Some notes on policing in Putney:The Vestry minutes of "St Mary's" show that there was already a constable in Putney by the 17th C. Villains could apparently be held on a temporary basis in a small "watch-house" near the Church. In 1739 the minutes record the purchase of five long staves, five short staves, and three pairs of handcuffs for the Constables and Headboroughs of the Parish.By 1867 the local press were complaining that: "There is a great want of a police station at Putney. Prisoners have to be taken a long distance to Wandsworth, and while the police are so employed, Putney is left unprotected".Putney Police Station was eventually built in 1872 as a relatively small two-storey villa on the Upper Richmond Rd, and was known as "Chestnut Cottage", due to the large chestnut tree growing on the pavement in front of it. Over time the police also took over the two villas adjoining the Station, and by the 1890s there was also a "Fire Station Box" located on site.Editorials in the "Putney & Wandsworth Borough News" of 1892/93 complained that there was a shortage of policemen on the beat in Putney's side streets, particularly to the east of the High St, which at that time was still the responsibility of the Wandsworth Station. "The streets are unpatrolled for very long periods...Many residents aver that a policeman is not seen in their roads more than once a day...This is a scandal. The Chief Commissioner states that no more police can be given to Putney, yet we have the anomaly of six or seven constables sold off every day to take care of sixteen young gentlemen who are practising for a Boat Race for their own amusement, while many of our streets are left absolutely without protection, and to the tender mercies of the burglar, the area sneak thief, and the growling, cadging ruffian. Ratepayers demand that they receive the protection for which they are so heavily rated...The inhabitants have even seriously mooted the idea of employing watchmen of their own". The number of policemen was increased shortly afterwards.In 1934/35 the three villas constituting the Station and its accommodation were demolished, and replaced with the Station many of us will recall. The "Percy Laurie Section House" was added soon afterwards, named after a WW1 hero who had later served as a Police Commissioner in the 1920s/30s. During WW2 the Station and Section House were unfortunate enough in September 1940 to be hit by bombs on two consecutive nights, killing Sergeant Wilfred Chilcott of 34 Wymond St.In 1953 the Station gained a modicum of fame when murderer John Christie, who had been arrested on the Embankment, was interviewed there (the Station features in the 1971 film "10 Rillington Place").As mentioned in the above replies, the Station was eventually demolished in 2001, to be replaced by the current flats, while the Section House was also converted into private flats at the same time. Oh for the days when it was considered scandalous that a policeman only patrolled your street once a day!
David Johns ● 1803d