AREA GUIDE

Situated at the top of Battersea High Street close to the river Battersea Square is a small cobbled ‘piazza’ featuring an array of café/bars, shops & restaurants. It provides the focal point to a very mixed & varied area which consists of large modern riverside developments including; Montevetro & Morgans Walk as well as Victorian & local authority architecture. The square has a village feel to it. Transport links nearby are bus routes to Chelsea & Clapham Junction, a River Bus service &, if your budget stretches to it, a Heliport.

This is the area situated between Clapham & Wandsworth commons. It is by far one of the most desirable & sought after locations both for young professionals & families. Its architecture consists mainly of Victorian & Edwardian period houses some of which have been converted into flats & some local authority properties built between 1950 & 1975, (many of which have now been bought & sold through the ‘Right to Buy’ scheme). It lays within the catchments areas of two very popular primary / junior state schools, Honeywell & Belleville. There are also many private schools & nurseries nearby. Northcote road runs through the middle of the area & offers a plethora of shops, bars, pubs & restaurants ranging from the large chains like Starbucks to the smaller independent businesses including an organic grocer, butcher, bakers, a fishmonger, a cheese shop & even a specialist honey shop. There is also an open-air fruit & vegetable market & a French produce market is held periodically. Transport links nearby are Clapham Junction over ground station to the north & Wandsworth Common over ground station & Clapham Common northern line tube station to the south.

Focussed around Clapham Junction mainline train station, one of the busiest train junctions in Europe this area comprises mainly Victorian architecture to the south of the station and mainly local authority housing stock to the north. This is due to the fact that Clapham Junction was a major strategic target during the war so it suffered a lot of bomb damage. Most of these bomb damaged sites were redeveloped by the local authority from 1950 to 1980. The area to the south of the station is also a vibrant shopping area with many big name retailers including M&S, Waitrose, Sainsbury, Jamie Olivers-Recipease, Carphone Warehouse, Starbucks, Cafe Nero, Boots, Superdrug and Waterstones to name a few. This area is very popular due to the convenience of having everything on your door step including regular rail services into Waterloo and Victoria (Travel time circa 10 minutes) as well as the Gatwick Express.

Situated at the north east corner of Clapham Common this area features a wide selection of shops bars & restaurants. Clapham High St is situated to the north of the Old Town where there is a large Sainsbury store as well as a variety of large chain & independent shops, bars & restaurants. There is also a small cinema, known as The Picture House, off the southern end of the High St. In The Old Town there is a selection of pubs & bars set around an open space with some independent shops including a butcher & delicatessen. The area is served by Clapham Common northern line tube station at the southern end of the High St & Clapham North tube station at the northern end of the northern line High St. The architecture in the surrounding streets is of various periods including Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, modern developments & local authority housing. It consists of a variety of family houses & conversion/ purpose built flats. The area is very leafy & vibrant. This part of Clapham Common is used as an open air venue for many functions & events.

The area to the south of East Hill doesn’t have a fancy name (as yet) but if we were to give it one it would either be the ‘Allfarthing’ or ‘Barmouth’ village. This area has grown in popularity over the years as buyers have ventured from more established areas like Battersea & Fulham in search of better value for money. Many of the streets within this area offer much larger family houses with larger gardens & this has attracted many families to buy here. Allfarthing & Swaffield schools are both state schools with very good reputations & this is another factor in the increasing popularity of the area. Barmouth Rd has the feel of a village high street that has gone into decline over the years with many small businesses including a butcher, baker & post office disappearing from the area. Recently a new delicatessen/café has opened on the corner of Barmouth Rd & Allfarthing Lane, which could mark a turning point. There is also a large Sainsbury store & the ‘South Side’ shopping centre, which has been subject to huge investment & undergone a major refurbishment, nearby. It now includes many big name stores, including Waitrose, & a multiplex cinema.

This is the area which lays in-between Clapham Common Northside & Lavender Hill. Its architecture consists mainly of Victorian & Edwardian period houses some of which have been converted into flats, with some local authority properties built between 1950 & 1975, (many of which have now been bought & sold through the ‘Right to Buy’ scheme). There is a selection of bars, pubs, restaurants & shops on Lavender Hill & the open spaces of Clapham Common are close by. There are a selection of private schools on Clapham Common Northside & a French lycee in Wixs’ Lane. Transport Links nearby are Clapham Junction over ground station to the west, Clapham Common tube to the east & Queenstown Rd & Battersea Park over ground stations to the north.

Running parallel to the southern Battersea Park is this famous London address that consists of mainly Victorian mansion blocks which are now listed buildings. Flats within the blocks range from one to four bedrooms & most have direct views of the park. Its popularity stems from its close proximity to Chelsea, which is accessible via Chelsea, Albert or Battersea bridges.

Sometimes refered to as just The Shaftesbury Estate and sometimes mis-spelt as Shaftsbury Estate this area lies to the north of Lavender Hill & to the east of Latchmere road. Nowadays it is accessed from Latchmere road into Sabine road but when first built its central access was via Grayshot road where you will find two large turreted buildings. It was built by The Artizans & General Labourers Dwelling Company with the support of the Earl of Shaftesbury who laid the first stone, of the 1,100 house estate in, 1872. It provided good quality housing to the working classes & excluded any drinking establishments from its borders. It consists of mainly two & three bedroom cottages. Many of the houses have ground floor bathrooms but over the years people have sacrificed the third bedroom & moved the bathroom upstairs. Many houses have also been altered & extended to maximise space. It is a very popular area as one can purchase a freehold house for a similar price to a flat in other areas.

This area lies to the west of Clapham Junction Station. St Johns Hill was transformed when Wandsworth council upgraded the Streetscape and offered local businesses grants to improve their shop fronts. This included the installation of cobbled areas & period style metal bollards. There are now a wide selection of shops, bars, pubs & restaurants along St Johns Hill as well as an art gallery. To the north of St Johns Hill there are large & small Victorian houses the majority of which have been converted into flats. To the south there are some superb detached period buildings in Spencer & Elsynge roads, which were built as part of the Great Exhibition.