Tooting facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tooting |
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 Junction of Mitcham Road and Tooting High Street |
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 Tooting
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| Population | 16,239 (2011 Census. Ward) |
| OS grid reference | TQ275715 |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | SW17 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament |
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| London Assembly |
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Tooting is a district of South London, England, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and partly in the London Borough of Merton. It is located 5 miles (8 kilometres) south south-west of Charing Cross.
Contents
History
Tooting has been settled since pre-Saxon times. The name is of Anglo-Saxon origin but the meaning is disputed. It could mean the people of Tota, in which context Tota may have been a local Anglo-Saxon chieftain. Alternatively it could be derived from an old meaning of the verb to tout, to look out. There may have been a watchtower here on the road to London and hence the people of the look-out post.
The Romans built a road, which was later named Stane Street by the English, from London (Londinium) to Chichester (Noviomagus Regnorum), and which passed through Tooting. Tooting High Street is built on this road. In Saxon times, Tooting and Streatham (then Toting-cum-Stretham) was given to the Abbey of Chertsey. Later, Suene (Sweyn), believed to be a Viking, may have been given all or part of the land. In 933, King Athelstan of England is thought to have confirmed lands including Totinge (Tooting) to Chertsey Abbey.
Tooting appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Totinges: Lower Tooting was held from Chertsey Abbey by Haimo the Sheriff (of Kent) when its assets were 1 church, 2+1⁄2 ploughlands of land and 5 acres (2 hectares) of meadow. Its people were called to render £4 per year to their overlords. Later in the Norman period, it came into the possession of the De Gravenel family, after whom it was named Tooting Graveney. Until minor changes in the 19th century it consisted of 2 km2 (3⁄4 sq mi).
Upper Tooting, or Tooting Bec (for centuries administered as part of Streatham), appears as a manor held by the Abbey of Hellouin Bec, in Normandy, thus acquiring the "Bec" in its name. Its domesday assets were 5 hides. It had 5+1⁄2 ploughlands and so was assessed as rendering £7.
As with many of South London's suburbs, Tooting developed during the late Victorian period. Some development occurred in the Edwardian era but another large spurt in growth happened during the 1920s and '30s.
- 1902: Tooting Library opened as a one-storey structure. A second storey was added in 1906. In 2012 the library was rebuilt.
- 1906: Tooting Bec Lido opened.
- 1930: St Benedict's Hospital established by the London County Council
- 1931: Granada cinema opened with the film Monte Carlo
- 1954: St George's Hospital begins to relocate to Tooting from Hyde Park Corner, taking over the old Grove Fever and Fountain Hospitals.
- 2003: Redevelopment of St George's Hospital buildings completed.
Transport
Tooting is positioned on the Northern line—with stations at the top and the bottom of the hill that slopes down the High Street, Tooting Bec and Tooting Broadway. Tooting is also served by National Rail at Tooting railway station providing a direct link south to Sutton via Wimbledon, and north to Farringdon, St Pancras and on to Luton.
It also has several bus links, with routes to and from Central London, Richmond, Croydon, Sutton and Kingston amongst others.
Tooting Broadway tube station is currently being considered by TfL as a stop on the future Crossrail 2 development. In addition to relieving congestion on the Northern Line, this would provide Tooting with a rapid and direct connection to major London stations such as Clapham Junction, Victoria, Tottenham Court Road and Euston.
Conservation area
Totterdown Fields estate was designated a conservation area, on the 19 September 1978. It was the first London County Council cottage estate built between 1901 and 1911 containing 1244 individual houses built over 38 acres (15 ha). It was influenced by Ebenezer Howard's Garden city movement and the Arts and Crafts movement.
Open spaces
A large open area, popularly known as the Tooting Commons, lies at the northern end of Tooting. Historically this was two separate open spaces: Tooting Graveney Common (formerly part of Tooting Graveney parish), and Tooting Bec Common (formerly part of Streatham parish). The commons are home to Tooting Bec Lido, which is 90 metres long and 30 metres wide.
Markets
Tooting has two indoor markets (Tooting Market & Broadway Market), with numbers of permanent stalls. The entrances of both are situated on the same street, Tooting High Street, only a few metres apart. They both have many types of outlets, but one, Broadway Market, is predominately Asian. The larger, The Broadway Market, is one of the largest of London's indoor markets, having more than ninety stalls, and has been active since 1936. Tooting Market, on the other hand, has been very active in re branding and gentrifying since the new owners purchased the market in 2010. The new owners hired, market consultant, Roi Mengelgrein (who previously worked for Camden Market) as their operating manager. Mr. Mengelgrein quickly turned the place around and the market has become one of the most busiest destinations in the Town Centre, attracting the likes of Frano Manca Pizza to their site. Tooting Market recently won, the Best Small Indoor Market at the Great British Market Awards (NABMA). The markets tend to be very animated on Saturdays, but are both open all the weekdays, except on public holidays.
Demographics
Tooting has a large British Asian community and has gained the nickname "land of the curry mile" due to the concentration of South Asian restaurants.
In the 2011 census, Tooting was White or White British (47%), Asian or Asian British (28.8%), Black or Black British (15.5%), Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (5%), and Other ethnic group (2.9%). The largest single ethnicity is White British (32.4%).
The main spoken first languages are English, followed by Urdu, Polish and Gujarati.
Sport
Tooting shares two football clubs with nearby Mitcham: Tooting & Mitcham FC and Tooting & Mitcham Wanderers FC.
A greyhound racing track, the 'Wimbledon Stadium', was narrowly in Tooting on Plough Lane. AFC Wimbledon moved to the site in 2021.
Notable people
- Raymond Austin, AKA Raymond DeVere-Austin, Baron of Delvin, Film Stuntman, Actor, TV and film director, Author
- Stephen K Amos (b. 1967), comedian
- Darren Bent (b. 1984), professional footballer
- Jeremy Bulloch (1945-2020), actor, best known for playing Boba Fett in the early Star Wars films
- Jamie Bulloch (b. 1969), translator
- Dave Clement (1948-1982), professional footballer
- George Cole (1925-2015), actor
- Sadie Crawford (1885-1965), stage musician
- Fuse ODG (b. 1988), rapper
- Girlschool, band
- Milton Jones (b. 1965), comedian
- Rachel Agatha Keen, (b. 1997), also known as Raye, Pop & R&B singer, notable for songs like "Secrets" & "You Don't Know Me"
- Sadiq Khan (b. 1970), Labour politician (Mayor of London, former Tooting MP)
- Ramona Marquez (b. 2001), actress
- Tony Meo (b. 1959), professional snooker player
- Paul Merton (b. 1957), comedian
- Clinton Morrison (b. 1979), professional footballer
- New Musik, band
- Natasha O'Keeffe (b. 1986), actress
- Gino Rea (b. 1989), motorcycle racer
- Leroy Rosenior (b. 1964), professional football coach
- Sangharakshita, writer, Buddhist commentator, and founder of the Triratna Buddhist Community, born Dennis Lingwood in Tooting.
- Bas Savage (b. 1982), professional footballer
- Tony Selby (b. 1938), actor
- Paul Sinha (b. 1970), comedian and broadcaster
- Snakefinger (1949-1987), musician
- Richard Strange (b. 1951), musician
- Jay Tabb (b. 1984), professional footballer
- Quade Taylor (b. 1993), professional footballer
- UK Subs, band
- Henning Wehn (b. 1974), comedian
- Jimmy White (b. 1962), professional snooker player
- Matt Willis (b. 1983), musician
See also
In Spanish: Tooting para niños
