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

Balham has a vibrant town centre with a strong multicultural community and an increasingly buoyant local economy.

Living in Balham

Balham is in the London Borough of Wandsworth, although a small area east of Cavendish Road is in the Borough of Lambeth.

Clapham Common lies to the north of Balham, Wandsworth Common to the west, Tooting Graveney Common to the south, and Tooting Bec Common to the east.

Following World War II, many of the older properties that had survived the bombs were converted into flats or bedsitters, giving Balham a transient, neglected feel.

However, in the last decade or so, Balham's solidly-constructed housing stock of large Victorian villas and 3-bedroom Edwardian houses is attracting both young professionals and families. Residents enjoy excellent transport links, especially to the City, complemented by leafy streets and large green commons.

Another lure to Balham is Du Cane Court, a distinctive Art Deco apartment block on Balham High Road. It was built in the mid 1930s and is one of the largest privately owned apartment blocks in Britain with 676 flats ranging from studio flats to 4-bedroom penthouses.

Balham High Road is a wide, busy, main thoroughfare with plenty of retail outlets, bars, restaurants and cafés, often reflecting the area's Asian population. Balham also boasts a Waitrose supermarket, a sure sign of its middleclass credentials.

Tooting is a few minutes by car south of Balham and offers an even wider choice of shops. Bellevue Road on Wandsworth Common has several upmarket restaurants (including Chez Bruce) and clothing boutiques.

Transport

Balham tube station is on the Northern Line and links south to Tooting, South Wimbledon and Morden, and north to Central London and the City of London.

Balham railway station is part of the tube station and is served by Southern Trains, providing a direct link south to Croydon and Gatwick Airport, and north to Clapham Junction, Victoria and Watford Junction.

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

Balham is on several bus routes and has good road access to Central London.

For information regarding buses and tubes please visit http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/default.aspx

History and culture

200 years ago Balham was a hamlet of farms and a few country houses but as travel to London became easier, the town began to grow around Balham Hill in the early 19th century.

In the mid 19th century the Crystal Palace Railway arrived and Balham grew around the new station, with the High Road becoming its thriving commercial centre.

One of the finest residential districts in Balham was built by Alfred Heaver in the grounds of Bedford Hill House and is now a highly sought after conservation area.

Polish immigrants have been settling in Balham since the 1950s and the White Eagle Club is a thriving Polish community centre. Opposite the club is a Polish catholic church.