Postponed: Planet Tooting: Celebrating Tooting's Migrant Heritage

This event has been postponed following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. More information about a new date will follow in due course.

Guided by Geoff Simmons, this walk will be a prelude to the unveiling of a blue plaque acknowledging the outstanding migrant contribution to the Tooting area. 

The Tooting-Wandsworth area of south-west London is rich in history and the contribution of migrants dates back centuries to the arrival of French Huguenots. As its expanding population saw it turn from a village to a suburb, a wave of Jewish tailoring businesses saw Tooting High Street flourish. Over the last seventy years the arrival of a migrant population helped rebuild a shattered post-war country, whether through constructing homes, staffing London Transport and the newly-formed NHS or introducing their music and cuisine.

This walk features the streets that shaped Sadiq Khan, St George's Hospital, two outstanding indoor markets and a spectacular array of restaurants, eateries and shops reflecting a population who have come here from all over the world. They have undoubtedly helped Tooting evolve into one of the most vibrant, cohesive and diverse communities in London.

A competition among local schools invited young people to consider how migration has enriched their community and the words of the winner are included on the plaque. The walk will end at 4pm with the unveiling of the plaque at Tooting Market where so many of these migrant people have worked or shopped.

This walk is free to the public thanks to funding from the Mayor of London's Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm.