Did you know that...
During the Medieval Ages, this SW18 area was part of the manor of Garrat which was known for the mock elections festival. The Garrat Elections were a carnival event that took place in the 18th century. It was held annually for more than 50 years around May 20th. The horse-drawn Surrey Iron Railway ran along Garrat Lane in the 19th century. This was the first railway in London. Earlsfield’s history begins with the building of the railway station in 1884. The land on which the station was built belonged to the Davis family. The station was named after their residence, as per their condition to sell the land.
During the 19th century, Earlsfield housed the Copenhagen Running Grounds pedestrianism track. This form of walking as a sport became popular and evolved into the current race walking. The River Wandle flows through this South West London area. An area near the river housed the main manufacturing base of Airfix between 1939 and 1881. Haldane Place is the name of this spot. Old pictures of Earlsfield can be found at the local library. Garrat Lane is the main street. It has pubs, restaurants, bistros, and services such as estate agents and hairdressers. The old railway station houses the Earlsfield pub. The theater company Tara Arts is based here.
St Andrew’s Church is designed by Edward William Mountford. This is the same architect who designed Battersea Town Hall and Old Bailey. This church gained Grade II listed status in 2000. Earlsfield Baptist Church was established in 1900. Church of England St John the Divine and Catholic Church St Gregory’s are other local places of worship. Louis de Bernieres lived in Earlsfield while working on one of his most famous novels, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. His 2001 play Sunday Morning at the Centre of the World is about the residents of this area. Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London since 2016, lived here during his childhood.
