| St Nicholas Churchyard, Tooting | Wandsworth |
St Nicholas Church was built in 1833, a Commissioners' church of stock brick designed by T W Atkinson. It replaced the earlier parish church of Tooting, and is situated in a prominent position in what was called Lower Tooting or Tooting Graveney, so-called after the Gravenel family who owned the Manor in the C12th and C13th. The entrance on Church Lane has C19th cast iron gates with a short section of original railings, from where a wide drive leads up to the church, which is surrounded by its large churchyard. There are a wide variety of tombs and among the trees are fine horse chestnut, sycamore and mature yews.
The information shown above was correct at the time of the last update 01/05/2005
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The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.
Upper Tooting was also called Tooting Bec, due to its being owned by the Abbey of Bec at the time of Domesday, and was within the manor of Streatham. Until the late C19th Upper and Lower Tooting were separated by open land. The church has monuments dating back to the C16th from the previous church. The vicar of St Nicholas from 1897-1913 was Revd John Hendy Anderson, who was also a Wandsworth Borough Councillor. He was a great champion of the poor, working for the Central Unemployed Body and was an important figure in the creation of Tooting Bec Lido on Tooting Common (q.v.) in 1905/6. At his funeral at St Nicholas Church in November 1913, over 5,000 people are reported to have attended, and among the floral tributes was one with the message: 'in sincere condolence, from the Balham road-sweepers, who have lost a good and true friend'.
Bridget Cherry & Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England: London 2: South (Penguin, 1999); Janet Smith, 'Tooting Bec Lido' (South London Swimming Club, 1996), p.15