| Strand | |
|---|---|
 | |
| History | |
| • Created | 1855 |
| • Abolished | 1900 |
| • Succeeded by | Metropolitan Borough of Westminster |
| Status | District |
| Government | Strand District Board of Works |
| • HQ | Tavistock Street |
Strand was alocal government district within the metropolitan area ofLondon,England, from 1855 to 1900.
Until 1889, the district was in the county ofMiddlesex, but included in the area of theMetropolitan Board of Works (MBW). In 1889, the area of the MBW was constituted as theCounty of London, and the district board became a local authority under theLondon County Council.
It was a similar area to theStrand Poor Law Union, which included St Anne, Soho and St Martin-in-the-Fields for only part of its existence. In 1885 theStrand Parliament constituency was formed covering a similar area, also including St Martin in the Fields. The district comprised the followingcivil parishes and places:[1]
| Parish or place | Status | Board members | Population 1851 | Population 1901 | Poor law |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty of the Rolls | Civil parish from 1866 | 3 | 2,567 | 252 | Strand Union |
| Precinct of the Savoy | Civil parish from 1866 | 1 | 372 | 252 | Strand Union |
| St Anne | Civil parish | 18 | 17,335 | 11,493 | Strand Union until 1868 then Westminster Union |
| St Clement Danes | Civil parish | 15 | 15,662 | 6,090 | Strand Union |
| St Mary le Strand | Civil parish | 3 | 2,517 | 494 | Strand Union |
| St Paul Covent Garden | Civil parish | 9 | 5,810 | 1,692 | Strand Union |
| Strand District | District | 49 | 44,263 | 20,273 | — |
The main part of the district was bounded on the east by theCity of London, on the north by theHolborn District and theSt Giles District, and on the west by the parish ofSt Martin in the Fields. The parish of St Anne formed anexclave to the west.[2]
The district was governed by theStrand District Board of Works, which consisted of forty-nine elected vestrymen: eighteen elected for the parish of St Anne Soho; fifteen for St Clement Danes; nine for St Paul Covent Garden; three each for St Mary le Strand and the Liberty of the Rolls and one for the Precinct of the Savoy.[3] The first elections were held in November 1855, when the entire membership of the board was elected. Thereafter elections for one third of the seats were held in May, beginning in the year 1857.[4]
Strand District was originally within the area of responsibility of theMetropolitan Board of Works and nominated one member to the MBW. In 1889 the area of the Metropolitan Board became theCounty of London, and Strand District Board of Works became a local council under theLondon County Council.
The district board established its headquarters at 22Tavistock Street,Covent Garden, in 1857, on a site leased from theDuke of Bedford.[5]
In 1899, theLondon Government Bill was introduced to Parliament. The bill sought to abolish the vestries and district boards in London and replace them with twenty-eightmetropolitan boroughs. One of the boroughs included in the schedule to the bill grouped together Strand District with the areas of three other boards and vestries in the Westminster area as a new borough. This was vigorously resisted by the Strand District Board of Works along with the vestries ofSt Martin in the Fields andSt James Westminster. Instead of what they dubbed "Greater Westminster", the three authorities instead proposed a Metropolitan Borough of The Strand, separate from Westminster, and with the same boundaries as theparliamentary borough of that name.[6] The campaign met with no success, and on November 1, 1900, the Strand District became part of theMetropolitan Borough of Westminster.
History of the formation of theCity of Westminster | ||
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| Metropolitan boroughs |  | |
| District boards | ||
| Parishes | ||
| Liberties | ||
