Chelsea — UK General Election Results
Chelsea was won by Conservative at the 1992 general election, with a majority of 12,779 votes over Labour. This page covers every general election in Chelsea from 1868 to 1992.
This constituency elected more than one MP at once in some years. Before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (and in a shrinking number of boroughs through 1948), most UK constituencies elected two or more MPs together by "multi-member plurality" (block vote): each elector could cast one vote per available seat, and the top vote-getters overall were all elected. In those elections below, "Elected" lists every MP returned, "Votes" is the count that secured the last seat, and "Majority" is the gap between that seat and the first candidate who missed out.
Full Election History, 1868–1992
| Election | Elected | Votes | Vote Share | Runner-up | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1868 | Charles Wentworth Dilke (Liberal); Henry Ainslie Hoare (Liberal) | 7,183 | 32.5% (top seat) | William Howard Russell (Conservative) | 3,006 (13.3 pts) | 65.1% |
| 1874 | Charles Wentworth Dilke (Liberal); William Gordon (Conservative) | 7,172 | 31.3% (top seat) | Henry Ainslie Hoare (Liberal) | 471 (2.0 pts) | 48.9% |
| 1880 | Charles Wentworth Dilke (Liberal); Joseph Firth Bottomley Firth (Liberal) | 12,046 | 28.5% (top seat) | Algernon Hawkins Thomond Keith-Falconer (Conservative) | 2,380 (5.5 pts) | 70.4% |
| 1885 | Charles Wentworth Dilke (Liberal) | 4,291 | 51.0% | Charles Algernon Whitmore (Conservative) | 175 (2.1 pts) | 75.7% |
| 1886 | Charles Algernon Whitmore (Conservative) | 4,304 | 51.0% | Charles Wentworth Dilke (Liberal) | 176 (2.1 pts) | 75.9% |
| 1892 | Charles Algernon Whitmore (Conservative) | 4,993 | 53.0% | Benjamin Francis Conn Costelloe (Liberal) | 566 (6.0 pts) | 74.9% |
| 1895 | Charles Algernon Whitmore (Conservative) | 5,524 | 60.5% | Octavius Holmes Beatty (Liberal) | 1,920 (21.0 pts) | 68.1% |
| 1900 | Charles Algernon Whitmore (Conservative) | 4,637 | 58.4% | James Jeffery (Liberal) | 1,331 (16.8 pts) | 62.4% |
| 1906 | Emslie John Horniman (Liberal) | 4,660 | 53.6% | Charles Algernon Whitmore (Conservative) | 629 (7.2 pts) | 75.3% |
| Dec 1910 | Samuel John Gurney Hoare (Conservative) | 4,968 | 60.5% | Hugh Edward Hoare (Liberal) | 1,719 (20.9 pts) | 73.0% |
| Jan 1910 | Samuel John Gurney Hoare (Conservative) | 5,610 | 58.1% | Emslie John Horniman (Liberal) | 1,562 (16.2 pts) | 85.8% |
| 1918 | Samuel Hoare (Unionist) | 9,159 | 79.1% | Emily Phipps (Independent Progressive) | 6,740 (58.2 pts) | 46.6% |
| 1922 | Samuel John Gurney Hoare (Unionist) | 13,437 | 74.9% | Betrand Arthur William Russell (Labour) | 8,924 (49.7 pts) | 63.1% |
| 1923 | Samuel John Gurney Hoare (Unionist) | 10,461 | 57.0% | Bertrand Arthur William Russell (Labour) | 5,414 (29.5 pts) | 63.8% |
| 1924 | Samuel John Gurney Hoare (Unionist) | 13,816 | 65.7% | Dora Russell (Labour) | 8,155 (38.8 pts) | 71.1% |
| 1929 | Samuel John Gurney Hoare (Unionist) | 15,480 | 58.4% | Alfred George Prichard (Labour) | 8,835 (33.4 pts) | 63.1% |
| 1931 | Samuel John Gurney Hoare (Conservative) | 23,015 | 83.0% | Gilbert Arthur Foan (Labour) | 18,289 (65.9 pts) | 65.2% |
| 1935 | Samuel John Gurney Hoare (Conservative) | 18,992 | 74.9% | George Somerville Sandilands (Labour) | 12,644 (49.9 pts) | 61.7% |
