Wandsworth Area Guide

About the Area

With its famously low council tax, good schools and wide open spaces, Wandsworth is one of London’s most liveable boroughs. Only a stone’s throw from Battersea and Clapham, Wandsworth is close to all the action but manages to maintain its own chilled pace.


This leafy corner of south-west London remains hugely popular with families and professionals. And it’s easy to see why. Wandsworth Common is an idyllic public park with a lake and tennis courts, with grand Edwardian houses in the surrounding streets. Grab lunch at the Skylark Cafe and watch the world go by.

Wandsworth has a vibrant pub scene; in fact, round these parts they have strict rules to protect beloved boozers from overzealous developers. Down by the river, 18th century pub The Ship is an amazing spot for a beer and a burger on a sunny weekend, while The Cat’s Back is a popular Harvey’s pub with a cracking atmosphere, an upstairs theatre and a down-to-earth vibe.

On the shopping front, everyday essentials are covered at the Southside Centre, with an ever-growing cluster of boutiques on the Old York Road.

Wandsworth has bags of history but it never gets old. The Ram Brewery — a historic microbrewery with a horses’ stables — is the setting for a new waterside plaza which will turn the River Wandle into London’s answer to Venice. Well, almost.