London Borough of Wandsworth: History
The area of the modern borough was historically part of the county of Surrey. From 1856 the area was governed by the Metropolitan Board of Works, which was established to provide services across the metropolis of London. In 1889 the Metropolitan Board of Works' area was made the County of London. From 1856 until 1900 the lower tier of local government within the metropolis comprised various parish vestries and district boards. One such district was the Wandsworth District, containing the six parishes of Battersea, Clapham, Putney, Streatham, Tooting Graveney and Wandsworth. In 1888 Battersea was removed from the district to be governed by its own vestry. In 1900 the lower tier was reorganised into metropolitan boroughs. The parish of Battersea became the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea and the Wandsworth District became the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth.
The modern borough was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963. It covered the former borough of Battersea and the majority of the former borough of Wandsworth, but excluding the Clapham and Streatham areas, which went to Lambeth.