The Metropolis Management Act 1855 (18 & 19 Vict. c. 120), also known as the Metropolis (Management) Act 1855 or the Metropolis Local Management Act 1855, is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that created the Metropolitan Board of Works, a London-wide body to co-ordinate the construction of the city's infrastructure. The act also created a second tier of local government consisting of parish vestries and district boards of works. The Metropolitan Board of Works was the forerunner of the London County Council.
Background The Royal Commission on the City of London considered the case for creation of an authority for the whole of London. Its report recommended the creation of a limited-function Metropolitan Board of Works and seven municipal corporations based on existing parliamentary representation.
Provisions
The Metropolitan Board of Works The act constituted the Metropolitan Board of Works and provided that its members should be chosen by the parish vestries and district boards also constituted by the act. The first election of members was to take place on 12 December 1855. From 1857, one third of the board was to go out of office on the third Wednesday of June every year. The board took over the powers, duties and liabilities of the Metropolitan Commission of Sewers and the Metropolitan Buildings Office. Its area of responsibility was to be that designated by the Registrar General as "London" in the 1851 census.
Vestries and district boards The second tier of local government was to be based on the existing vestries of civil parishes in an area comprising parts of the counties of Middlesex, Kent and Surrey. Larger areas were allowed to elect specific vestries, and smaller areas were represented by appointed district boards.
List of vestries, district boards and number of members elected to the Metropolitan Board of Works
+ Vestries and districts of the Metropolis 1855 The following were detached parts of parishes and districts: 5a Kensal Green; 15a Penge Hamlet; 34a St Anne; 35a detached portion of Streatham parish; 36a Kensington Gardens
Not shown is Clerkenwell Detached, an exclave of that parish within Hornsey, Middlesex.
Electing authority Number of members elected to MBWAdministrative headquartersCity of London 3GuildhallBermondsey Vestry (Surrey)1Town Hall, Spa Road, BermondseyBethnal Green Vestry (Middlesex)1Vestry Hall, Bethnal GreenCamberwell Vestry (Surrey)1Vestry Hall, Peckham RoadChelsea Vestry (Middlesex)1Town Hall, King's Road, ChelseaSt. James & St. John Clerkenwell Vestry (Middlesex)1Vestry Hall, 58 Rosomon Street, Clerkenwell (replaced by Town Hall in Rosebery Avenue 1895)Fulham District, comprising: Fulham (Middlesex) Hammersmith (Middlesex)1Town Hall, Walham GreenGreenwich District, comprising: Deptford St. Nicholas (Kent) Deptford St. Paul (Kent and Surrey) Greenwich (Kent)1 141 Greenwich Road, GreenwichHackney District, comprising: Hackney (Middlesex) Stoke Newington (Middlesex)1 Town Hall, HackneyHampstead Vestry (Middlesex)1Vestry Hall, Haverstock Hill, HampsteadHolborn District, comprising: Liberty of Glasshouse Yard (Middlesex) Liberty of Saffron Hill, Hatton Garden, Ely Rents and Ely Place (Middlesex) St Andrew Holborn Above the Bars with St George the Martyr (Middlesex) St Sepulchre (Middlesex)1Town Hall, Gray's Inn RoadIslington St Mary Vestry (Middlesex)2Vestry Hall, Upper Street, IslingtonKensington Vestry (Middlesex)1Town Hall, KensingtonLambeth Vestry (Surrey)2Vestry Hall, Kennington GreenLewisham District comprising: Lewisham (Kent) Sydenham Chapelry (Kent) Penge Township (Surrey)1 member jointly with Plumstead DistrictCatfordLimehouse District comprising: Limehouse (Middlesex) Ratcliff (Middlesex) Shadwell (Middlesex) Wapping (Middlesex)1White Horse Street, Commercial RoadHamlet of Mile End Old Town Vestry (Middlesex)1 Vestry Hall, Bancroft Road, Mile End RoadNewington Vestry (Surrey)1Vestry Hall, Walworth RoadPaddington Vestry (Middlesex)1Vestry Hall, Harrow RoadPlumstead District comprising: Charlton-next-Woolwich (Kent) Eltham (Kent) Kidbrooke (Kent) Lee (Kent) Plumstead (Kent)1 member jointly with Lewisham DistrictOld CharltonPoplar District comprising: Bow (Middlesex) Bromley (Middlesex) Poplar (Middlesex)1117 High Street, PoplarRotherhithe Vestry (Surrey)1 member jointly with St Olave DistrictPublic Baths, Lower Road, RotherhitheSt George Hanover Square Vestry (Middlesex)2Vestry Hall, Mount Street, Grosvenor SquareSt George in the East Vestry (Middlesex)1 Vestry Hall, Cable StreetSt Giles District comprising: St Giles in the Fields (Middlesex) St George's Bloomsbury (Middlesex)1197 High HolbornSt Luke Middlesex Vestry (Middlesex)1 Vestry Hall, City Road (extraterritorially in Shoreditch St Leonard)St Martin in the Fields Vestry (Middlesex)1Town Hall, Charing Cross RoadSt Marylebone Vestry (Middlesex)2Court House, Marylebone LaneSt Olave District comprising: Southwark St John Horsleydown (Surrey) Southwark St Olave (Surrey) Southwark St Thomas (Surrey)1 member jointly with Rotherhithe VestryVine Street, Tooley Street, SouthwarkSt Pancras Vestry (Middlesex)2Vestry Hall, Pancras RoadSt Saviour's District comprising: Southwark Christchurch (Surrey) Southwark St Saviour (Surrey)13 Emerson Street, BanksideShoreditch St Leonard Vestry (Middlesex)2 Shoreditch Town Hall, Old StreetSouthwark St George the Martyr Vestry (Surrey)1 Vestry Hall, 81 Borough RoadStrand District comprising: Liberty of the Rolls (Middlesex) St Anne Within the Liberty of Westminster (Middlesex) St Clement Danes (Middlesex) St Mary le Strand (Middlesex) St Paul Covent Garden (Middlesex) Precinct of the Savoy (Middlesex)1 5 Tavistock StreetWandsworth District comprising: Battersea (Surrey) Clapham (Surrey) Putney (Surrey) Streatham (Surrey) Tooting Graveney (Surrey) Wandsworth (Surrey)1 East Hill, WandsworthWestminster District comprising: Westminster St Margaret and St John (Middlesex)1Town Hall, Caxton Street, WestminsterWestminster St James Vestry (Middlesex)1Vestry Hall, PiccadillyWhitechapel District comprising: Mile End New Town (Middlesex) Liberty of Norton Folgate (Middlesex) Old Artillery Ground (Middlesex) St Botolph without Aldgate (Middlesex) Spitalfields (Middlesex) Whitechapel (Middlesex)1 15 Great Alie Street, WhitechapelWoolwich Local Board (Kent)1Town Hall, Woolwich
A number of extra-parochial places lay within the Metropolitan Board of Works' area but were not included in any district: Inner Temple Middle Temple London Charterhouse Close of the Collegiate Church of St Peter (i.e. Westminster Abbey) Furnival's Inn Gray's Inn Lincoln's Inn Staple Inn
Changes in later legislation On 25 March 1886, following the passing of the Metropolis Management Amendment Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict. c. 33), the Fulham District Board of Works was dissolved and vestries of Hammersmith and Fulham were incorporated, with elections to the Metropolitan Board of Works to be held on that date. Fulham Vestry continued to use the existing town hall at Walham Green, while Hammersmith Vestry built a town hall at Hammersmith Broadway.
In 1889, the Local Government Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict. c. 41) replaced the Metropolitan Board of Works with the London County Council, and the area of the board became the County of London. From that date, the various parishes were separated from Middlesex, Kent and Surrey and placed for all purposes in the new county, while the vestries and district boards continued to function under the aegis of the new county council.
In 1894, the Hackney District Board of Works was dissolved, with the vestries of Hackney and Stoke Newington assuming the powers of the district board. Stoke Newington Vestry built a town hall at 126 Church Street. At the same time, the Vestry of the Parish of Plumstead became a separate authority, with the remaining four parishes of Plumstead District being reconstituted as Lee District Board of Works.
In 1896, the parishes of Southwark St Olave and St Thomas were combined as a civil parish.
In 1900, the London Government Act 1899 (62 & 63 Vict. c. 14) replaced vestries and district boards with metropolitan boroughs.
Subsequent developments Sections 213 and 214 of the act were repealed by section 1(1) of, and the first schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1950 (14 Geo. 6. c. 6), which came into force on 23 May 1950.
, the majority of the act has been repealed with only sections 239 and 240 remaining in force. Section 239 deals with the maintenance of enclosed gardens and section 240 relates to obligations under the Crown Estate Paving Act 1851 (14 & 15 Vict. c. 95).Metropolis Management Act 1855, s. 239-240
Notes
References
Bibliography Metropolis Local Management Bill, Hansard
External links