Putney Marks 80 Years Since Attlee Became Prime Minister
Community celebration joined by local school children and his grandson
Left to right: Leonie Cooper AM, Lord Attlee, the Mayor of Wandsworth, Fleur Anderson and Simon Hogg
September 18, 2025
A commemorative event was held in Putney on Monday 15 September to mark 80 years since Clement Attlee became Prime Minister following the 1945 General Election. Attlee, who was born in Putney, led a government that introduced landmark reforms including the creation of the National Health Service.
The gathering took place at the commemorative plaque on Portinscale Road, near East Putney station, which marks Attlee’s birthplace. The event brought together local residents, schoolchildren, and civic leaders, including Lord Attlee, grandson of the former Prime Minister, and the Mayor of Wandsworth, who spoke about his parents’ experiences working in healthcare prior to the founding of the NHS.
Fleur Anderson, MP for Putney, opened the event with reflections on Attlee’s legacy. She was joined by Simon Hogg, Leader of Wandsworth Council, London Assembly Member Leonie Cooper, Councillor Finna Ayres, representatives from the Putney Society, and members of the Wandsworth Historical Society.
As part of the celebration, a new Key Stage 1 lesson plan was launched to help local children learn about Attlee’s life and values. Developed in collaboration with Wandsworth Heritage Service and Fleur Anderson MP, the resource will be used in local schools to explore Attlee’s connection to Putney and his role in shaping post-war Britain. Pupils from Brandlehow and Sheringdale Primary Schools attended the launch.
School children and local residents joined the event
Fleur Anderson said, “Clement Attlee’s connection to Putney is something we take real pride in. Whenever I give tours of Parliament, I always stop by Attlee’s statue and young people are amazed to learn that the founder of the NHS was from right here in Putney.
"His government changed Britain forever, by building a modern welfare state on the values of compassion, community, and care. It was a real honour to celebrate 80 years since the victory of Putney’s own Clement Attlee became Prime Minister, alongside residents, schools, and Lord Attlee himself.”
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |