Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth

Lambeth
Motto: Spectemur Agendo (Let us be regarded according to our conduct)
Lambeth within the County of London
Geography
Status	Metropolitan borough
HQ	Brixton Hill
History
Origin	Lambeth parish
Created	1900
Abolished	1965
Succeeded by	London Borough of Lambeth
Politics
Governance	Lambeth Borough Council
Coat of arms of the borough council

The Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth was a Metropolitan borough under London County Council from 1900 to 1965.

History

The borough covered the area of the former Lambeth parish vestry. In addition to the historic riverside area of Lambeth, this included Kennington, Vauxhall, Stockwell, Brixton, the western part of Herne Hill, Tulse Hill and Norwood. In 1965 the borough was amalgamated with the Streatham and Clapham parts of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth to form the new London Borough of Lambeth.

Politics

The borough council was controlled by the Municipal Reform Party (allied to the Conservatives) until 1937, when the Labour Party gained power. Labour retained control until abolition in 1965.

For elections to parliament, the borough was divided into four constituencies, established in 1885:

• Lambeth, Brixton
• Lambeth, Kennington
• Lambeth, North
• Lambeth, Norwood

In 1950 the borough's representation was reduced to three seats:

• Lambeth, Brixton
• Lambeth, Norwood
• Lambeth, Vauxhall

Town hall

Lambeth Town Hall was built in Brixton in 1906 – 1908. It replaced the former vestry Hall at Kennington Green.^[1] The building is constructed of red brick and Portland stone, with a 41 metre high clock tower. Since 1965 it has formed the headquarters of the successor London Borough.

Population and area

The area of the borough in 1901 was 4,080 acres (16.5 km²). By 1961 it had increased slightly to 4,089 acres (16.5 km²). The borough was more than 7 miles (11.3 km) north to south, but only 2.75 miles (4.4 km) at its widest east to west. The population of the metropolitan borough as recorded at each census was as follows:

Civil Parish 1801–1899

Year[2]	1801	1811	1821	1831	1841	1851	1861	1871	1881	1891
Population	27,985	41,644	57,638	87,856	115,888	139,325	162,044	208,342	253,699	275,203

Metropolitan Borough 1900–1961

Year[3]	1901	1911	1921	1931	1941	1951	1961
Population	301,895	298,058	302,863	296,147	[4]	230,240	223,763

Coat of arms

Lambeth Town Hall in central Brixton

The original seal of the borough

When the borough was created in 1900, the corporation adopted a seal which was used in place of a coat of arms. The device was derived from that of the borough's forerunner, Lambeth Vestry. At the base of the seal was a lamb, a play on the name "Lambeth", and a symbol long used to represent the parish. The two shields were those of the Diocese of Canterbury and the Duchy of Cornwall. The first referred to Lambeth Palace, residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The second was to show that the Duchy owned estates in the Kennington area of the borough. The design was completed by the cypher of Queen Victoria, and the year of the borough's founding. This device can still be seen in the circular hall of Lambeth Town Hall.

In 1922 the borough obtained an official grant of arms from the College of Arms. The lamb was moved to the crest, on top of the helm. It was transformed into a paschal lamb supporting a pennon of St George. As a number of other crests featured a paschal lamb, a silver and blue wave, for the River Thames, was added. The arms themselves retained references to the Duchy of Cornwall (the black border charged with bezants or gold discs) and the Archbishop of Canterbury (the mitre and crozier). The red cross in the first quarter was taken from the arms of the London County Council, showing that the borough was in the county. The fourth quarter contained a gold and blue chequered pattern, the arms of the de Warennes, Earls of Surrey. This was included to show that Lambeth lay in the county of Surrey until 1889. The ermine patterning in the other quarter was said to stand for "purity and honour".^[5]

The motto adopted was Spectemur Agendo, a motto common to several local authorities in England. Although this is generally rendered in English as Judge us by our deeds, the official translation in Lambeth has traditionally been the more ponderous Let us be regarded according to our conduct.

On 22 February 1966 the arms were transferred by royal licence to the London Borough of Lambeth. On registration at the College of Arms, two gold stars were added in the second and third quarters to depict the addition of Clapham and Streatham to Lambeth.

References

1. ^ Lambeth Town Hall History
2. ^ Statistical Abstract for London, 1901 (Vol. IV); Census tables for Metropolitan Borough of Battersea
3. ^ Census Tables for the Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth, from the Vision of Britain
4. ^ The census was suspended for World War II
5. ^ Richard Crosley, London's Coats of Arms, 1928

Coordinates: 51°27′39″N 0°07′00″W / 51.4607°N 0.1166°W / 51.4607; -0.1166