| 1945 | Allan Herbert Percy Noble (Conservative) | 12,043 | 63.7% | Margaret Douglas Shufeldt (Labour) | 6,169 (32.6 pts) | 62.8% |
| 1950 | Allan Herbert Percy Noble (Conservative) | 23,471 | 64.2% | Frederick Lionel Tonge (Labour) | 13,484 (36.9 pts) | 70.6% |
| 1951 | Allan Herbert Percy Noble (Conservative) | 25,034 | 69.9% | Frederick Lionel Tonge (Labour) | 14,250 (39.8 pts) | 69.6% |
| 1955 | Allan Herbert Percy Noble (Conservative) | 23,598 | 73.4% | Stewart Fordyce (Labour) | 15,052 (46.8 pts) | 65.5% |
| 1959 | John Shirley Sandys Litchfield (Conservative) | 20,985 | 67.8% | Leo Goldstone (Labour) | 14,677 (47.4 pts) | 65.8% |
| 1964 | John Shirley Sandys Litchfield (Conservative) | 16,802 | 61.5% | James Mcculloch York Dickens (Labour) | 9,934 (36.4 pts) | 62.7% |
| 1966 | William Worsley (Conservative) | 16,337 | 59.9% | Roderick Newbold Tyer (Labour) | 8,663 (31.7 pts) | 63.1% |
| 1970 | William Worsley (Conservative) | 15,852 | 65.4% | Dr Richard Madeley (Labour) | 10,115 (41.7 pts) | 55.0% |
| Oct 1974 | Nicholas Scott (Conservative) | 19,674 | 61.0% | George Austen Colerick (Labour) | 13,167 (40.8 pts) | 50.0% |
| Feb 1974 | Sir William Worsley (Conservative) | 23,320 | 60.4% | Nicholas Logic Clarke (Liberal) | 15,308 (39.7 pts) | 60.0% |
| 1979 | Nicholas Scott (Conservative) | 21,782 | 66.1% | Robert Mohan Pandy (Labour) | 15,690 (47.6 pts) | 57.3% |
| 1983 | Nicholas Scott (Conservative) | 19,122 | 63.2% | Jonathan Fryer (Liberal) | 12,021 (39.8 pts) | 56.1% |
| 1987 | Nicholas Scott (Conservative) | 18,443 | 64.6% | Jennifer Ware (Liberal) | 13,319 (46.6 pts) | 57.7% |
| 1992 | Nicholas Scott (Conservative) | 17,471 | 65.1% | Rima Horton (Labour) | 12,779 (47.6 pts) | 63.3% |
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1868 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Wentworth Dilke | Liberal | 7,374 | 32.5% | Yes |
| Henry Ainslie Hoare | Liberal | 7,183 | 31.7% | Yes |
| William Howard Russell | Conservative | 4,177 | 18.4% | No |
| Charles James Freake | Conservative | 3,929 | 17.3% | No |
1874 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Wentworth Dilke | Liberal | 7,217 | 31.3% | Yes |
| William Gordon | Conservative | 7,172 | 31.1% | Yes |
| Henry Ainslie Hoare | Liberal | 6,701 | 29.1% | No |
| George Middleton Keill | Liberal | 1,967 | 8.5% | No |
1880 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Wentworth Dilke | Liberal | 12,406 | 28.5% | Yes |
| Joseph Firth Bottomley Firth | Liberal | 12,046 | 27.6% | Yes |
| Algernon Hawkins Thomond Keith-Falconer | Conservative | 9,666 | 22.2% | No |
| William James Browne | Conservative | 9,488 | 21.8% | No |
1885
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Wentworth Dilke | Liberal | 4,291 | 51.0% | Yes |
| Charles Algernon Whitmore | Conservative | 4,116 | 49.0% | No |
1886
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Algernon Whitmore | Conservative | 4,304 | 51.0% | Yes |
| Charles Wentworth Dilke | Liberal | 4,128 | 49.0% | No |
1892
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Algernon Whitmore | Conservative | 4,993 | 53.0% | Yes |
| Benjamin Francis Conn Costelloe | Liberal | 4,427 | 47.0% | No |
1895
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Algernon Whitmore | Conservative | 5,524 | 60.5% | Yes |
