Local Government

In the 19th century Ham village was administered mainly by a parochial Vestry.  Until St Andrews was built in 1832 the Vestry met at the New Inn.   As the century wore on and the population increased central government took more control through a series of Acts.  Ham belonged to the Kingston Board of Guardians. By 1848 there were 8 almshouses in Ham.  By 1892 three had been demolished and six erected and endowed by the Hon Mrs Tollemache of Ham House, still in existence today.

Petersham joined the Borough of Richmond in 1892 but in 1894 Ham became a civil parish governed by an Urban District Council of 10 elected members.  The council offices were at the top of Lock Road.

By 1932 Parliament had decided that small districts must go and Surrey County Council proposed that either all Ham should go to Richmond or that Ham Common and the old village part of Ham to Richmond and the part around Cellon and the Leyland Motor Works to Kingston.  The latter suggestion was successful.  In July 1933 the Richmond part of Ham was combined with Petersham into a new Sudbrook ward with three councillors.  Ham immediately became an area for Council development, first by slum clearance from Richmond, then as the main centre for council house building.  Ham eventually had more than four times as many as anywhere else in the borough except Mortlake.  Some boundary changes with Kingston took place in 1994 and the ward we extended in 2002 to include part of south Richmond and is now called Ham, Petersham and Richmond Riverside Ward.

Topics faced by Ham Urban Distict Council from 1930 to 1933

Minutes from all its committees for the year 1932 are avilable on linked pages.

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