Walthamstow West

Walthamstow West
Former borough constituency
for the House of Commons
County1918–1965: Essex
1965–1974: Greater London
1918–1974 (1974)
Created fromWalthamstow
Replaced byWalthamstow

Walthamstow West was a borough constituency in what is now the London Borough of Waltham Forest, but was until 1965 the Walthamstow Urban District of Essex. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The constituency was created for the 1918 general election, and abolished for the February 1974 general election, when it was combined with part of the former Walthamstow East to form the new Walthamstow constituency.

Boundaries

1918–1950: The Urban District of Walthamstow wards of High Street, Higham Hill, and St James Street.

1950–1974: The Borough of Walthamstow wards of High Street, Higham Hill, and St James Street.

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party Notes
1918 Charles Jesson National Democratic
Jan 1922 National Liberal
Nov 1922 Valentine McEntee Labour
1924 Horace Crawfurd Liberal
1929 Valentine McEntee Labour
1950 Clement Attlee Labour Member for Limehouse (1922–1950)
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1945–1951)
Leader of the Opposition (1951–1955)
Elevated to the peerage on 16 December 1955
1956 by-election Edward Redhead Labour Died 15 April 1967
1967 by-election Fred Silvester Conservative
1970 Eric Deakins Labour Contested Walthamstow following redistribution
Feb 1974 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Walthamstow West[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
C National Democratic Charles Jesson 7,330 51.6
Labour Valentine McEntee 4,167 29.3
Liberal Emslie Horniman 2,707 19.1
Majority 3,163 22.3
Turnout 14,204 47.0
Registered electors
National Democratic win (new seat)
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Walthamstow West[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Valentine McEntee 8,758 43.3 +13.9
National Liberal Charles Jesson 6,253 30.9 –20.7
Liberal Horace Crawfurd 5,228 25.8 +6.8
Majority 2,505 12.4 N/A
Turnout 20,239 63.8 +16.8
Registered electors
Labour gain from National Liberal Swing +17.3
General election 1923: Walthamstow West[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Valentine McEntee 10,026 47.6 +4.3
Liberal Horace Crawfurd 8,234 39.0 +13.2
Unionist Jabeez Lyne 2,832 13.4 New
Majority 1,792 8.6 −3.8
Turnout 21,092 65.5 +1.7
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing -4.5
General election 1924: Walthamstow West[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Horace Crawfurd 12,991 50.9 +21.9
Labour Valentine McEntee 12,521 49.1 +1.5
Majority 470 1.8 −6.8
Turnout 25,512 75.5 +10.0
Registered electors
Liberal gain from Labour Swing
General election 1929: Walthamstow West[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Valentine McEntee 16,050 54.0 −4.9
Liberal Horace Crawfurd 9,470 31.9 −18.0
Unionist Frederick C Bramston 4,184 14.1 New
Majority 6,580 22.1 N/A
Turnout 29,704 73.3 −2.2
Registered electors
Labour gain from Liberal Swing +7.0

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Walthamstow West[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Valentine McEntee 14,144 45.14
Conservative Claude Herbert Grundy 13,137 41.93
Liberal Sydney Robinson 4,053 12.93
Majority 1,007 3.21
Turnout 31,334 72.82
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing
General election 1935: Walthamstow West[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Valentine McEntee 17,613 61.83
Conservative Thomas Claude Catty 10,874 38.17
Majority 6,739 23.66
Turnout 28,487 64.97
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing

Election in the 1940s

General election 1945: Walthamstow West[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Valentine McEntee 17,460 65.22 +3.39
Liberal Lancelot Spicer 4,760 17.78 New
Conservative Leslie Charles Curran 4,550 17.00 −21.17
Majority 12,700 47.44
Turnout 26,770 70.14
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Walthamstow West[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Clement Attlee 21,095 60.46 –4.76
Conservative John Arthur Paul 8,988 25.76 +8.76
Liberal Alan Whitfield Pim 4,102 11.76 –6.02
Labour Independent Group Lester Hutchinson 704 2.02 New
Majority 12,107 34.70
Turnout 34,889
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing -6.76
General election 1951: Walthamstow West[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Clement Attlee 23,021 66.79 +6.33
Conservative Edward du Cann 11,447 33.21 +7.15
Majority 11,574 33.58 −1.12
Turnout 34,468 81.94
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing -0.41
General election 1955: Walthamstow West[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Clement Attlee 19,327 65.73 −1.06
Conservative Richard Hornby 10,077 34.27 +1.06
Majority 9,250 31.46 −2.12
Turnout 29,404 72.48 −9.46
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing -1.06
1956 Walthamstow West by-election[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Edward Redhead 13,388 64.68 −1.05
Conservative Richard Hornby 4,184 20.21 −14.06
Liberal Oliver Smedley 3,037 14.67 New
Independent Bill Boaks 89 0.43 New
Majority 9,204 44.47 +13.01
Turnout 20,698
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing
General election 1959: Walthamstow West[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Edward Redhead 15,980 54.95
Conservative Harry Midgley 7,872 27.07
Liberal Oliver Smedley 5,229 17.98
Majority 8,108 27.88
Turnout 29,081 76.08
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Walthamstow West[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Edward Redhead 14,405 56.2
Conservative Edward Michael Ogden 6,780 26.5 –1.7
Liberal Colin Allen Hart-Leverton 4,437 17.3
Majority 7,625 29.8
Turnout 25,622 72.2
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing
General election 1966: Walthamstow West[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Edward Redhead 14,665 61.2 +5.0
Conservative Frederick Silvester 5,940 24.8
Liberal Donald W. Bramley 3,370 14.1
Majority 8,725 36.4
Turnout 23,975 71.0
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing
By-election 1967: Walthamstow West[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frederick Silvester 6,652 37.1 +12.3
Labour Eric Deakins 6,590 36.7 ―24.5
Liberal Margaret Wingfield 4,105 22.9 +8.8
Anti-Common Market Oliver Smedley 542 3.0 New
Independent Robin Allen 63 0.4 New
Majority 62 0.3 N/A
Turnout 17,952
Registered electors
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Election in the 1970s

General election 1970: Walthamstow West[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Eric Deakins 12,472 54.5 ―6.7
Conservative Frederick Silvester 7,870 34.6 +9.9
Liberal Ian W. Roxburgh 2,564 11.2 ―2.9
Majority 4,602 20.2 ―16.2
Turnout 22,906 65.14 ―5.9
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Craig, Fred W. S (1969). British parliamentary election results, 1918-1949. Political Reference Publications. ISBN 0900178019. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Craig, Fred W. S (1983). British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 (2nd ed.). Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0900178078. Retrieved 5 April 2025.