Wandsworth Central (UK Parliament constituency) facts for kids
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Wandsworth Central was a special area in Wandsworth, South London, that had its own representative in the UK Parliament. This area is called a parliamentary constituency.
People living in Wandsworth Central voted for one person to be their Member of Parliament (MP). An MP is someone who represents their local area in the House of Commons, which is part of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The MP was chosen using a voting system called "first-past-the-post," where the candidate with the most votes wins.
This constituency was created for the general election in 1918. It stopped being a separate constituency before the general election in February 1974.
Contents
What Were the Boundaries of Wandsworth Central?
When Wandsworth Central was first created in 1918, it was a part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth. This area was in the County of London, which used to be in the northern part of the historic county of Surrey.
Later, in 1965, the area of the constituency became part of the London Borough of Wandsworth in Greater London.
Boundaries from 1918 to 1950
Before 1918, this area was part of a larger constituency simply called Wandsworth. In 1918, the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth was divided into five smaller constituencies. These were Wandsworth Central, Balham and Tooting, Clapham, Putney, and Streatham.
Wandsworth Central included two specific parts of the Metropolitan Borough: Fairfield and Springfield wards.
The constituency was next to the River Thames in the north. It bordered Battersea South to the east, Balham and Tooting to the south-east and south, Wimbledon to the south-west, and Putney to the west.
Boundaries from 1950 to 1974
In 1950, the way the Metropolitan Borough was divided changed again. It was split into four constituencies instead of five. The Balham and Tooting constituency was removed.
The new Wandsworth Central constituency now included the Tooting ward and part of the Balham ward. The Springfield ward remained part of Wandsworth Central, but the Fairfield ward moved to the Putney constituency. The rest of Balham ward became part of the Clapham constituency.
These changes meant that the boundaries of Wandsworth Central moved more to the south and east.
The constituency was then surrounded by Battersea South to the north, Clapham to the north-east, Streatham to the east, Mitcham to the south, Wimbledon to the south-west, and Putney to the north-west.
In 1974, after local government boundaries changed in 1965, the London Borough of Wandsworth was divided into four new constituencies. These were Battersea North, Battersea South, Putney, and Tooting. The Springfield and Tooting wards became part of the Tooting constituency, and the Balham ward was included in Battersea South. This meant Wandsworth Central no longer existed as a separate constituency.
Who Were the Members of Parliament?
The people listed below were the Members of Parliament (MPs) for Wandsworth Central. They represented the people of this area in the House of Commons.
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | Sir John Norton-Griffiths, Bt | Conservative | |
| 1924 | Sir Henry Jackson | Conservative | |
| 1929 | Archibald Church | Labour | |
| 1931 | National Labour | ||
| 1931 | Sir Henry Jackson, Bt | Conservative | |
| 1937 by-election | Harry Nathan | Labour | |
| 1940 by-election | Ernest Bevin | Labour | |
| 1950 | Richard Adams | Labour | |
| 1955 | Michael Hughes-Young | Conservative | |
| 1964 | Dr David Kerr | Labour | |
| 1970 | Tom Cox | Labour | |
| Feb 1974 | constituency abolished | ||
Election Results Overview
During its existence, Wandsworth Central saw many elections where people voted for their MP. The two main political parties, the Conservative Party and the Labour Party, often competed closely for the seat.
- In the early years, from 1918 to 1929, the constituency was mostly represented by the Conservative Party.
- The Labour Party won the seat in 1929, but the Conservatives won it back in 1931.
- Through the 1930s and 1940s, the Labour Party gained more support and won several elections, including important by-elections.
- After major boundary changes in 1950, the Labour Party continued to hold the seat for a few elections.
- In 1955, the Conservative Party won the seat again, holding it until 1964.
- From 1964 until the constituency was abolished in 1974, the Labour Party held the seat.
Overall, the constituency often changed hands between the Conservative and Labour parties, showing that voters in Wandsworth Central had different political views over the years.
