Honestly, you haven't had the full Tooting experience until you've been on a legendary Halloween 'Spooking Tooting' Tour! 'COWER TO THE PEOPLE' as Geoff reveals stories from the dark side of this fascinating corner of south west London. Its Victorian cemeteries, antique lamp-posts and narrow cobbled alleyways soaked in history are the perfect back-drop for this much-loved annual deep-dive into the dark side of Tooting's troubled past. Add a twist to your Halloween with tales about despicable Mr Drouet, the Acid Bath Murderer, the haunting of the Granada Bingo Hall, The Knifeman of St George's Hospital, the Misery Line Maniac, the 'blood diamonds' of Salvador Alley and the dastardly plot hatched by The Icing Sugar Seven... We'll also take you for a walk down what is without question, Tooting's scariest Halloween street, home to the terrifying Skeleton House... This two hour ramble in the company of history lovers and those with a thirst for the offbeat and quirky is so much fun and a great way to find out a bit about 'Planet Tooting'.
Geoff Simmons runs a community history project in south west London called Summerstown182 alongside his job as a graphic designer. This involves Guided Walks and Talks, working with schools and putting up plaques. Over the last ten years a trail of these have emerged along the Wandle Valley, shining a light on some of the lesser-known history in this area. They range from the youngest soldier to serve this country in the First World War to a ground-breaking plaque acknowledging Romany Gypsy and Traveller heritage in Wandsworth. 'Planet Tooting' is an ongoing initiative championing the outstanding migrant contribution to our neighbourhood which resulted in a blue plaque on Tooting Market. He's also celebrated Titanic bugler, Percy Fletcher, the reggae superstars of Mixed Blessings Bakery and 'Lost Woman of British Jazz' Sadie Crawford. Have a look on Geoff's blog for more details or follow @summerstown182 on social media.
