Wandsworth Town Heritage Trail

The River Wandle, which was named after the village of Wandsworth , was vital to the town's most prosperous years. It is hard to imagine it now as a fast flowing river, perfect for powering mills. The River Thames was also important to Wandsworth, providing cheap transportation of products to London .

Mapleton Road Open Space (1) area is part of a recent regeneration project to open up the riverside in Wandsworth and won the 2006 Public Space Local Design Award.

King George's Park (2) was opened in 1923 by King George V.

In 1800 Wandsworth had more mills than almost any other parish in England . One of the biggest, Upper Mill, stood where the Southside Shopping Centre (3) now stands.

Young's Brewery site (4) used to use water from the Wandle for cooling.

The houses opposite the church, in Wandsworth Plain (5), were built in 1718 for prosperous merchants. Look out for the sundial on the recently restored British Olympics Association headquarters.

The Crane Pub (6) is one of the oldest pubs in Wandsworth and is said to be haunted. It used to look over the former 18th century Middle Mill, which had a windmill.

Wentworth House (7) in Dormay Street was the home of the Wentworth family who made beam engines here in the 19th Century. You can see two of their big engines on Young's Brewery Tour.

The bell (8) is inscribed "I am rung by the tide". "Salmon, swan, otter, heron, eel," These names are a reminder of the variety of wildlife found in the Wandle, which was famous for trout fishing.

Part of the Delta area over the river to your right was used for dyeing, bleaching and calico printing. The clean Wandle water was vital for these industries which made Wandsworth famous and prosperous.

Wandle Creek Bridge (9) was also part of a regeneration project to open up the riverside in Wandsworth, making it more attractive and connecting it to the town centre.

The Wandle Basin was once a network of marshy creeks. (10) The Spit ecological area was created in 2003 to re-establish some of this lost habitat. Notice the sculpture of a sail.

Prospect Cottages (11) a century ago this attractive street provided housing for the labourers who worked in the nearby wharves. Today the area is home to the better off, and neighbours luxurious riverside apartments.

The Cat's Back Pub (12) used to be a lighterman's pub. Dutch immigrants settled in Point Pleasant and set up forges successfully manufacturing pots, kettles and frying pans. Now, as then, Point Pleasant is home to new businesses, including several top quality restaurants.

Look out for the recently restored Regency villa Prospect House (13).

Pause to enjoy the views of the River Thames from Wandsworth Park (14)

The Arts and Crafts Movement provided the mass production of the industrial age. The De Morgan Centre for the study of 19th Century Art and Society (15) is a permanent home for works by Willian De Morgan, the Victorian ceramic artist and his wife Evelyn, who was a painter.

All Saints Church (16): People have worshipped here since 1157. The oldest part of the present church is the tower dating from 1630.

In the 1680s the Huguenots converted an earlier building into a French Chapel. It was where the Memorial Hall stands (17) now, which houses the National Opera Studio.