| Octavius Holmes Beatty | Liberal | 3,604 | 39.5% | No |
1900
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Algernon Whitmore | Conservative | 4,637 | 58.4% | Yes |
| James Jeffery | Liberal | 3,306 | 41.6% | No |
1906
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emslie John Horniman | Liberal | 4,660 | 53.6% | Yes |
| Charles Algernon Whitmore | Conservative | 4,031 | 46.4% | No |
Dec 1910
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel John Gurney Hoare | Conservative | 4,968 | 60.5% | Yes |
| Hugh Edward Hoare | Liberal | 3,249 | 39.5% | No |
Jan 1910
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel John Gurney Hoare | Conservative | 5,610 | 58.1% | Yes |
| Emslie John Horniman | Liberal | 4,048 | 41.9% | No |
1918
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Hoare | Unionist | 9,159 | 79.1% | Yes |
| Emily Phipps | Independent Progressive | 2,419 | 20.9% | No |
1922
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel John Gurney Hoare | Unionist | 13,437 | 74.9% | Yes |
| Betrand Arthur William Russell | Labour | 4,513 | 25.1% | No |
1923
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel John Gurney Hoare | Unionist | 10,461 | 57.0% | Yes |
| Bertrand Arthur William Russell | Labour | 5,047 | 27.5% | No |
| Harry Westbury Preston | Liberal | 2,846 | 15.5% | No |
1924
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel John Gurney Hoare | Unionist | 13,816 | 65.7% | Yes |
| Dora Russell | Labour | 5,661 | 26.9% | No |
| Iolo Aneurin Williams | Liberal | 1,557 | 7.4% | No |
1929
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel John Gurney Hoare | Unionist | 15,480 | 58.4% | Yes |
| Alfred George Prichard | Labour | 6,645 | 25.1% | No |
| Iolo Aneurin Williams | Liberal | 4,360 | 16.5% | No |
1931
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel John Gurney Hoare | Conservative | 23,015 | 83.0% | Yes |
| Gilbert Arthur Foan | Labour | 4,726 | 17.0% | No |
1935
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel John Gurney Hoare | Conservative | 18,992 | 74.9% | Yes |
| George Somerville Sandilands | Labour | 6,348 | 25.1% | No |
1945
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allan Herbert Percy Noble | Conservative | 12,043 | 63.7% | Yes |
| Margaret Douglas Shufeldt | Labour | 5,874 | 31.1% | No |
| Dorothy Anderton Sharpe | Common Wealth | 984 | 5.2% | No |
1950
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allan Herbert Percy Noble | Conservative | 23,471 | 64.2% | Yes |
| Frederick Lionel Tonge | Labour | 9,987 | 27.3% | No |
| Leo Cayley Robertson | Liberal | 3,116 | 8.5% | No |
1951
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allan Herbert Percy Noble | Conservative | 25,034 | 69.9% | Yes |
| Frederick Lionel Tonge | Labour | 10,784 | 30.1% | No |
1955
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allan Herbert Percy Noble | Conservative | 23,598 | 73.4% | Yes |
| Stewart Fordyce | Labour | 8,546 | 26.6% | No |
1959
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Shirley Sandys Litchfield | Conservative | 20,985 | 67.8% | Yes |
| Leo Goldstone | Labour | 6,308 | 20.4% | No |
| Kenneth Grenville Wellings | Liberal | 3,662 | 11.8% | No |
1964
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Shirley Sandys Litchfield | Conservative | 16,802 | 61.5% | Yes |
