Walthamstow Charter Day Celebrations

Crowds cheer and the mayor speaks as Walthamstow celebrates becoming a municipal borough in 1929.

These are only brief highlights of the official ceremony that was held to mark Walthamstow’s Charter Day in 1929. They feature Mayor JH Thomas and other dignitaries speaking to crowds and exchanging official papers, flanked by soldiers on streets decorated with flags. In the background, a factory smokes.

Walthamstow’s rapid growth had seen increased demand for it become attached to London rather than Essex. A petition had been signed by 84% of locals in 1920, and Charter Day was eventually held in October 1929, ahead of the official changes in 1929. As with other Charter Days, it was a great social celebration. Buildings were decorated with flags and bunting, while school children, officials, cars and local groups paraded through the streets of Forest Road, Hoe Street and Orford Road. In 1965, Walthamstow would be merged into the new borough of Waltham Forest.