The Balham housewife who transcribed compositions dictated to her by dead composers including Liszt, Chopin and Brahms. Mock mayoral elections held on Garratt Lane in the 18th century, accompanied by much debauchery. Donkey racing and pigeon shooting on the banks of the Thames, where  Battersea Park now stands. These are some of the weird and wonderful gems from the local history treasure trove that is the Wandsworth Heritage Service.

For Libraries Week, I’ll be running a free poetry workshop drawing on the rich resources of the Heritage Service. We’ll use books, pamphlets, maps and photos from the archives as source material for new poems, and explore different approaches to writing poems inspired by the past. The Weird Wandsworth Workshop is on Wednesday 10th October, 6-8pm, at Battersea Library. Book online or email heritage@gll.org to book a place.

Of course it’s on a Wednesday – all the Ws. Nothing weird about that.