Our Story
The Battersea Society is the long-established civic society covering the whole of Battersea, from Nine Elms in the east to St John’s Hill in the west.
Our story started in 1965 when the London Borough of Battersea was submerged into neighbouring Wandsworth. With the encouragement of councillors and former borough mayors, the Society was established to preserve the borough’s rich history and character.
Our 21st century vision is for Battersea to be recognised as a great place to live and work by building on its past, supporting its life and community in the present and promoting its future.
Battersea Borough Coat of Arms
Battersea Arts Centre
We’re part of numerous local networks and keep our members well informed and connected.
Three much-loved Battersea landmarks were once under threat – the Albert Bridge, Battersea Town Hall (now Battersea Arts Centre), and Battersea Square. In each case, the Battersea Society was instrumental in saving them from the wrecker’s ball. In our dynamic, expanding, living community, we work hard in support of changes that are for Battersea’s benefit, keeping this a great place to live and work.
We’re part of numerous local support networks, working hard to keep members informed and connected. We issue a regular email newsletter and make extensive use of social media to keep our members updated on all things Battersea, whilst our very popular quarterly Battersea Matters magazine explores our past, present and future in more depth.
Our very active Planning Committee scrutinises all significant planning applications. We speak up for good design, people-oriented development and thoughtful conservation of the best features of the past. Respected as a voice of the community, our aim is productive dialogue with all parties.
The Open Spaces Committee works to protect Battersea’s many and varied green spaces and supports Friends’ groups. In late 2020 we produced the Society’s first publication, a guide to walks linking open spaces across Battersea. Further live walks are planned for the future.
Our Heritage Committee brings to light the stories of remarkable local people and places through walks, talks and publications. We work to secure blue plaque recognition for notable local figures from Historic England as well as through our own annual programme. We use social media to raise awareness of interesting historical events and provide the Nine Elms Partnership with regular copy for their display boards that make local history available to walkers along the river.
Thanks to our Events Committee the Society offers a varied programme of talks, visits, social occasions and walks, and more recently maintained an active programme online, covering topics such as Battersea’s hidden rivers and the life and work of Eric Kennington, sculptor of the war memorial in Battersea Park. We recently screened The Bride of Frankenstein following a talk on its star and Battersea resident Elsa Lanchester.
Campaigns
On your behalf and with your support we were instrumental in the successful campaign to maintain the entirety of the Number 19 bus route. We co-sponsor hustings for both council and parliamentary elections. During the pandemic we have donated to community groups providing a lifeline to vulnerable people. We are represented on the Clapham Junction Business Improvement District and partner with many other community-oriented organisations across Battersea including Katherine Low Settlement, Nine Elms Partnership, Battersea Power Station Foundation and the Royal College of Art.
Our Logo
The bee was the logo of the Borough of Battersea. You’ll find mosaics of bees embellishing Battersea Town Hall (now Battersea Arts Centre) along with the borough’s motto: “Non mihi, non tibi, sed nobis”: Not for me, not for you, but for us. In appreciation of that philosophy, and in a nod to our history, we adopted the bee as our logo.
Community
The Battersea Society is part of a thriving community of local organisations working across Battersea.
The spirit of community has always been strong here and there is a wide range of organisations supporting local residents, businesses and visitors.
Our events and other activities encourage the spirit of neighbourliness that is so important in creating a true sense of community in our very diverse area of London. We participate in local festivals such as Wandsworth Arts Fringe and the Falcon Road Festival and encourage our members to get involved too.
We have a seat on the board of the Clapham Junction BID (Business Improvement District). Our Planning Committee engages in a positive spirit with Wandsworth Council, as does our Open Spaces committee with Enable Leisure and Culture who manage local green spaces. We partner with Battersea Power Station Development Company, the Royal College of Art, and the Nine Elms Partnership on specific projects. Our donations to local groups have included Katherine Low Settlement (KLS), Big Local SW11 and the Battersea Summer Scheme; some of these donations have been specifically to assist local support during the pandemic. We have also co-sponsored pre-election hustings several times with KLS. We are affiliated to HACAN, the campaign against the expansion of Heathrow Airport