Earlsfield
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Earlsfield is an area within the London Borough of Wandsworth, London, United Kingdom. A typical London suburb, Earlsfield is comprised of mostly residential Victorian terraced houses with a high street of shops, bars and restaurants (very few chain stores) between Garratt Lane, Allfathing Lane and Burntwood Lane. Although it has had a slow start and lags behind its Clapham neighbour, Earlsfield, with its schools and family facilities as well as its primary transport link (see Earlsfield railway station) into central london - now has a strong housing market with prices continuing to outpace average house price inflation.
The River Wandle flows parallel to the main road through the area, and has been the subject of a major, council funded cleanup operation. There is some light industry located between the high street and the river. It is not as well known as its neighbouring areas such as Tooting, Clapham, Balham, and Battersea, which allows for a low key way of life while still being close enough to the bright lights and excitement of London. The local Earlsfield railway station provides for quick journeys to Central London (3 stops to Waterloo [Clapham Junction, Vauxhall, Waterloo] in 16 minutes) and other South London (Victoria - changing at Clapham Junction, Wimbledon one stop) areas.
The area was once a working class suburb of Wandsworth and as such has medium sized terraced housing built for the working class. It now houses young families attracted by the affordability of the area in comparison to its north, west and eastern neighbours Clapham, Wandsworth, Battersea and Putney. The area is now known as Nappy Valley to some, due to the small family homes and the good schools in the area.
The area is also a haven for South Africans that seem to dominate the area at rush hour, streaming out of the less expensive house conversion flats around Garratt Lane.
There is not a great deal of notable history to the area as it is based around a mainline (i.e. above ground) rail station that was built at the end of the 19th Century—April 1884, to be exact.
The name Earlsfield has two possible origins:
- the first that it came from Earl, the maiden name of the Lord of the Manor's wife.
- the second that it comes from the fact that the whole area was once watercress fields belonging to Earl Spencer, an ancestor of Lady Diana Spencer, later Diana, Princess of Wales. The area to the north east, towards Clapham is also known as Spencer Park.
Contents |
[edit] Property
The best parts of Earlsfield are those to the north-west of Earlsfield Road - from Winfrith Road, Inman Road, Bucharest Road, Brocklebank Road, Bassingham Road and those to the north-west, as well as those off the main high street area with Skelbrook Street, Quinton Street, Littleton Street are also in demand with slightly larger houses or flats. 3 bed homes (~1200sq ft+) here are in the region of £500k+ (2006/2007) - significantly cheaper than those larger more middle-class homes up the road in Wandsworth (£1.2m+). A significant percentage of these 3 bed homes have now been converted through loft conversions and rear extensions to larger 4 beds.
Earlsfield Road provides a varied range of houses, from average 3 bed terraces similar to Winfrith & Inman (above) at the Garratt Lane end, through to an increasing size moving up the road to the St. Annes Hill Road junction that switches the road from Earlsfield to Wandsworth.
[edit] High Street
Although vibrant, the high street is also always a little disappointing due to the high rent demanded by its landlords - the only shops, bars and restaurants that seem to survive are those that have been there for a long time - suggesting they might already have long leases that avoid the greed of the modern landlord in the area (it's been suggested that most of the high street is actually owned by two men that have owned properties in the area for decades now). Willie Gunns is about the only survivor in the area, the rest of the bars and restaurants come and go within 12 months or so. The high-street is dominated by Estate Agents, Cafes and Bars/Restaurants.
[edit] Places to Eat
Italian
- Carnevale's, Siward Road/Garratt Lane,
- Pizza Hut - (Pizza take away)
Thai
- Amaranth Thai Market, Earsfield Road/Garratt Lane (take away and canteen),
Indian
- Nazmin - Garratt Lane,
- Captain Korma - Kimber/Garratt Lane, (take away)
Chinese
Anglo
- Willie Gunn - Trewint Street/Garratt Lane,
- Ditto - East Hill,
- Colins Fish Bar, Treport St/Garratt Lane
- Chez Bruce (Wandsworth Common)
[edit] Neighbours
- Wandsworth Common SW17
- Clapham SW12
- Battersea SW11
- Wandsworth SW18
- Tooting SW17
- Southfields SW19
- Putney SW15
[edit] Next Stop Neighbouring Travel Connections
- inbound: Clapham Junction
- outbound: Wimbledon station
