Tulse Hill could be renamed because of links to slave Trade

By Toby Porter and Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

Tulse Hill could be renamed if residents agree, because of its namesake’s links to the slave trade.

A survey by Lambeth council asked families for their views on the names of streets and the area itself as part of a community listening exercise.

Lambeth has begun a review of the borough and streets including Vassal Road, Holland Grove, Foxley Road and Foxley Square and Lord Holland Lane.

The area’s name is derived from Sir Henry Tulse who was lord mayor of London and he was the descendant of the Tulse family whose wealth come from the slave trade.

Tulse was part of the Royal African Company which traded in slaves from the continent until 1731.

Residents have been given four options: to rename the area, if information should be displayed, whether an education programme should be launched in state schools or if nothing should be done.

Streets within the area have also been named after Henry Richard Vassall-Fox and his wife Elizabeth Webster, both of whom owned slaves.

Also on the list are Rhodesia Road, the colonial name for Zambia and Zimbabwe derived from Cecil Rhodes, and Thurlow Road, named after Edward Thurlow who opposed the abolition of the slave trade.

A Lambeth Council spokesperson said they are working to assess local locations and their possible links to colonialism following the Black Lives Matter campaign.

They added: “Lambeth is a richly diverse borough, and the council has been a pioneer since the ‘80s for naming new places and new buildings to reflect local people.

“This latest piece of work required no extra spending, and has taken Government legislation on the issue fully into account.”

Former Conservative MP and Celebrity Fit Club contestant Ann Widdecombe said: “It is nothing short of ignorant, yet they’re going to spend oodles of money trying to pretend this chap never existed.

“I think we just have a sort of general madness now that’s lose. I’m waiting for the day when the RSPCA says we should astew any memorials to our ancestors who were cruel to woolly mammoths!

“We’ve got to that stupid stage and the idea that four hundred years ago, they would have the same degree of moral or empathetic development we have now is nothing short of ignorant.

“I don’t want to hear from any of these councils that they are short of money and that the Government should be giving them more, when they are spending it on nonsense like this.”