Living in Vauxhall

Vauxhall is the part of Lambeth that changed fastest. The riverside between Vauxhall and Battersea Power Station, known as Nine Elms, has filled with glass residential towers over the past fifteen years, alongside the US Embassy and the long-established New Covent Garden Market. Much of the rental stock here is in those blocks: concierge desks, gyms and river views, at prices to match.

Behind the towers is an older, scruffier Vauxhall. The road junction at Vauxhall Cross, one of south London's busiest bus interchanges, is loud and slow to cross on foot however it is rearranged, and the railway viaducts carry trains into Waterloo right through the middle of the area. The arches beneath them hold clubs, gyms and workshops.

Vauxhall has been one of the centres of London's LGBTQ+ nightlife for decades. The Royal Vauxhall Tavern, a listed Victorian pub, is its best-known venue, and several late-licence clubs operate under the arches. On weekend nights the area is busy until the morning; during the week it can feel empty once the office workers leave.

Transport is excellent. The Victoria line reaches Victoria and Oxford Circus in a few stops, South Western Railway trains are two minutes from Waterloo, and buses fan out from Vauxhall Cross across south London. Cycling along the river is straightforward. Green space is limited to Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, Spring Gardens and the small city farm; for anything larger, Kennington Park and Battersea Park are both within reach. Vauxhall suits people who want to be close to Westminster and the river and who value a modern flat over a neighbourhood feel.