Clapham Common was mentioned in the 1086 Doomesday Book as a place for the grazing of livestock. It is situated across Clapham, Battersea and Balham in London. As a result of the Metropolitan Commons Act 1878, the 210-acre Clapham Common has been converted into today’s triangle park. Due to it being such a large space there are meadows, grasslands and a network of paths. Three ponds, three cafes, toilets, playgrounds, a skatepark, paddling pool and much more. In the centre of the park is a Victorian bandstand, the largest in London.
Large Georgian and Victorian mansions overlook the Common. There is also the Holy Trinity Clapham, an 18th-century Georgian church which was ‘home’ to the Clapham Sect. Back in 2014, I went on a tour organised by Black History Walks where I learned about how the Clapham Sect were local evangelical reformers and abolitionists of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. This included William Wilberforce, Lord Teignmouth and Henry Thornton who saw their campaigning work rewarded with firstly the passing of the Slave Trade Act 1807 and then the passing of the Slavery Abolition Act 1833. These are Acts of Parliament the country can be proud of. Here I was back again, this time to run.
This London parkrun started in March 2018 and was given the go-ahead partly to take the pressure off Tooting Common parkrun, which we visited back in January this year, and had an unsustainable amount of participants. Clapham Common parkrun although only being on event #176 on the day we ran attracted 958 participants with Tooting Common parkrun attracting 668 on the same day. I’m hoping this demand for a Saturday morning 5k might lead to parkruns being started nearby at Battersea Park, Streatham Common or both.
Clapham Common parkrun course is two flat laps of a clockwise course. Starting near the football pitches near Broomwood Road, the course heads down to the perimeter on grass and trail alongside the Ave and past Battersea Woods before a 90-degree turn for about 100m and then another 90-degree, turning onto a wide tree-lined path taking us down to the bandstand then turning right back to the start for the second lap.
As we were travelling home I could feel a strange ache in my thighs which upon reflection I realised is the feeling when I’ve tried to run too fast in shoes that have too much wear. This manufacturer, Brooks, suggests 500k as the optimal amount of mileage in a pair of their shoes. I track the mileage of my running shoes using the Strava app and my concerns were confirmed, I’d done 570k in this pair. This was confirmation that I needed to retire these shoes for running fast and buy a new pair. Strava offers a free account which I would recommend just to access this feature.
Next week we will be travelling to Orpington parkrun another of the London Parkruns hopefully with a new pair of running shoes and perhaps a quicker time 🙂
Happy running
Interesting read and so good to see parkruns growing popularity
George Hibbert lived by Clapham Common too and rubbed shoulders in the same church as the Sect. I wouldn't say UK should be "proud" as they were a lead perpetrator of this vast cruel legacy - the ending of the trade saw no compensation to the victims and UK went on to replace the enslaved with the indentured, but thatr's another story.
Love the historic elements of your write ups. I learn something new everytime I read one. Thank you for keeping them going. Delightful!