Property, Houses and Flats for Sale in South West London, London

To residents of North London, South West London is a foreign land but it is rich in all that makes London special and unique.

Living in South West London

It may be a cliché to describe London as a collection of villages, but nowhere is it truer than in South West London.

But where does South West London really begin?

Knightsbridge, Pimlico, South Kensington and Chelsea all have SW postcodes and were once rural villages but are they really part of South West London?

Perhaps Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea Football Club, is the true gateway to South West London. To the east of the club, Chelsea property prices are eye-wateringly high but across Stamford Bridge into Fulham prices are more affordable.

Fulham and the delightful village of Parsons Green have a mix of Regency, Victorian and Edwardian houses in a world of charming boutiques and antique shops, celebrated restaurants, multi-screen cinemas, and a good choice of state and private education.

South of the River Thames, the Victorians put villages such as Earlsfield, Barnes and Mortlake on the map when they built the railways and turned farmland and market gardens into terraces of solidly-built houses.

Families looking for substantial homes that are less expensive than Richmond, Putney or Wimbledon need look no further than Streatham, Balham or Tooting, areas that offer large Victorian villas, excellent local amenities and quality state education.

South West London is home to Richmond Park, the largest park in London. It is one of numerous public parks and commons that complement so magnificently the many leafy residential streets in the boroughs of Richmond, Wandsworth and Lambeth.

Transport

South West London is served by both tubes and trains. However, marshy land south of the river restricted the tube network but the Northern, Victoria and District lines all make the crossing to areas such as Stockwell, Balham, South Wimbledon, Vauxhall, Brixton, Putney, Southfields, Wimbledon, Kew and Richmond.

The lack of tube stations south of the river is more than compensated by the rail network which provides direct links from the far reaches of South West London to Clapham Junction, Victoria and Waterloo; and south to Gatwick Airport and Brighton, west to Reading, and south west to Guildford and beyond.

For details of train services throughout the UK please visit http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/.

For details of local bus routes and tube lines please visit Transport for London's website www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/default.aspx.

All of South West London is within the Low Emissions Zone but cars, for the time being, are unaffected - although that could change. For more details please go to www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/lez/default.aspx.

History and culture

South West London is vast and diverse and each area, without exception, has shaken off all vestiges of post-war neglect to be part of a vibrant and successful city.

Some of the most frequented buildings in South West London are the Victorian and Edwardian theatres such as Wimbledon Theatre on Wimbledon Broadway. There's also the recently refurbished Richmond Theatre, which was built in 1891 and is one of the most exquisite and successful theatres in the UK.

Further information regarding the theatres can be found at http://www.theambassadors.com/.

Each Spring South West London hosts the Oxford and Cambridge boat race, which starts west of Putney Bridge and heads upstream with the tidal flow to Hammersmith where the River Thames loops round. The boats turn south for Barnes Bridge, often against the wind, and conclude the four-mile race at Mortlake.

Each boat has eight rowers and a cox who are known as 'Blues'. Light blue is worn by Cambridge and dark blue by Oxford.

There are no prizes for coming second, just complete exhaustion. There are no prizes for coming first, just complete elation. But win or lose, to be an Oxford or Cambridge 'blue' is a massive achievement.

For information about what's happening in London as a whole please visit www.london.gov.uk.