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From the regenerated Art Deco landmark Battersea Power Station to the designer baby shops that line Northcote Road – and everything in between – Battersea is southwest London personified.
Battersea: The Original Nappy Valley
Famous for its riverside park and eponymous power station, the area has been a magnet for young families since the dawn of the millennium. Dubbed the ‘the original nappy valley’, it’s home to excellent schools and more designer baby shops than you could shake a rattle at.
Interestingly, Clapham Junction is the beating heart of Battersea. The class-conscious Victorians weren’t as proud of it as we are today. They renamed the area in the hope that the desirability of its more salubrious neighbour might rub off on it. We think they’d be rather pleased with the result.
Recently, the area joined an exclusive list of south London locations that can boast their own tube station. The £1 billion Northern line extension opened in September 2021. It connects the shiny new Power Station and Nine Elms station with the City and central London. Proving a vital transport link following the mass development of new homes in the area.
Transport
- Tube: The Northern Line extension has seen two new tube stations open – and they happen to be in the local area: Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms station are the first additions to the line since 1941.
- Rail: Trains arrive at Clapham Junction station to and from locations far afield, including Gatwick Airport (30 minutes), Brighton and the southwest. Services take just ten minutes to Waterloo or seven minutes to Victoria. Trains from Battersea Park station reach Victoria in five minutes and Queenstown Road station trains get to Waterloo in seven minutes.
- Overground: This modern network connects the area with north and east London.
- Bus: Well served by busses: route 19 to Finsbury Park, 37 and 39 to Putney, 77 to Waterloo, 87 to Aldwych, 156 to Vauxhall, 44 and 170 to Victoria, 137 to Oxford Circus, 156 to Wimbledon, 319 to Sloane Square, 337 to Richmond, 345 to South Kensington and 452 to Kensal Rise.
Battersea Property scene
Lined with attractive Victorian terrace streets, most popular are those between Wandsworth and Clapham Commons, which are either side of yummy mummy mecca Northcote Road. This legacy housing stock is complemented by shiny new-build riverside blocks, including Montevetro by Richard Rogers next to St Mary’s Church and also Norman Foster’s Albion Riverside in Hester Road.
Schools in Battersea
- Primary schools: There are three primary schools. All judged to be “outstanding” by the Government’s education watchdog Ofsted:
Chesterton Primary School https://www.chesterton.wandsworth.sch.uk/
Honeywell Junior School https://www.honeywellschools.org/
Belleville Primary School https://www.belleville-school.org.uk/home/ - Secondary schools: The “outstanding” comprehensive school in Harris Academy Battersea (co-ed, ages 11 to 18) https://www.harrisbattersea.org.uk/
Other nearby “outstanding” schools include:
Ashcroft Technology Academy (co-ed, ages 11 to 18) in Wandsworth https://www.atacademy.org.uk/
La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls’ School (girls, ages 11 to 18) in Balham https://www.laretraite.co.uk/ - Private schools: Several private primary and preparatory schools are situated in Battersea:
Thomas’s Battersea (co-ed, ages four to 13) in Battersea High Street https://www.thomas-s.co.uk/thomass-battersea/
Newton Preparatory School (co-ed, ages three to 13) in Battersea Park Road https://www.newtonprepschool.co.uk/
Northcote Lodge School (boys, ages seven to 13) in Bolingbroke Grove https://www.northwoodschools.com/
Emanuel School (co-ed, ages 11 to 18) in Battersea Rise is the local private secondary school https://www.emanuel.org.uk/
Things to do
- Shops and restaurants: Lavender Hill, St John’s Hill, St John’s Road, Northcote Road and also Battersea Park Road are lined with shops, coffee shops and restaurants – many of them fashionable independents. The new Power Station development includes cafés, bars and restaurants.
- Open space: With three of London’s most popular green spaces nestled within its border: Battersea Park on the banks of the river Thames, Wandsworth Common and Clapham Common.
- Leisure and the arts: Battersea Arts Centre is a leading fringe theatre and listed building. Above The Latchmere pub is the Olivier Award-winning Theatre503 fringe theatre. Archlight Cinema is housed in a converted railway arch near Battersea Power Station. The local council-owned swimming pool is at Latchmere Leisure Centre.
Rental Prices
If you’d like to find the average cost of renting a property in London, check out The Simply London Guide to London Neighbourhoods. It includes the average rental prices for the top 20 neighbourhoods in London!
Article published 4th February 2022
