge, a toll bridge opened in 1729, was once the only Thames bridge between London and Kingston and led to the development of nearby Roehampton as a desirable residential area.

Putney is well supplied with open spaces, such as Putney Common, and for centuries it was the place to which Londoners flocked to play games and enjoy the clean air. Putney Heath was a mute witness to notorious duels between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, and Queen Elizabeth I was a frequent visitor to the area from 1579 to 1603. Today the London suburb is changing, and this photographic tour provides an insightful comparison between Putney and Roehampton past and present.

Published in November, the book has been written by Simon Mcneill-Ritchie and Ron Elam. Simon has lived for over twenty years in the Battersea area, where he is a popular public speaker on local history. A regular member of the Wandsworth History Society and Deputy Editor of the Historian, he also served until recently on both the London And Middlesex Archaeological Society’s Council and Greater London Local History sub-committee.

Ron has published two books, a DVD and several articles about aspects of local history in the area. He has an Advanced Diploma in Local History and is currently studying for a PhD in History at the University of Cambridge.

To win a copy you must be a registered member of the site (click here if you wish to sign up). If you are not lucky enough to win a copy the book is available at Waterstones in Putney and through Amazon RRP£14.99.

December 4, 2015