Metropolitan Borough of Paddington

Paddington
Paddington
	Paddington Town Hall
	; Paddington within the County of London
Area
• 1911	1,356 acres (5.49 km2)
• 1931	1,357 acres (5.49 km2)
• 1961	1,355 acres (5.48 km2)
Population
• 1911	142,551
• 1931	144,923
• 1961	116,923
Density
• 1911	105 inhabitants per acre (260/ha)
• 1931	107 inhabitants per acre (260/ha)
• 1961	86 inhabitants per acre (210/ha)
History
• Origin	Ancient parish
• Abolished	1965
• Succeeded by	City of Westminster
Status	Civil parish (until 1900); Metropolitan borough (1900–1965)
Government	Paddington Vestry (until 1900, reformed 1855); Paddington Borough Council (1900–1965)
• HQ	Paddington Town Hall, Harrow Road
	; Coat of arms of Paddington Borough Council
	Map of boundary

Paddington was a civil parish and metropolitan borough in London, England. It was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, governed by an administrative vestry. The parish was included in the area of responsibility of the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1855 and became part of the County of London in 1889. The parish of Paddington became a metropolitan borough in 1900, following the London Government Act 1899, with the parish vestry replaced by a borough council. In 1965 the borough was abolished and its former area became part of the City of Westminster in Greater London.

History

Topographical survey of a Parliamentary Borough shown divided into its other mainstream civic uses, from west to east, into Paddington, St. Marylebone, and St. Pancras Parishes. Engraving by B.R. Davies, 1145 x 950mm, dated 1834, following the better enfranchisement of the area under the Reform Act 1832.

Its area covered that part of the current City of Westminster west of Edgware Road and Maida Vale, and north of Bayswater Road. Places in the borough included Paddington, Westbourne Green, Bayswater, Maida Hill, Queens Park, Kensal Green, West Kilburn, Maida Vale. To the south it bordered the Metropolitan Borough of Westminster, to the east, the Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone.

The borough was abolished on 1 April 1965 by the London Government Act 1963 and its former area merged with that of the Metropolitan Borough of Westminster and the Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone to form the present-day City of Westminster.

Borough council

Coat of arms

Bridge roundel with the original borough seal and the year 1900, including the VR designation for Queen Victoria

The borough council's coat of arms, granted by the College of Arms on 5 April 1902, was based on the former Paddington vestry seal. The seal featured crossed swords from the arms of the See of London passing through a mural crown, symbol of local government. To these were added the wolves' heads and blue background from the arms of the first Mayor of the Borough, Sir John Aird.^[1]^[2] Sir John, who was member of parliament for Paddington North, also donated the mayoral badge and chain.^[3]

The arms were blazoned as follows:

Azure, two Swords in Saltire proper pommels and hilts Or enfiled with a Mural Crown of the last. Two Wolves heads erased in Chief Argent.^[2]^[3]

Town hall

Paddington Town Hall, designed by James Lockyer in the Classical style, dated from 1853.^[4] The building, originally the Vestry Hall, was situated on Paddington Green. It was enlarged in 1900 and 1920. Following its closure in 1965, it was demolished to make way for the Westway urban motorway.^[5]

Population and area

The area of Paddington Metropolitan Borough was 1,357 acres (5.5 km²), once part of Kensal New Town was added after 1901. The population recorded in the Census was:

Paddington Vestry 1801–1899

Population	1,881	4,609	6,476	14,540	25,173	46,305	75,784	96,813	107,058	117,846
Year^[6]	1801	1811	1821	1831	1841	1851	1861	1871	1881	1891

Metropolitan Borough 1900–1961

Population	143,976	142,551	144,261	144,923	^[8]	125,463	116,923
Year^[7]	1901	1911	1921	1931	1941	1951	1961

Note that the population statistics up to 1891 exclude the area of Kensal Town transferred from Chelsea in 1900.

Politics

Borough council

A map showing the wards of Paddington Metropolitan Borough as they appeared in 1916.

Under the Metropolis Management Act 1855 any parish that exceeded 2,000 ratepayers was to be divided into wards; as such the incorporated vestry of Paddington was divided into four wards (electing vestrymen): No. 1 (12), No. 2 (18), No. 3 (18) and No. 4 (24).^[9]^[10]

In 1894 as its population had increased the incorporated vestry was re-divided into six wards (electing vestrymen): Harrow Road (12), Maida Vale (9), Church (12), Westbourne (12), Lancaster Gate (15) and Hyde Park (12).^[11]^[12]

The metropolitan borough was divided into eight wards for elections: Church, Harrow Road, Hyde Park, Lancaster Gate East, Lancaster Gate West, Maida Vale, Queen's Park and Westbourne.^[13]^[14]

Parliament constituency

For elections to Parliament, the borough was divided into two and a half constituencies:

In 1918 the borough's representation was reduced to two seats:

References

^ Scott-Giles, C Wilfrid (1953). Civic Heraldry of England and Wales, 2nd edition. London: J M Dent & Sons. p. 257.
^ ^a ^b Crossley, Richard (1928). London's Coats of Arms and the Stories They Tell. London: Robert Scott. pp. 162–164.
^ ^a ^b Beningfield, T J (1964). London 1900–1964. Armorial bearings and regalia of the London County Council, The Corporation of London and The Metropolitan Boroughs. London: Ed J Burrow & Co. Ltd. pp. 129–130.
^ Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England: London except the Cities of London and Westminster Harmondsworth 1952
^ "Commemorative Green Plaque for the site of the Paddington Town Hall, at the junction of Hermitage Street and Harrow Road, W2" (PDF). Westminster City Council. 21 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
^ Statistical Abstract for London, 1901 (Vol. IV); Census tables for Metropolitan Borough of Paddington
^ Paddington MetB: Census Tables accessed 19 June 2007
^ The census was suspended for World War II''
^ The London Gazette Issue: 21802. 20 October 1855. pp. 3879–3881. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
^ "H.M.S.O. Boundary Commission Report 1885 Paddington Map". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
^ The London Gazette Issue: 26526. 26 June 1894. p. 3671. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
^ The London Gazette Issue: 26548. 4 September 1894. pp. 5150–5152. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
^ Post Office London County Suburbs Directory, 1919. 1919. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
^ Ordnance Survey 'County Series 3rd Edition' Map of London (1912-14) at 1:2500 scale. Accessed at https://www.old-maps.co.uk/

v t e Local government districts abolished or transferred by the London Government Act 1963
London CC	Battersea Bermondsey Bethnal Green Camberwell Chelsea Deptford Finsbury Fulham Greenwich Hackney Hammersmith Hampstead Holborn Islington Kensington Lambeth Lewisham Paddington Poplar Shoreditch Southwark St. Marylebone St. Pancras Stepney Stoke Newington Wandsworth Westminster Woolwich	Constituent parts of Greater London
Essex	Barking Chigwell (part) Chingford Dagenham East Ham Hornchurch Ilford Leyton Romford Walthamstow Wanstead and Woodford West Ham
Hertfordshire	Barnet East Barnet
Middlesex, CC	Acton Brentford and Chiswick Ealing Edmonton Enfield Feltham Finchley Friern Barnet Harrow Hayes and Harlington Hendon Heston and Isleworth Hornsey Ruislip-Northwood Southall Southgate Tottenham Twickenham Uxbridge Wembley Willesden Wood Green Yiewsley and West Drayton
Kent	Beckenham Bexley Bromley Chislehurst and Sidcup Crayford Erith Orpington Penge
Surrey	Barnes Beddington and Wallington Carshalton Coulsdon and Purley Croydon Kingston-upon-Thames Malden and Coombe Merton and Morden Mitcham Sutton and Cheam Surbiton Richmond Wimbledon
Transfers	Middlesex to Hertfordshire: Potters Bar Middlesex to Surrey: Staines Sunbury-on-Thames

v t e History of the formation of the City of Westminster
Metropolitan boroughs	St Marylebone Paddington Westminster
District boards	Strand Westminster
Parishes	Close of the Collegiate Church of St Peter Liberty of the Rolls Precinct of the Savoy St Anne Within the Liberty of Westminster St Clement Danes St George Hanover Square St Martin-in-the-Fields St Mary le Strand St Paul Covent Garden Westminster St James Westminster St Margaret and St John
Liberties	The Savoy Westminster

v t e Metropolitan Board of Works
Boards of works	Fulham Greenwich Hackney Holborn Lee/Plumstead Lewisham Limehouse Poplar St Giles St Olave St Saviour's Strand Wandsworth Westminster Whitechapel	Headquarters at Spring Gardens
Incorporated vestries	Battersea Bermondsey Bethnal Green Camberwell Chelsea Clerkenwell Fulham Hackney Hammersmith Hampstead Islington Kensington Lambeth Mile End Old Town Newington Paddington Plumstead Rotherhithe St George Hanover Square St George in the East St Luke's St Martin-in-the-Fields St Marylebone St Pancras Shoreditch Southwark St George the Martyr Stoke Newington Westminster St Margaret and St John Westminster St James Woolwich
Undertakings	Metropolitan Buildings Office Metropolitan Commission of Sewers Metropolitan Fire Brigade
Major works	Charing Cross Road Hammersmith Bridge London sewer system Northumberland Avenue Putney Bridge Southwark Street Shaftesbury Avenue Thames Embankment Waterloo Bridge
Legislation	Royal Commission on the City of London Metropolis Management Act 1855 Metropolis Management Amendment Act 1885 Local Government Act 1888 London Government Act 1899
People	Francis Fowler Frederick Marrable James McGarel-Hogg John Thwaites Joseph Bazalgette List of members

Metropolitan Borough of Paddington

History

Borough council

Coat of arms

Town hall

Population and area

Politics

Borough council

Parliament constituency

See also

References

Further reading