property, homes and houses for sale in Stockwell

Stockwell is shaking off the travesties of post-war reconstruction and is creating a new form of scintillating urban grandeur.

Living in Stockwell

Stockwell is a vibrant urban area in the London Borough of Lambeth and is more affordable than neighbouring Clapham.

Following destruction by the Luftwaffe and post-war reconstruction, change is afoot in Stockwell with new housing developments and charming restorations going hand in hand.

Some of Stockwell's original grandeur, including stunning double-fronted villas, can still be found most notably in Stockwell Park Road and Stockwell Park Crescent, which form part of the Stockwell Park Conservation Area.

Angell Town in north-east Stockwell had social housing that was built in the 1960s and '70s. However, throughout the 1990s seven concrete monstrosities have either been razed to the ground or radically altered to make way for small mews developments.

The formidable Loughborough Estate still dominates east Stockwell but the charming Victorian houses in neighbouring Villa Road by Max Roach Park were rightly spared concrete expansion together with the Orphanage for Fatherless Girls which now provides luxury flats.

Stockwell is truly cosmopolitan with many neighbourhood bars, cafés and restaurants run by the Portuguese community and pubs that throb to urban dance music.

There are several health clubs within walking distance of Stockwell the tube station, and there is a large recreation centre with extensive facilities, including a pool, in neighbouring Brixton.

Transport

Stockwell tube station is on the Victoria Line, with Brixton tube station to the south and Vauxhall, Pimlico and Victoria stations to the north.

Stockwell is also on the Northern Line, providing a direct link to South Wimbledon and to Central London.

For information regarding tube and bus routes serving Stockwell please visit http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/default.aspx.

Vauxhall railway station is operated by South West Trains and is one stop away from London Waterloo.

In the opposite direction, Vauxhall railway station links to Clapham Junction and stations to the south-west of England and, west, to Putney, Richmond and stations to Reading.

The railway station in Brixton provides services to Victoria mainline station and south to Orpington in Kent.

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

History and culture

The name, Stockwell, means a small wood and from the 13th century to the start of the 19th, Stockwell was a rural manor before developing into an elegant middleclass suburb during the reigns of George IV and Queen Victoria.

Arthur Rackham, artist and illustrator, is one of many famous people who have lived in Stockwell. He moved to Albert Square with his family when he was 15.

Other renowned residents include Lilian Bayliss, Violette Szabo, Vincent Van Gogh and Sir Roger Moore.

It was the arrival of the railways in the 19th century that altered the social milieu of Stockwell, when terraced housing for artisans swiftly overtook the stately villas.

For further information regarding living in Stockwell please visit http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/home.htm.