Tooting

Tooting is a place in the London Borough of Wandsworth in south London.

The BBC comedy series Citizen Smith was set in Tooting (although allegedly partly filmed in West London) and popularised the cry "Freedom for Tooting!". Star of the series Wolfie Smith (played by Robert Lindsay) was a beret-hatted Communist "leftie" type, member of revolutionary political organisation, the Tooting Popular Front.

Tooting has a large south Asian population, which has endowed the suburb with a distinctive streetscape. Tooting High Road has a string of curry houses and Indian sweet shops.

Its position on the Northern Line -- with two stations at the top and the bottom of the hill that slopes down the High Road, Tooting Bec and Tooting Broadway -- has led to its becoming a popular place to live for young professionals, particularly in the media and financial sectors. This has caused the continuing gentrification of Tooting.

The large open area of Tooting Bec common lies at the northern end of Tooting.

Nearest places:

• Balham
• Mitcham
• Wimbledon
• Morden
• Streatham

Nearest tube stations:

• Tooting Broadway tube station
• Tooting Bec tube station
• Balham tube station
• Colliers Wood tube station
• South Wimbledon tube station

Nearest railway stations:

• Wandsworth Common railway station
• Tooting railway station
• Balham railway station
• Hayden's Road railway station

History

Tooting has been settled since pre-Saxon times, and its name means "the dwelling of the Sons of Totas". The Romans built a road from London (Londinium) to Chichester (Regnum) which passed through Tooting. Tooting High Street is built on this road (Stane Street).

666 

Tooting and Streatham (then Toting-cum-Stretham) given to the Abbey of Chertsey .

900 

Suene (Sweyn), believed to be a viking, given the Land by Edward the Confessor.

933 

King Athelstan of England gave lands including Totinge (Tooting) to the family of Chertsey Minster.

1086 

Tooting Bec and Tooting Graveney appear on the Domesday survey as two distinct areas, Upper and Lower Tooting.

1703 

Citizen Daniel Defoe was a Tooting Presbyterian Minister in hiding.

External link

• Tooting Web Site
• Tooting Message board
• Tooting Guest Book
• Tooting Popular Front Blog