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 |
| What3Words | ///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 |
| 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 | 1 May 2005 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full 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.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ257746 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.03 |
| Site Ownership | Wandsworth Society of Friends |
| Site Management | Wandsworth Society of Friends |
| Dates | 1674 |
| 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 | Wandsworth |
| 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 |
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
Wandsworth Town Hall was built in a number of phases, the earliest central portion in 1926 by E L Elford, the addition to the east was built in 1935-37 and designed by E A Hunt, with relief sculptures as a frieze. The most recent buildings to the west date from the 1970s. There are formal gardens between the civic buildings and Wandsworth High Street and Fairfield Street. The gardens along Wandsworth High Street have fountain, lawns and floral displays, with three plane trees along the road frontage, bounded by railings. Along Fairfield Street the garden has lawn with flower beds and tubs.
Garratt Lane Old Burial Ground was in use as a burial ground from 1800 when the parish purchased a field to provide additional burial space when All Saints churchyard was full. The last burial took place here in c.1930 although Wandsworth Cemetery was established in 1878 and St Ann's Church was built in 1820 to serve the growing population. The burial ground was opened as a public garden with the original east-west path in the cemetery realigned to the south. In 2000 a semi-circular paved area backed by shrub planting was created off Garratt Lane with benches and sculptural light fixtures. A number of chest tombs and gravestones are set into the lawns.
All Saints Church stands on an important historic site, marking the old medieval centre of Wandsworth Town, which grew up by a river crossing of the River Wandle near where it joined the Thames and Wandsworth High Street follows the old road. The medieval church was largely rebuilt in 1779-80 by William Jupp, later altered in 1841 when the upper part of the west tower was added to the bottom storey of 1630. Further works took place in 1859 and again in 1899-1900, and the church was restored in 1955 following damage in WWII. The churchyard is simply laid out with grass and some seats, with crazy paving path around the church and a number of trees along the front and side boundaries. The boundary is marked by iron posts and ornamental chain over a low brick wall, a narrow flower bed on one boundary. In c.2004 the western part was laid out in York stone and the enclosing walls renewed, with new trees planted.