Place name
One of a cluster of roads in Wimbledon that are named after former prime ministers and statesmen of Victorian Britain. William Ewart Gladstone (December 29, 1809 – May 19, 1898) was a towering figure in Victorian politics, serving as prime minister for 12 years spread over four terms that began in 1868 and ended in 1894. His reforms saw the introduction of the secret ballot; the beginnings of the end of cronyism in the Civil Service replacing the old corrupt patronage system with competitive entrance exams; he abolished religious tests for university applicants; modernised of the British Army, scrapping the practice of selling officers’ commissions to aristocrats; he attempted to give Home Rule to Ireland; and was a champion of free trade. However, in more recent years some of his early actions have been questioned because his father had slaves on plantations in the Caribbean and he himself had spoken out against abolition. He had a colourful private life, walking the streets in search of fallen women, he also struggled with an addiction to pornography, and recorded episodes of self-flagellation in his diary.
