Built circa 1770. The house and the estate were bought by Henry Thornton in 1792. William Wilberforce, his good friend, lived here until Thornton's marriage. Both men were MPs and important members of the Clapham Sect, which worked to abolish the slave trade. A purpose-built library in the house became the main meeting place of the sect. In spite of protests by preservationists, it was demolished in 1907 according to Wandsworth Council.
2017: Prompted by Nick Gunning on Facebook we re-investigated this house and found Sheela-na-Gig aka Jeanne Rathbone and Stuff about London. These give the history of this house and land, and the connections with E. M. Forster. We thank Nick for prompting this extra research.
Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk
