Story of Wandsworth

Battersea's population leapt from 6,887 in 1841 to 150,558 in 1891. The small riverside parish was inundated by people from all over Britain and Ireland in search of work in the new industries. Poor, overcrowded and unhealthy living conditions soon became as bad as the notorious East End.

After years of exploitation, London workers began to take action and the strikes of the dockers and the match girls in the 1880s marked the dawn of the Labour movement. Battersea was one of the first boroughs to form a trades council. This was to support many famous political figures, such as John Burns, John Archer and Shapurji Saklatvala in their bid to represent the people of Battersea, in local government and at Westminster.

John Burns

John Burns (1858-1943) was a working class Battersea boy who became one of the major figures in the early Labour movement. In 1889, he became well known for his role in the great London Dock Strike. In 1892, Burns was elected as an independent Labour MP for Battersea. He was not convinced, however, that the new Independent Labour Party could succeed and joined the Liberal Party. In 1905, he became the first working class man to gain a seat in the Cabinet. He retired from parliament in 1918.

John Archer

John Archer (1864-1932) became Britain's first black mayor when he was elected Mayor of Battersea in 1913. He was born in Liverpool and moved to Battersea c. 1880. He took an active interest in local politics and was elected councillor for the Latchmere ward in 1906.

Shapurji Saklatvala (1874-1936) was born in Bombay and came to England in 1905. He joined the Communist Party and, in 1922, won a seat in Parliament representing Battersea North. He served as MP until 1929. He had a magnetic personality and a reporter once said "I met a Battersea charwoman ... almost in tears because she lived on the wrong side of the street and could not vote for Saklatvala."