The Battersea Society’s Heritage Committee was the brainchild of the late David Lewis who convened the first meeting in 2018. We are currently a small but very active group of historians and artists who between us cover a wealth of local heritage work.

One of our key roles is to provide historical context, background and fascinating facts to a variety of organisations and individuals. Every 3 to 4 months we produce a display for the Nine Elms Partnership (NEP) to mount on their three sets of public noticeboards. The topics we have covered include the Horizontal Windmill; the Nine Elms Baths, Station and Gasworks; the Brown Dog Affair; Battersea’s market gardens, and most recently the notorious Red House pub. These illustrated articles can also be read in the Heritage section of the NEP’s website at www.nineelmslondon.com/heritage. Most recently members have been advising the winners of the Arch42 project in Nine Elms and the World Heart Beat Music Academy on aspects of local history.

Several committee members have led walks or given talks on aspects of Battersea’s history. Recent topics include Battersea’s lost waterfront industries, the St John family in the 17th century, a virtual tour of locally listed sites, and a poetry reading inspired by local stories and townscapes. We contribute annually to the Wandsworth Heritage Festival and to the programmes of other local amenity societies such as the Clapham Society, Wandsworth Society, the Wandsworth Historical Society and the Friends of Wandsworth Common. Two of our members took part in the highly successful War Comes Home Project (2017-18) and Carol Rahn’s outstanding multi-media presentation Growing Up in Wartime Battersea has been shown across Battersea and Wandsworth and at the Museum of London and has been adopted for local schools.

We research and undertake creative projects inspired by our local heritage. Our Chair Sue Demont has written two short books, The Bombing of Battersea and Battersea’s First Lady: the Life and Times of Caroline Ganley MP, and Jeanne Rathbone and Hilaire McLiesh — a published poet — are currently working on a historical guide to the sites associated with the extraordinary women who lived on and around Lavender Hill. We contribute regular articles and book reviews to our quarterly journal Battersea Matters and on occasion to other local publications.

The already healthy appetite of people to know more about their heritage seems to have increased since the Covid 19 pandemic, so we find ourselves responding to a range of requests, from the identification of photo locations to the authenticity of a scene in a novel set in 19th century Chelsea. Our regular social media ‘on this day’ posts are helping to raise awareness of the rich history of Battersea via Facebook and Twitter and amongst a younger audience on Instagram @batterseasociety

We are now working on a series of blog posts for our brand new website and will welcome expressions of interest on potential topics. Email us at heritage@batterseasociety.org.uk