Mortlake

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other places with the same name, see Mortlake (disambiguation).

Mortlake

Coordinates: 51.4655° N 0.2643° W
OS grid reference	TQ205755
London borough	Richmond
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	SW14
Dial code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
UK Parliament	Richmond Park
London Assembly	South West
European Parliament	London
List of places: UK • England • London

Mortlake is a part of south west London between Sheen and Barnes and bounded by the river Thames to the north. It is part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.

Its most famous former resident is Elizabeth I's advisor, John Dee.

The cemetery of St Mary Magdalene's Church in Mortlake contains the tomb of Sir Richard Burton.

Since 1845, the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race has had its finish point at Mortlake, marked by the University Boat Race stone just downstream of Chiswick Bridge. Several other important rowing races over the Championship Course also either start or finish at the stone.

The village of Mortlake appears in the Domesday book, and the manor belonged to the Archbishops of Canterbury until the time of Henry VIII, when it passed by exchange to the Crown.

From the early part of the 17th century until after the civil wars, Mortlake was celebrated for the manufacture of tapestry.

The origin of the name is obscured by time but it is not, contrary to popular belief, from being a plague burial site. A "mortlake" is another name for an oxbow but there is no lake now, and the village was already established hundreds of years before the plague. The name is almost certainly derived from the name of an early saxon chief "MORTA" and his part of the Thames, his "LAKE", which word meant a stretch of running water then rather than its modern meaning. The excellent fishing of salmon from the Thames here was the main reason for the settlement of the village.

Little is left today of Mortlake highstreet. The Stag Brewery, formerly owned by Watney's and then Scottish Courage, is now leased to Anheuser-Busch Europe Ltd and produces the American lager Budweiser, often sending the smell of hops over a wide area when the wind changes direction.

Mortlake bus garage situated in Avondale Road was closed in 1983. Much of the site was rebuilt as housing but a small area near the railway was retained as a turning point for buses, with toilet facilities and a small office. Mortlake garage had opened very early in the 20th century and originally catered for horse buses. In later years the stables were converted into the traffic office.

The Mortlake & Barnes Common ward of Richmond-upon-Thames London Borough Council is highly marginal. Following the 2006 local elections, the Liberal Democrats currently hold all three seats in the ward (and, indeed, hold a majority on the Council). The local MP, Susan Kramer (Richmond Park), is also a Liberal Democrat. On a Greater London level, Mortlake falls within the Greater London Assembly seat of South West London. The elected member for this GLA seat is the Conservative Party's Tony Arbour.