9 reasons why Battersea is the best place to live in London - Lucy Skoulding

Publish date: 2024-06-13

Leafy Battersea, just south of the river in the borough of Wandsworth, is undoubtedly the best place to live in London.

Obviously I'm biased because I live here, but having moved to London in 2016, I have experienced my fair share of it and Battersea is certainly my favourite place.

Covering Battersea Park and power station, and the areas around this up to Clapham Junction, here's all the reasons why I highly recommend you move here.

1. It's green

Battersea, in my opinion, is the best of both worlds because it's basically in Central London but it also has a strong residential and community feel as well as lots of green, open space.

In some areas it almost feels like you left the chaos of busy London behind.

As well as Battersea Park, part of Clapham Common and Wandsworth Common technically fall into the Battersea boundary so there's loads of places to go running, walk your dog and generally relax among nature.

2. Battersea Dogs and Cats home

A rescue home for cats and dogs, Battersea is now a famous charity that takes in multiple abandoned animals every day.

The charity looks after them, treats them if they are unwell, and rehomes them with a loving family once they are ready.

It's an amazing charity and having it right on your doorstep in Battersea is great as you can go and visit to see some of the animals.

3. It's very well connected

Battersea may not be on the London Underground but it's actually a great place to live for commuting and for general public transport travel.

Clapham Junction, Battersea's main transport hub, will get you into Victoria in about four minutes and also goes to Waterloo, London Bridge, Croydon, Hounslow and places in South West London like Richmond, Putney and Wimbledon.

As if this wasn't enough, Battersea has the prospect of being connected on the Northern line very soon and the luxury of plenty of buses heading to places all around London.

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4. There's so much to do here

It's easy to get into Central London but you'd never need to go there if you didn't want to because everything you could possible want is on your doorstep.

Shops, pubs, clubs, restaurants, cafés, gyms, activities like mini golf and high ropes, a games pub and much more, you're in the heart of all the action.

Yet, unless you live above a bar, it's not rowdy and raucous. The residential streets tend to remain pretty quiet, even on Friday and Saturday nights.

5. Clapham Junction

As mentioned, you can get anywhere pretty easily from Clapham Junction but it's also a national rail station that gets you to Gatwick and across the South West, right down to Devon if you fancy going there.

It's so handy to have it so close.

6. It's very close to Chelsea

People don't always realise this but if you just hop over Battersea Bridge, it's a short stroll, then you're immediately in Chelsea.

Yes Chelsea is full of expensive restaurants and shops but it's somewhere a bit different to explore and there's also lots of museums in the immediate area such as National Army Museum and places like the V&A and Science Museum in nearby South Kensington.

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7. Battersea Park

Battersea Park is an absolute gem of a place to have close by.

It's beautiful enough on its own, sitting right by the river, but there's also loads of great activities to do there like Go Ape, crazy golf, football and tennis.

The park also hosts lots of events throughout the year, such as its famous fireworks display in November.

8. There's some amazing markets

Battersea is the home of various fantastic local markets where you can go to pick up fresh food and buy other goods.

There's Northcote Road market as well as Hoxton Fruit and Veg, the market by Battersea Power Station and Battersea Boot sale, to name a few.

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9. Battersea Arts Centre

Battersea Arts Centre, formerly an impressive town hall with 80 rooms, is now home to an array of arts and culture events and activities.

Its a unique venue with so much going on, including 'Scratch' which is basically when members of the public are invited to watch early versions of shows and give feedback.

Want more news? Head to the MyLondon homepage.

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