Clapham, Surrey

Description
Clapham, a metropolitan suburb, a parish, and parliamentary borough in Surrey. The suburb lies 4 miles SSW of St Paul's, London. It took its name from Osgod Clopa' or Clapa the Danish jarl, and was known at Domesday as Clopeham. It stood for ages as a detached village, but is now united with London through Lambeth, and it has long been a favourite residence. It consists largely of villas in many styles and of all descriptions. Clapham Common, an area of 200 acres, was an almost impassable marsh till about 1760, but is now dried by drains, intersected with carriage-drives, and tastefully adorned with trees and shrubs. Clapham New Park also is an ornate area, and both are surrounded with elegant dwellings. Holy Trinity Church was built in 1775 at a cost of £11,000, is a plain brick edifice, and contains the ashes of Dr Martin Lister, Dr Gillies the historian of Greece, and Bishop Jebb. St Paul's Church was built in 1814, on the site of the old parish church, which belonged to Merton priory, and it contains a monument for John Wilson by Chantrey, and has, against the exterior wall, a monument removed from the old church, of Treasurer Hewer of the time of Charles II., the "Will Hewer" of Pepys's Journal. There are various other churches and places of worship for all denominations of dissenters. The Freemasons' school, close to Clapham Junction railway station, is a red brick structure with a tower, and has accommodation for upwards of 300 daughters of deceased Freemasons. Nicholas Brady and Blackwall were rectors of Clapham; Lowman was a dissenting minister here for forty years, and Bishop Gauden, Henry Thomton, G. Sharp, W. Smith, and other distinguished men were residents. The parish comprises 1137 acres; population in 1841, 12,106; 1861, 20,894; 1891, 43,698. The population of the parliamentary borough is 96,021.