Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey

Bermondsey was one of twenty eight metropolitan boroughs of the County of London from 1900-1965. Its area now forms part of the London Borough of Southwark.

Creation and name
The borough was created by the London Government Act 1899 which came into effect in the following year. The act replaced the various incorporated Vestries and District Boards of Works that had governed the area at a local level since their creation by the Metropolis Management Act 1855 with Metropolitan Boroughs each governed by a Borough Council.

The first schedule of the 1899 legislation gave the areas of the new boroughs by reference to the old authorities, but did not give any names. These were to be decided by Boundary Commissioners who would take into account representations by local bodies and also make minor adjustments to boundaries to provide more efficient areas of administration. One of the boroughs was defined as: "The area consisting of the parishes of Rotherhithe, Bermondsey, Horsleydown, and St. Olave and St. Thomas, Southwark." The borough replaced the parish vestries of Bermondsey and Rotherhithe, and the St Olave District Board of Works (consisting of the two parishes of St John Horsleydown and Southwark St Olave and St Thomas).

At a meeting of the commissioners appointed under the 1899 act on 24 November 1899 at the Town Hall of the Bermondsey Vestry, the name for the new borough was discussed. Bermondsey Vestry strongly urged that the name "Bermondsey" be adopted, as the parish was the "predominating element in population, rateable value and acreage". They also pointed out the Bermondsey Abbey, although no longer extant, exceeded Westminster Abbey in antiquity. There was some discussion on whether "Southwark" could be included in the name: this was supported the City of London, but it became the neighbouring borough which in due course became the Metropolitan Borough of Southwark had a better claim. The representatives of St Olave's District Board suggested either "St Olave's" or "East Southwark" and were supported by Rotherhithe Vestry. The representative from the statistical department of the London County Council, who had looked into the historical associations of the parishes, strongly supported the name "St Olave's".

The name "Bermondsey" was chosen by the commissioners and the new borough was formally established by the Borough of Bermondsey Order in Council, 1900.

Area and population
The area of the borough in 1901 was 1499.6 statute acres. This subsequently increased to 1503 acres due to recliaming of land on the bank of the River Thames. The population at each census was recorded as follows:

Town hall
The town hall was on Spa Road, SE16, and was bombed during World War 2. After the war a neighbouring building was used and this is now used as offices for Southwark Council.

More information on the Wikipedia page.