London borough Wandsworth Region London Sovereign state United Kingdom Dialling code 020 | Ceremonial county Greater London Country England Postcode district SW15 Post town London | |
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Putney vale cemetery
Putney Vale is a small community at the foot of Roehampton Vale, just off the A3. It is part of the Roehampton Ward of the London Borough of Wandsworth.
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The area is bordered by:
Geographically, Putney Vale is effectively surrounded by Richmond Park and Putney Heath and Wimbledon Common, with the A3 separating the two.
The primary local landmarks are non-denominational Putney Vale Cemetery & Crematorium, where a number of notable burials and funerals have taken place, and an Asda supermarket.
There is a large residential estate, called Putney Vale Estate, tucked away behind the supermarket and cemetery. Built in the mid-1950s, the housing estate consists mainly of ex-local authority maisonettes and some semi-detached housing. Today, most of the dwellings are in private hands, but some are still with the local authority. Also on the Estate, adjacent Wimbledon Common is a private school, Hall School Wimbledon. Kingston University Mechanical Engineering Faculty and privately owned housing, built in 1983 are on Friars Avenue, adjacent playing fields that form part of Wimbledon Common.
The Richardson Evans Memorial Playing Fields are popular with Saturday/Sunday league football teams and the London Scottish Rugby Football Club who train there. Annual schools rugby and women's football tournaments are also held there. There are four Wimbledon Common rangers cottages on Stag Lane and Friars Avenue. On the north east side of the playing fields, Stag Lane becomes a track called Kings Ride. The origin of the Kings Ride name is believed to date from when Henry VIII, while chase deer from Richmond Park would pursue them onto the common before the wall to the park was built. The area to the north of the junction between Stag Lane and the A3 is a conservation area and the red brick wall to Richmond Park, Grade II listed.
A 1928 copy of Punch magazine published an advertisement for KLG "'fit and forget' sparking plugs", with the manufacturer's works being in Putney Vale, with its telephone numbers being Putney 2132 and 2133. Founded by Kenelm Lee Guinness, part of the famous brewing dynasty, he was a noted early motor racer before developing highly reliable auto and aero spark plugs. The company grew from the disused Bald Face Stag pub in Putney Vale into works reputedly employing more than 1,500 people. The site is now the Asda supermarket. After a serious motorsport accident Guinness committed suicide by gassing himself at his nearby home in 1937. He is buried in the cemetery.
In former times Putney Vale was known as Putney Bottom, as it resides at the base the long incline to Tibbet's Corner at the top of Putney Heath.