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The area of Wandsworth

Wandsworth is a town on the south bank of the River Thames in south-west London, and is the principal settlement of the "London Borough of Wandsworth".

Wandsworth takes its name from the River Wandle, which enters the Thames at Wandsworth.

The borough borders the London Borough of Lambeth to the east, the London Borough of Merton and the Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames to the south, the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames to the west and to the north (across the River Thames) three boroughs, namely the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the City of Westminster. Therefore Wandsworth is surrounded by affluent boroughs and is in the middle of prime real estate.

Demographics


According to the 2001 census Wandsworth has a population of 260,380. 78% of the population is White, 9.6% Afro-Caribbean and 6.9% South Asian

In the list of the 354 Districts of England, Wandsworth is by Area ranked 331st largest, by Population ranked 24th, Population Density ranked 10th and by Ethnic Diversity ranked 29th. So Wandsworth is a smaller area with a large amount of people living there from all types of ethnic backgrounds.

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History


Since at least the early 16th century, Wandsworth has offered accommodation to consecutive waves of immigration; from Protestant Dutch metalworkers fleeing persecution in the 1590s, to recent Eastern European members of the European Union. An influx of French Huguenot refugees in the early 17th century is remembered in many local street names. There is a band of small and expensive terraced housing (known as The Tonsleys) behind Old York Road — the former centre of old Wandsworth — rising to an area of grander, terraced, semi-detached and detached housing along the roads bounded by West Side Wandsworth Common, Earlsfield Road and East Hill.

The borough was formed in 1965 from the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea and much of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth, but excluding Clapham and most of Streatham, both of which were transferred to the London Borough of Lambeth. During this period a large amount of social housing was built within the borough, at the base of East Hill, forming a collection of high-rise council blocks in contrast with all the grandiose properties of the past.

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Modern Day


According to an article in The Guardian in 2004:

'Wandsworth has a greater proportion of people whose lifestyle, views and trends shape the zeitgeist more than anywhere else in the UK. Wandsworth, in other words, is groovier than everywhere else in Britain'.

According to the Evening Standard "Wandsworth is the hotspot" for those people in London earning over £100,000.

Over the past couple of decades Wandsworth has undergone huge change, not only economically but visually. The area has re-invented itself from being known as an area of depressed social housing, to one of the most desirable places to live in London. Indeed it is so popular with the younger generation that the area has become THE rental hotspot in the whole country.

Modern day Wandsworth is made up of a few distinct areas, each with thier own uniqueness, making it easy to see why Wandsworth is such a desirable place to live:

The River Front;
A former wharf area, and now a long river walk towards Battersea Village and the West End. It is now lined with new apartment blocks, with several bars and restaurants. Notable pubs include The Ship Inn near Wandsworth Bridge. The Waterfront on Battersea Reach is a very large bar with excellent view towards Chelsea Harbour.

Wandsworth Common;
Set back from the river, at the top of East Hill, containing an area known locally as "the Toast Rack" that has some of the most expensive townhouses in London across from Bellevue Road containing several boutiques and the famous restaurant Chez Bruce, formerly Harveys, where chef Gordon Ramsay learned his trade, and voted one of London's favourite restaurants in 2006. The area also contains one of Wandsworth's most impressive buildings, the Royal Victoria Patriotic Building, which now contains flats, a theatre school and the "Le Gothique" restaurant.

The Tonsleys/Old York Road;
A residential area of old Wandsworth close to the river and town centre, so called because many of the street names have the word "Tonsley" included. It has a village feel with the Old York Road's cafes and shops at its heart. The area contains three notable pubs, the Royal Standard, the East Hill and The Alma. Brady's Fish Restaurant serves traditional fish and chips in comfortable middle class surroundings. The area was recently used as the location for the BBC TV series Outnumbered. Houses in this area, although small, sell from £600k to over £1 mil, and are desired because they retain their Victorian character and are in close proximity to the Wandsworth Town train station. The houses are very popular with city workers, lawyers, advertising executives and other professionals.

East Hill;
An area of Large Victorian houses bordered by the west side of Wandsworth Common. The De Morgan Centre houses a collection of Victorian artwork.

Wandsworth High Street;
A rather traffic-choked street, picking up much of the traffic from the A3, the High Street is dominated by the recently-regenerated Southside shopping centre, cinema and restaurant complex (formerly, and still and more commonly, referred to as the Arndale Centre).

Adjacent to the area and a direct reason for it's popularity is Clapham Common. The vast expanse of open parkland is bordered by large Victorian townhouses and some Georgian buildings which are amongst the most expensive properties in the whole of the UK. Technically part of the London Borough of Lambeth, the area borders Wandsworth and people often move into the area to live close to Clapham Common. The common is always in use, be it open-air events, fireworks displays, sports, festivals and even parties. The common is also lined with bars and restaurants and regulary draws a young crowd at the weekends. Truly a very 'happening' and hip place to be.

Battersea Power Station is also within the area and is due for major development. It is worth mentioning as the development is on such a large scale that the property values have soared due to the anticipation of it's arrival. Not only does it offer amazing leisure amenities, but the amount of money coming into the area will be prosperous for the borough as a whole.

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Local Attractions


Notable Restaurants:

* Chez Bruce, Wandsworth Common
* Piccolino, Wandsworth Common
* Ditto Wandsworth, East Hill
* Konnigans,Old York Rd.
* Brady's Fish Restaurant, Old York Rd
* Le Gothique, The Royal Victoria Patriotic Building

Notable Bars and Pubs:

* The Old Sergeant, Garrat Lane
* The Oak, East Hill
* Space Lounge, Wandsworth Highstreet
* The Ship
* The Alma, Old York Rd
* The Waterfront, Battersea Reach
* The County Arms
* The Cats back
* The East Hill, Alma Rd

Places of Interest:

* Wandsworth Museum and Local History Service

Places of Worship:

* West Side Church

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Transport


Wandsworth is well connected by public transport.

National Rail services are operated from London Waterloo by South West Trains to Earlsfield, Putney, Queenstown Road (Battersea), Wandsworth Town and the borough's most major station, Clapham Junction. This last station is also served from London Victoria by Southern as are Balham, Battersea Park and Wandsworth Common.

London Underground services are provided on the District Line to East Putney and Southfields and on the Northern Line to Balham, Clapham South, Tooting Bec and Tooting Broadway.

As Wandsworth lies on the doorstep of Central London, there is a large bus network feeding the area and you get into Central London very easily, as well as all over South London and West London.

As Wandsworth lies on the River Thames there are also plenty of bridges that one can use to cross from the South to the North of the River. There are five bridges which join Wandsworth to the three London Boroughs on the north side of the Thames (from downstream following the river up):

* Chelsea Bridge
* Albert Bridge
* Battersea Bridge
* Wandsworth Bridge
* Putney Bridge

There are also a number of bridges crossing the River Wandle which runs through the centre of Wandsworth town and divides the borough in two.

Wandsworth also lies at the end of the A3, which is a major road running effectively from Central London (starting at the borders of Wandsworth) going right through South London and Surrey, all the way to Portsmouth on the South Coast of England. Wandsworth also hugs the South bank of the River Thames, and is a popular route into London.

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