| James Mcculloch York Dickens | Labour | 6,868 | 25.2% | No |
| Anthony Clive Spencer Thomas | Liberal | 3,635 | 13.3% | No |
1966
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Worsley | Conservative | 16,337 | 59.9% | Yes |
| Roderick Newbold Tyer | Labour | 7,674 | 28.1% | No |
| Paul Smith | Liberal | 3,285 | 12.0% | No |
1970
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Worsley | Conservative | 15,852 | 65.4% | Yes |
| Dr Richard Madeley | Labour | 5,737 | 23.7% | No |
| Anthony Beavan | Liberal | 2,136 | 8.8% | No |
| Nicholas Luard | Independent | 514 | 2.1% | No |
Oct 1974
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas Scott | Conservative | 19,674 | 61.0% | Yes |
| George Austen Colerick | Labour | 6,507 | 20.2% | No |
| Nicholas Logic Clarke | Liberal | 5,758 | 17.8% | No |
| Richard Evelyn Byron | Independent | 321 | 1.0% | No |
Feb 1974
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sir William Worsley | Conservative | 23,320 | 60.4% | Yes |
| Nicholas Logic Clarke | Liberal | 8,012 | 20.8% | No |
| Susan Katharine Ward | Labour | 6,839 | 17.7% | No |
| Alistair James Elliott Barclay | Independent Conservative | 416 | 1.1% | No |
1979
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas Scott | Conservative | 21,782 | 66.1% | Yes |
| Robert Mohan Pandy | Labour | 6,092 | 18.5% | No |
| Peter George Driver | Liberal | 4,544 | 13.8% | No |
| Anthony Reeve | National Front | 342 | 1.0% | No |
| Barbara Fellowes | Independent | 146 | 0.4% | No |
| Amanda Marion Claire Mellen Feilding | Independent | 49 | 0.1% | No |
1983
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas Scott | Conservative | 19,122 | 63.2% | Yes |
| Jonathan Fryer | Liberal | 7,101 | 23.5% | No |
| Nick Palmer | Labour | 3,876 | 12.8% | No |
| Amanda Marion Claire Mellen Feilding | Independent | 139 | 0.5% | No |
1987
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas Scott | Conservative | 18,443 | 64.6% | Yes |
| Jennifer Ware | Liberal | 5,124 | 17.9% | No |
| David Ward | Labour | 4,406 | 15.4% | No |
| Niki Kortvelyessy | Green | 587 | 2.1% | No |
1992
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas Scott | Conservative | 17,471 | 65.1% | Yes |
| Rima Horton | Labour | 4,692 | 17.5% | No |
| Susan Broidy | Liberal Democrat | 4,101 | 15.3% | No |
| Niki Kortvelyessy | Green | 485 | 1.8% | No |
| Douglas Armstrong | Anti-Federalist League | 88 | 0.3% | No |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Chelsea has been contested at 32 general elections on record since 1868. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Liberal, Conservative, Unionist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Chelsea in the 1992 general election?
Conservative won Chelsea in 1992 with 17,471 votes (65.1%), a majority of 12,779 votes over Labour in second place.
Which parties have won Chelsea since 1868?
Since 1868, Chelsea has been won by: Conservative, Liberal, Unionist.
What was the closest result in Chelsea?
The closest result on record for Chelsea was 1874, when Liberal beat Liberal by just 471 votes (2.0 percentage points).
Did Chelsea ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Chelsea elected multiple MPs at once in some elections on this page (a system called multi-member plurality, or 'block vote'), each voter casting one vote per available seat.