Southfields

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See Southfields, Leicestershire for the place in Leicester.

Southfields

Coordinates: 51.4465° N 0.1931° W
OS grid reference	TQ255735
London borough	Wandsworth
Ceremonial county	Greater London
Region	London
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LONDON
Postcode district	SW18 and SW19
Dial code	020
Police	Metropolitan
Fire	London
Ambulance	London
London Assembly	Merton and Wandsworth
European Parliament	London
List of places: UK • England • London

Southfields is a district in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is a suburban development situated 5.6 miles (9 km) south west of Charing Cross. Although Southfields is in Wandsworth (which has the SW18 postcode) part of it has the SW19 postcode (the postcode for Wimbledon).

Southfields takes its name from the old manorial system, where it was known as the South Field of the manor of Dunsford. The earlier name for the area dates back at least to the year 1247^[1].

Until the late 19th century Southfields was still fields, situated between the more developed villages of Wimbledon and Putney. It had some paths between the fields, which were the basis of the main road that exist today. When the District & London & South Western Railway from Wimbledon to Putney Bridge opened in June 1889, the area started to take off, with the first school opening a year later on Merton Road, one of the main thoroughfares that were formerly paths through fields.

The main residential area of Southfields is "The Grid". "The Grid" is a series of parallel roads that are crossed at right angles by a series of parallel streets - so named because of the grid layout of the streets. The roads run from Replingham Road, in the north to Revelstoke Road, in the south, and the streets run from Elsenham Street, in the west, to Astonville Street (although Merton Road to the east of Astonville is the border of "The Grid"). "The Grid" consists almost entirely of large victorian built terrace houses, some of which have been converted into flats. These victorian terraced houses were built at the same time as the bordering terraced housing Wimbledon Park and the avenues to the south of The Grid originally had the same names as the streets in Southfields that led to them.

An abstinence law prevented any pubs from being built in the Southfields "Grid" area. But since that was lifted in the 1990s two pubs have sprung up next door to each other on Replingham Road.

Once a working class enclave, the area has, like others around it, undergone a transformation in the 1990s, with house prices rising dramatically. It attracts people from all over due to the transport links with the District Line and South West Trains, its parks and primary schools.

Southfields tube station is the nearest to the Wimbledon tennis championships and during the tournament some local residents rent out their homes, while local shops enjoy a two week boost to sales.

Since 1984 the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has its headquarters in Southfields, due to the heavy persecution of Ahmadis in Pakistan. The community's leader's life was in danger, since then he resides in Southfields. The area is also home to a significant South African community.