Places to See in South London Special - A Walk Down (part of) the A24

86km of road weaves through London, Surrey and Sussex starting in the Clapham suburbs and finishing past Dorking and Epsom on the coast of England in Worthing. Once part of a Roman road (Stane Street) which made its way down to Chichester, it is now a normal thoroughfare, accompanied by traffic and bordered on both sides by rapidly gentrifying Wandsworth. I walked a small section of the road between Clapham South and Tooting Broadway via Balham, and that's what this blogpost is about. If you don't like walking, consider taking the Northern line or the 155 or 355 bus routes to replicate my journey.

Clapham South

Outside Clapham South station, located on the South Circular and the former ULEZ boundary, is a sign that proclaims the start of Balham. This sounds odd considering where we are, but it's worth noting the station was proposed to be called Balham North when the southern end of the Northern line was being constructed - however, since you're only a few minutes in either direction to Balham or Clapham, this doesn't particularly matter. There is a series of apartments above shops such as an M&S Food, which are part of the Westbury Estate, with local restaurants opposite them and the beginning of Clapham Common which borders a traffic-laden one-way system. 

Balham

Head south towards Balham, and as you get closer, the house prices start to increase. There are more coffee shops - a mix of the Costas, Prets and local businesses, one of which also sells books - and Hildreth Street Market thrives just off the A24. Breakfast can cost up to £10 in some restaurants, and the high street is very busy on weekends. There are segregated cycle lanes that make up CS7 (which shadows the A24 down to Colliers Wood towards the south, and for some reason still a Cycle Superhighway and not a regular Cycleway) and there's such a thing as an Aldi Local. Balham's probably one of the notable examples of gentrification in London, with the area having the greatest increase in house prices than any other area in London, with some houses going for more than a million pounds and shops even selling Balham souvenirs. Once the "Gateway to the South", it's arguably become a very popular place to live, with it becoming part of the "Nappy Valley" where children are raised by young parents. 

This is also the first (and only) part of the walk where we encounter a National Rail station, once part of the (say it with me) London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (already mentioned twice on AO2A), which has an interchange with the adjacent Northern line station. Balham station is known for being bombed during the Blitz in World War 2 on the 14th October 1940, in which many died when sheltering along the station platform from the bombs, an event which is remembered by a plaque inside the station.

Further down the A24, Balham's diversity becomes clearer. There's a Polish Catholic church with a statue of Pope John Paul II and there's a Nepalese restaurant along with a Lebanese restaurant further down the road. You pass the Flowersmead Estate along with various newbuilds where a petrol station used to be, and then you find yourself entering Tooting Bec. If you bothered turning onto a side street, you may have ended up at Tooting Bec Common, where you'll often find dogwalkers, joggers and youth football teams in their droves.

Tooting Bec

There are many cafes and independent coffee sellers that dot this part of the A24, and then you pass the tube station whose name appears rather peculiar. The "Bec" refers to Bec Abbey in Normandy, with abbot St Anselm reputedly a visitor of the area - there's a Catholic church in his name opposite the station. It was originally known as Trinity Road (Tooting Bec), referring to the road that intersects the A24 here, before being referred to as simply Tooting Bec in 1950.

Towards Tooting Broadway, you'll find more local businesses and restaurants, such as a shop selling Indian items and a Pakistani restaurant which is a favourite of London mayor Sadiq Khan. There's a Muslim community centre and a Gurudwara, and if you haven't realised it yet, Balham and Tooting are rather lovely, diverse areas - Tooting has the highest proportion of Asian/Asian British people in Wandsworth, in fact, at 29% (page 17).

There's also the large Tooting Market which I've admittedly never been to, but has been around since 1936 and features a mural opposing potential demolition should Crossrail 2 serve Tooting. You see, there are two possible stations that Crossrail 2 could serve - Tooting Broadway, which would put Tooting Market at risk, or Balham, which many argue already has good enough transport. The history of the market however means that it would be sad to see it go, not least as it was bustling when I walked past it on this journey.

Tooting Broadway

Come Tooting Broadway, it's the end of this short walk down the A24. The station features a statue of King Edward VII watching over the junction and which is opposite two coffee shops. Tooting in general has also undergone rapid gentrification since Balham began becoming a refuge for cafes, and whilst house prices aren't at Balham levels yet, they are slowly starting to increase. I opted to turn left at this point, and I leave you with this bingo centre which is actually a Grade I listed building. It used to be the Granada cinema, which opened in 1930 and which is renowned for its art deco style, as well as its Wurlitzer organ which was damaged following a flood in 1973 and for hosting artists such as the Beatles, Frank Sinatra and the Bee Gees. It hasn't been a cinema for a while, however, and having read this article, I find it funny that such a magnificent building is now home to bingo matches. Perhaps I might go there one day when I can play bingo, just to admire the architecture in person. Surely this is proof that South London has great, unexpected landmarks - you just have to go out and search for them.