Putney

For other places with the same name, see Putney (disambiguation).

Putney
OS grid reference	TQ235755
London borough	Wandsworth
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	SW15
Dialling code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Putney
London Assembly	Merton and Wandsworth

Putney is a district of south-west London in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is located 5.1 miles (8.2 km) south-west of Charing Cross, on the southern bank of the River Thames, opposite Fulham.

At St Mary's Church, Putney in 1647, representatives of the New Model Army held the so-called Putney Debates on the constitutional future of England. The Member of Parliament for Putney is Justine Greening.

Rowing and the Boat Race

Putney Bridge at night.

Since the second half of the 19th century, Putney has been one of the most significant centres for rowing in the United Kingdom. There were two historic reasons for this.

Firstly, increasing numbers of steam-powered boats (not to mention the growing levels of sewage being discharged into the river) made leisure rowing on the Thames in central London unpleasant if not impossible. There was much less commercial traffic on the river at Putney (partly because the many buttresses of the original Putney Bridge restricted the transit of large river boats) ensuring more suitable water for rowing. The river was also cleaner at Putney.

Second, the construction of the London and South Western Railway from Waterloo Station to Putney and the Metropolitan District Railway to Putney Bridge allowed easy commuting.

Putney Bridge

More than twenty rowing clubs are based on the Thames at Putney Embankment; among the largest are London Rowing Club (the oldest, being established in 1856), Thames Rowing Club, Imperial College Boat Club and Vesta Rowing Club. Leander Club owned a boathouse in Putney from 1867 to 1961. The Putney clubs have produced a plethora of Olympic medallists and Henley winners.

The University Boat Race, first contested in 1829 in Henley-on-Thames, has had Putney as its starting point since 1845. Since 1856 it has been an annual event, beginning at the University Stone, just upstream from Putney Bridge.

Several other important rowing races over the Championship Course also either start or finish at the stone, notably the Head of the River Race.

History

Putney appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Putelei. It was noted that it was not a manor, but obtained 20s from the ferry or market toll at Putney belonging to Mortlake.

The parish church of St Mary The Virgin was the site of the 1647 Putney Debates. Towards the end of the English Civil War, with the Roundheads looking victorious, Oliver Cromwell soldiers' held a minor mutiny, amid fears that a monarchy would be replaced by a new dictatorship. A number, known as the Levellers complained "We were not a mere mercenary army hired to serve any arbitrary power of a state, but called forth … to the defence of the people's just right and liberties". A manifesto was proposed entitled the Agreement of the People and at an open meeting in Putney, the officers of the Army Council heard the argument from private soldiers for a transparent, democratic state, without corruption. This included sovereignty for English citizens, Parliamentary seats distributed according to population rather than property ownership, religion made a free choice, equality before the law, conscription abolished and parliamentary elections held every year. While greatly influential, including inspiring much of the language of the United States Declaration of Independence, Oliver Cromwell would later have the Leveller leaders executed.

Famous residents

• J. R. Ackerley, author and literary editor of The Listener lived at Star and Garter Mansions from 1941 until his death until 1967.
• Gerry Anderson and Jim Henson, television puppeteers, at different times leased the same workshop (now demolished) in Rotherwood Road, Putney.
• Clement Attlee, the former British Prime Minister was born, brought up and cremated in Putney.
• Edvard Beneš, the second President of Czechoslovakia, lived in Gwendolen Avenue during his exile in London from October 1938 to the end of World War II.
• Marc Bolan, singer and leader of the band T. Rex lived at 6 Schubert Road, Putney and died in a car crash in Queens Ride Barnes on the border of Putney.
• Peter Bonetti, Chelsea and Dundee United footballer, was born in Putney.
• Sir Richard Branson, the British entrepreneur.
• Christopher Chope, Member of Parliament for Christchurch was born in Putney.
• John Deacon, bass guitar player for the rock group Queen lives in west Putney.
• Jason Flemyng, actor was born in Putney.
• E.M. Forster, author, lived at 22 Werter Road, Putney.
• Constance Garnett, translator of War and Peace, Anna Karenina, Crime and Punishment, and other Russian literature.
• Edward Gibbon, historian, was born in Putney, and gave his name to the local telephone echange.
• Simon LeBon, lead singer in the pop group Duran Duran, lives on Upper Richmond Road in West Putney with his wife former supermodel Yasmin.
• Laurie Lee, author, lived and worked as a building labourer in Putney during the 1930s.
• David McKee, creator of Mr Benn the popular UK television programme for children. Mr Benn lives in London at 52 Festive Road, which was inspired by Festing Road in Putney where David McKee used to live.
• Robin Knox-Johnston, yachtsman, was born in Putney.
• Bobby Moore, England football world cup winning hero, lived in Putney in his later years.
• Lawrence Oates, who uttered the most famous of famous last words ("I'm going out now. I may be some time") on the 1910-13 British Antarctic Expedition, was born and grew up in Putney.
• Pitt the Younger, former Prime Minister, is alleged to have lived on the Lower Richmond Road, Putney. This is the same road that the magical fancy dress shop in Mr Benn would have been.
• Algernon Swinburne, the poet.
• Alexis Taylor, lead singer of the band Hot Chip.
• Daley Thompson, former decathlete
• Theodore Watts, who looked after Swinburne.
• Nigel Williams (author)
• Leonard Woolf, husband of Virginia Woolf grew up in Putney.
• Charlie Strahan

Nearest places

• Fulham
• Wandsworth
• Roehampton
• Barnes
• East Sheen
• Southfields
• Wimbledon

Transport

Putney is serviced by mainline trains from Waterloo Station. Services to Waterloo are every 5 to 10 minutes making it a popular location for young professionals and students commuting into central London.

Train journey times are between 14 and 19 minutes depending on the number of stops and time of day. Trains are especially crowded at peak times (especially in the morning rush hour between 7.45am and 9am, where in some cases the train is full before all passengers can board). The last train from Waterloo to Putney is at 00.18 hrs.

Putney is frequented by bus routes 14, 22, 39, 74, 85, 93, 265, 430 and 485 and nightbuses N22, N10, N14 and N93. The N14 transports revellers from the West End every 5-10 minutes, with a journey time of approximately 45 minutes.

Nearest tube stations

• East Putney tube station
• Putney Bridge tube station

Nearest railway station

• Putney railway station

External links

• Putney SW15 website
• The Putney Society
• The Labour Party's Putney pages
• The Conservative Party's Putney pages
• The Liberal Democrat Party's Putney pages
• Rotary Club of Putney
• Rotaract Club of Putney
• Hammersmith, Fulham and Putney, by Geraldine Edith Mitton and John Cunningham Geikie, 1903, from Project Gutenberg