Balham, SW12

Balham is an inner London suburb containing many Victorian terraced houses now highly prized as family homes. It has been settled since Saxon times, and large country retreats for the affluent classes were built there in the eighteenth century; however, most development occurred after the opening of Balham railway station in 1856. Most of Balham is in the London Borough of Wandsworth, although a small portion of the London SW12 (Balham) Postcode area is actually within the London Borough of Lambeth, creating ambiguity over the extent of the neighbourhood.

Balham is situated between four south London Commons: Clapham Common to the north, Wandsworth Common to the west, Tooting Graveney Common to the south, and the adjoining Tooting Bec Common to the east - the latter two historically distinct areas are referred to by both Wandsworth council and some local people as Tooting Common.

It possesses a railway/tube interchange station (the origin of the phrase "Balham - Gateway to the South" was reputedly a genuine Southern Railway advertisement dating from the 1926 opening of the tube station). The stations connect Balham easily and quickly to both the City of London and the West End. This has helped make it an increasingly popular location, and property prices have soared as middle class professionals have moved in, causing the district to lose the more working class feel it had up till the 1970s. As a result, Balham's town centre now boasts an increasingly vibrant night life with a variety of bars and restaurants. In May 2006, Waitrose, the supermarket subsidiary of the John Lewis Partnership, opened a store in Balham marking another stage in the gentrification of the area. And in October of the same year, a new organic supermarket opened its doors on a site previously occupied by a branch of the frozen food chain, Iceland.

Balham has been one of the main centres of the Polish community in London since the 1950s. The White Eagle Club is still a thriving community centre, and its traditional Saturday night dance ("zabawa") draws people from across London. Opposite the White Eagle, there is also a Polish Catholic church.


Useful Links:
Balham Community Website
My Balham - property
London Borough of Wandsworth

Public transport links in Balham, SW12

Real estate agents in Balham, SW12

Properties listed on eleflat.co.uk

(35) Marylebone, W1
(10) London Bridge, SE1
(10) Enfield, EN1
(9) Chelsea, SW3
(8) South Kensington, SW7
(7) Tottenham, N17
(6) Canary Wharf, E14
(6) Camden, NW1
(5) Perivale, UB6
(5) Notting Hill, W11
(5) Mayfair, W1
(5) Bloomsbury, WC1
(5) Belgravia, SW1
(4) Sydenham, SE26
(4) Streatham, SW16
(4) Regents Park, NW1
(4) Muswell Hill, N10
(4) Islington, N1
(4) Fulham, SW6
(4) Edmonton, N9
(4) Docklands, E1
(4) City, EC4
(4) Chiswick, W4
(4) Brockley, SE4
(4) Brixton, SW2
(3) Westminster, SW1
(3) Walthamstow, E17
(3) Soho, W1
(3) Putney, SW15
(3) Maida Vale, W9
(3) Knightsbridge, SW1
(3) Kings Cross, N1
(3) Kensington, W8
(3) Greenford, UB6
(3) Edgware, HA8
(3) Earls Court, SW5
(3) Canning Town, E16
(3) Bow, E3
(3) Acton, W3
(2) Wimbledon, SW19
(2) Waterloo, SE1
(2) Tufnell Park, N7
(2) Southgate, N14
(2) Southfields, SW18
(2) Shepherds Bush, W12
(2) Seven Sisters, N15
(2) Pimlico, SW1
(2) Mile End, E3
(2) Marble Arch, W2
(2) Kentish Town, NW5
(2) Ilford, IG1
(2) Green Park, W1
(2) Cricklewood, NW2
(2) Charlton, SE7
(2) Brentford, TW8
(2) Borough, SE1
(2) Bethnal Green, E2
(2) Bayswater, W2
(2) Battersea, SW11
(1) Woolwich, SE18
(1) Wood Green, N22
(1) Willesden, NW10
(1) West Hampstead, NW6
(1) Wanstead, E11
(1) Wandsworth, SW18
(1) Walworth, SE17
(1) Wallington, SM6
(1) Tooting, SW17
(1) Stratford, E15
(1) Stoke Newington, N16
(1) Stepney Green, E1
(1) Stamford Hill, N15
(1) St John's Wood, NW8
(1) Southall, UB1
(1) South Norwood, SE25
(1) Shoreditch, N1
(1) Shad Thames, SE1
(1) Richmond, TW10
(1) Preston, HA3
(1) Paddington, W2
(1) Mill Hill, NW7
(1) Hounslow, TW3
(1) Holloway, N7
(1) Harrow, HA0
(1) Hackney, E8
(1) Golders Green, NW11
(1) Finchley, N3
(1) East Sheen, SW14
(1) Ealing, W5
(1) Croydon, CR0
(1) Crouch End, N8
(1) Clapton, E5
(1) Clapham, SW4
(1) Bermondsey, SE16
(1) Bellingham, SE6
(1) Beckenham, BR3
(1) Barnet, EN4
(1) Barnes, SW13
(1) Archway, N6
(1) Anerley, SE20