Putney Area Guide

Putney has a special place in my heart as it was one of the first places I have ever lived in London. I loved how lively and young the area was whilst still retaining its dignity and stature for the well established to live, have fun and raise a family. There's also a fair bit of history here too. One regular visitor was Queen Elizabeth I who frequently visited Putney from 1579 to 1603. In the 1840s Putney was still a part-wooded, part-agricultural village focussed closest to the Thames, opposite to Fulham, with which it was connected by a wooden bridge; it was street-lit with gas, partly paved, and well supplied with water. At that time Putney took on London's premier role in civil engineering. Since the second half of the 19th century, Putney has been one of the most significant centres for rowing in the United Kingdom. More than twenty rowing clubs are based on the Thames at Putney Embankment in a landscape which now forms part of a Conservation Area and the famous Oxford-Cambridge boat race commences at Putney Bridge each year. The immense increase in the number of houses in late years testifies to its popularity; but there is still an almost unlimited extent of open ground which cannot be covered; and with wood and water, common and hill, there will always be an element of freshness and openness in Putney, with Wandsworth Park and Putney common just to name a few and this is most certainly my home away from home. Nicole Chamberland