Anyone lives in Tooting Bec/Broad, Balham, Colliers Wood or nearby?
- Thread starter ntg
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Balham is pretty nice. It's certainly a much nicer area than it was 20 years ago, with plenty of restaurants and bars. A lot of the overflow from Clapham ends up in Balham. Prices reflect that (£700,000 for a 3 bedroom terrace house, £350-400,000 for a 2 bedroom new build flat).
Tooting is less nice but obviously a lot cheaper. Still has some decent pubs but the area isn't anything special.
Tooting is less nice but obviously a lot cheaper. Still has some decent pubs but the area isn't anything special.
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Don't really like tooting I'm afraid.
Balham (some parts) is quite nice but again depends on which side of it you're on!
Clapham is more fun for a bit of night life and eateries.
Balham (some parts) is quite nice but again depends on which side of it you're on!
Clapham is more fun for a bit of night life and eateries.
Could you shed some light on the nicer areas that you mention (or bits to avoid?).
Thanks everyone for their suggestions, much appreciated.
I will post a bit more info later but I think it's over priced for what it is. Take a look at north Mitcham on the tooting borders. It's much cheaper and the area is much quieter.
Post code cr4 2hn and local area.
Avoid Mitcham town area it's a massive dump
Post code cr4 2hn and local area.
Avoid Mitcham town area it's a massive dump
When you say depending on which side you're on, which side is the better one?
The problem with those areas (Clapham, Balham, Tooting, Micham, Colliers Wood) is that whilst there are some nice parts, most of it isn't very nice. That can be said for most of the bottom part of the Northern Line (tube line). If you move over to the area along the SW Trains line into Waterloo, the areas are generally nicer (Raynes Park, Wimbledon, Earlsfield etc..). I wouldn't have thought it was much more expensive (Clapham is overpriced), and I don't know what your money situation is, but personally I'd rather pay a little bit more for a generally nicer area.
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You could always try Earlsfield. Not far from where you are looking and right near a mainline trainstationJust up the road from Tooting & Clapham also.
Good point and good for transport and a bit cheaper than Clapham.
South East of Balham is Streatham - not a nice place to be. North of Balham is towards Clapham South but Clapham Common (further north) which is the start of Clapham "old town" which is a fun part of the world to enjoy the night out.
In fact Clapham is the only part of London I know - I seldom go into town because I always used to go out in SW London!
To the west of Balham you have Wandsworth Common which isn't too unpleasant.
So basically you want to stick to the North and/or West of Balham in my opinion. Others may disagree though.
I have to agree with this. Though Clapham whilst it does have a few less "salubrious" areas, it is a fun and vibrant place, but as you say it borders on less agreeable areas and quickly goes down hill. I particularly like the area around the old town and clapham high street - but as you say further SW tends to offer more pleasantness for roughly the same price. I lived in Southfields and loved it there.
Ok I have a question kind of related, currently I'm getting the tube from clapham common to zone 1, will the cost from an overground station like clapham junction be the same? I've heard horror stories about how busy the commuter train to Waterloo from clapham junction is, and that comes from veterans of the northern / Victoria lines!
Earlsfield is having a bit of a rejuvenation at the moment. A new Sainsburys Local, new non-chain coffee shop, new fish and chip shop, new steak restaurant, a French patisserie/restaurant opening soon, and one of the best Curry restaurants in London!! And if that wasn't enough, there are at least 7 hair salons/barbers!! It's a nice place to liveGood point and good for transport and a bit cheaper than Clapham.You could always try Earlsfield. Not far from where you are looking and right near a mainline trainstation
.I'll agree with that. 10 years ago all of these places were absolute dumps, riddled with crime and scumbags, and you had to watch your back the entire time. Same goes for East Dulwich, Peckham, Stockwell, Herne Hill and Streatham. The young trendies started to move to the areas because they were cheap with good links into central London, and the councils ploughed loads of money into making them look nice (classic example is Brixton). Trouble is a lot of the scummers haven't been displaced so they can be very unpleasant places to have to spend time in.
As mentioned above the problem with those places... you can go down one street and its really really nice, turn a corner and your in a complete dump. I lived around Bromley and South West London/Croydon for awhile a few years back and I can't say I'd be in a hurry to move back.
Don't think it makes much difference to be honest. I get off the commuter train at Clapham, from Croydon to Victoria. I rarely don't get a seat and not that many people get on at Clapham. Can't see that the Waterloo trains would be any different and they don't look too busy from the platform I stand at. I think I'd rather get the train simply because there's more air on them.
What type of ticket are you buying? A travel card? If so, that will be valid on trains, tubes and buses within the zones you buy it for. In peak times (between 7:30am to 9am), Clapham to Waterloo can be a shoulder barging shoving match (especially if you try to get to the front of the train, at the rear it's not too bad. After 9am it gets better.