Description
St Nicholas Church was built in 1833, a Commissioners' church of stock brick designed by T W Atkinson. It replaced the earlier parish church of Tooting, and is situated in a prominent position in what was called Lower Tooting or Tooting Graveney, so-called after the Gravenel family who owned the Manor in the C12th and C13th. The entrance on Church Lane has C19th cast iron gates with a short section of original railings, from where a wide drive leads up to the church, which is surrounded by its large churchyard. There are a wide variety of tombs and among the trees are fine horse chestnut, sycamore and mature yews.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Tooting Parish Church |
|---|---|
| Site location | Church Lane, Tooting |
| Postcode | SW17 |
| What3Words | ///dance.half.fork |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Wandsworth |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am - dusk |
| Public Transport | Rail: Tooting then bus. Tube: Tooting Broadway (Northern) then bus. Bus: 44, 57, 77, 127, 133, 264, 270, 280, 355, G1 |
| Research Updated | 1 May 2005 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Upper Tooting was also called Tooting Bec, due to its being owned by the Abbey of Bec at the time of Domesday, and was within the manor of Streatham. Until the late C19th Upper and Lower Tooting were separated by open land. The church has monuments dating back to the C16th from the previous church. The vicar of St Nicholas from 1897-1913 was Revd John Hendy Anderson, who was also a Wandsworth Borough Councillor. He was a great champion of the poor, working for the Central Unemployed Body and was an important figure in the creation of Tooting Bec Lido on Tooting Common (q.v.) in 1905/6. At his funeral at St Nicholas Church in November 1913, over 5,000 people are reported to have attended, and among the floral tributes was one with the message: 'in sincere condolence, from the Balham road-sweepers, who have lost a good and true friend'.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ278711 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.9 |
| Site Ownership | Church |
| Site Management | LB Wandsworth, Parks Service |
| Dates | 1833 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: St Nicholas Church |
| 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 | Wandsworth |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Borough Importance II |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Archaeological Priority Area |
| Other LA Designation | Incidental Public Open Space |
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.
Nearby parks and gardens
All Saints was built when the area was being developed by the London County Council. The LCC had acquired Totterdown Fields for a housing estate in 1900 and the Totterdown Fields Estate was laid out on a grid system with 2-storey terraces, designed by E Stone Collins of the LCC Architects Department. By 1911 it comprised 1,229 houses and 4 shops with the church at the centre. All Saints was built in 1904-6 by Temple Moore through the beneficence of Lady Charles Brudenell-Bruce in memory of her husband; Brudenell Road recalls the family. The church is set back from the road within a hedged garden, largely grassed, and with a war memorial surrounded by planting, and a shrub bed adjacent to north-east of the church.
Furzedown Recreation Ground was provided by Wandsworth Borough Council and opened in 1924, the name recalling the former heathland here. The area was gradually developed for housing from the late C19th onwards. Furzedown House, a substantial house built c.1800 set in grounds, is now the core of Furzedown Training College near the recreation ground and some remnants of the C19th planting survive. The recreation ground once had a café, two bowling greens, a pitch and putt course, a flower garden and tennis courts.
London Road Cemetery dates from 1929 and is on an open site with a chapel and lodge at the entrance, now a private house. The entrances at London Road and Victoria Road have the original gates with brick and stone piers, although there are new railings along London Road. The central mortuary chapel is shown on the OS Map in 1930, with the cemetery laid out with a grid system of paths. There are a number of flower beds and rose beds south of the London Road entrance. The cemetery contains a few unusual memorials including that of someone who died in a diving accident, the tomb taking the form of a diving helmet. Among those buried here are members of the travellers' families who regularly came to Mitcham Fair. Improvements to the toilet block, chapel and railings were carried out in 2011.