Living in Wandsworth

Wandsworth is a south-west London borough of commons, riverside and popular residential neighbourhoods, including Battersea, Putney, Wandsworth Town, Tooting, Balham, Earlsfield, Southfields and Roehampton. It is especially popular with young professionals and families, and its council tax has for many years been the lowest of any London borough.

The Thames runs along its northern edge, and the borough has some of the best open spaces in London: Battersea Park, Wandsworth Common, Tooting Common, Putney Heath, part of Wimbledon Common and part of Clapham Common. The regenerated Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms area has brought new shops, offices and thousands of homes, as well as the US Embassy.

Housing ranges from Victorian terraces and mansion blocks to large post-war estates, including the Alton Estate in Roehampton, and new riverside towers. Streets between the commons, sometimes nicknamed Nappy Valley for their many young families, are among the most sought-after family neighbourhoods in south London.

Transport is strong. Clapham Junction is one of the busiest rail stations in Britain, with trains to Waterloo, Victoria and across south London; the Northern line serves Tooting, Balham and Battersea Power Station; the District line serves Putney and Southfields; and South Western Railway serves Putney, Wandsworth Town and Earlsfield. The low council tax is a genuine saving, but it is modest compared with the rents, which reflect how many people want to live between these commons. Southfields and Roehampton, on the borough's western side, are often cheaper than Putney or Wandsworth Town while still close to Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park.