Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich

The Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich was a metropolitan borough in the County of London from 1900 to 1965. It was formed from the civil parishes of Eltham, Plumstead and Woolwich. Its former area is now part of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Newham.

Woolwich

Woolwich Town Hall

Woolwich within the County of London
History
 • Created1900
 • Abolished1965
 • Succeeded byLondon Borough of Greenwich
London Borough of Newham
StatusMetropolitan borough
GovernmentWoolwich Borough Council
 • HQWellington Street
 • MottoClamant nostra tela in Regis querela
(Our weapons clash in the King's quarrel)

Coat of arms of the borough council

Formation and boundaries

The borough was formed from three civil parishes: Eltham, Plumstead and Woolwich. In 1930 these three were combined into a single civil parish called Borough of Woolwich, which was conterminous with the metropolitan borough.[1]

Previous to the borough's formation it had been administered by three separate local bodies: Lee District Board of Works, Plumstead Vestry and Woolwich Local Board of Health.

Population and area

The area of the borough varied between 8,277 and 8,282 acres (33.5 km2). The population, as recorded at the census, was:[2]

Constituent parishes 1801-1899

Year[2] 1801181118211831184118511861187118811891
Population12,61920,98321,27722,41130,78743,17769,06467,88074,96398,966

Metropolitan Borough 1900-1961

Year 1901191119211931194119511961
Population117,178121,376140,389146,881[3]147,891146,603

Politics

The borough was divided into eleven wards for elections: Burrage, Central, Dockyard, Eltham, Glyndon, Herbert, River, St George's, St Margaret's, St Mary's and St Nicholas.[4][5]

Parliament constituency

For elections to Parliament, the borough was represented by one constituency:

In 1918, the borough's representation was increased to two seats:

Abolition

Most of it was amalgamated with the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich to form the London Borough of Greenwich, but small parts north of the river, including North Woolwich, were instead included in the London Borough of Newham.

References
  1. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, Borough of Woolwich CP through time | Census tables with data for the Parish-level Unit, A Vision of Britain through Time. http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10235698 Date accessed: 19 February 2015
  2. Statistical Abstract for London, 1901 (Vol. IV).
  3. The census was suspended for World War II
  4. Post Office London County Suburbs Directory, 1919. 1919. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  5. Ordnance Survey 'County Series 3rd Edition' Map of London (1912-14) at 1:2500 scale. Accessed at https://www.old-maps.co.uk/

Further reading

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