This attractive London suburb is known from many references in popular culture, frequent appearances on film and television and, of course, as the starting point of the Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race. Recorded as Putelei in the Domesday Book, it has many historic associations, not least as the birthplace of Thomas Cromwell and post-war Prime Minister Clement Attlee. Putney's very first bridge, a toll bridge opened in 1729, was once the only Thames bridge between London and Kingston. Putney is well supplied with open spaces, such as Putney Common, and for centuries it was the place to which Londoners flocked to play games and enjoy the clean air. Putney Heath was a mute witness to notorious duels between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, and Queen Elizabeth I was a frequent visitor to the area from 1579 to 1603. Today the London suburb is changing, and this photographic tour provides an insightful comparison between Putney past and present.

Author Biography

Philip Evison was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, and has a BA Hons (Oxford) in Modern Languages. He has lived in Putney for the last thirty years and is a keen local historian. He is also interested in literature and cinema. An avid 'quizzer', Philip plays for a team in the Quiz League of London and compiles and presents a weekly quiz at his local pub, the Arab Boy in Putney.