A walk through Wandsworth

Balham

I've been in Balham before, I blogged about it a year ago. It hasn't changed much, either - the high street is still populated with hipster-type shops and local coffee shops, even moreso now that Oliver Bonas has moved in. Turning off by Ramsden Road reiterates this change: house prices here are at an average of £920,000, so say Rightmove at least, so being able to live by the local library and Waitrose will, perhaps unexpectedly, come at a cost. Notably there's a baptist church, dating back to 1873 and which was rebuilt following a fire in the 1950s. Otherwise, Ramsden Road stretches north with only terraced houses and the odd roundabout for company.

Ramsden Road ends up crossing the former boundary between Wandsworth and Battersea boroughs - when the two merged in 1965, it vanished and you'd only be able to tell by a change in the few remaining old street signs. I continued up until the road ended completely, by the junction with St Luke's Church. The church refer to themselves as from Battersea, though this is probably due to it predating the merger more than anything else.

I then walked down Thurleigh Road, which dips slightly as it heads on towards the common.

Wandsworth Common

I blogged about the common in March, so I'll keep this short. I finally took a photo of the green footbridge, not that it's spectacular or anything. It was a quick cutaway to get to Nicosia Road, where the houses can cost up to £3 million, so say Rightmove at least. Estate agents Savills claim the road is found in the Toast Rack due to all the wine shops here, and this might be the worst marketing name given to an area - at least the Poet's Corner made some sense. Why the road is named for the Cypriot capital is unclear to me.

Two roads named for Oxbridge colleges, Trinity and Magdalen, can be found here. I quickly turned away to Heathfield Road, and advanced northwards. Along the way was this massive Father Christmas inflateable, obscuring someone's property entirely.

Wandsworth Prison

It then became clear to me that I had stumbled across Wandsworth Prison. You'll be happy to know the blogpost doesn't end here. 

The prison opened in 1851, and is the largest in London. Initially for both men and women, it's Category B now and home to nearly 1,600 men. Architecturally it's somewhat Gothic, much like other structures around Wandsworth Common like the Royal Victoria Patriotic Building. Oscar Wilde was formerly housed in Wandsworth, which explains why a nearby road is named Wilde Place.

Opposite the prison is a garden centre, where I've been on many occasions. It's also far more pleasant; either way, I decided to continue walking onwards - the prison is certainly not a place to visit in South London.

There are various side roads from here to Wandsworth, and one building which stood out to me was this cafe on a street corner. For some reason I liked the paintwork, which contrasts nicely with the duller brickworks and grey skies. Photography-wise, it's wonderful to capture.

St Anne's Church is similarly magnificent - and it's also deservedly Grade II* listed. It's also been 200 years since it was built, which makes for an, albeit late, anniversary on my behalf. 

Wandsworth

Crossing a small cemetery not far from the church, I had arrived at Wandsworth, the centre and namesake for the borough. The impressive Wandsworth Town Hall can be found here, along with a massive gyratory intersected by the South Circular and A3. 

It's also a shopping district, with the Southside shopping centre becoming the largest indoor centre of its kind when it opened in 1971. I've spent too much time here growing up, mostly around the stationery shops, and have occasionally wandered into the indoor cinema and cafes. It's changed much in that time - I've seen the Debenhams come and go, replaced by a massive entertainment centre, and there's even a Lidl present now.

Wandsworth developed mainly through industry along the River Wandle. Several mills had operated here from 1086, initially for flour but later becoming a centre of iron, gunpowder, and leather industry by the 17th century. The Ram brewery, operational from 1576 to 2006, was the oldest brewery in London, and was the site of pub owner Young's brewing after being bought in 1831. 

Young's legacy can still be seen here, with the Ram Inn just next to the brewery, with a golden ram acting as a weathervane, and a street here is called Ram Street. There's now a heritage centre in the original structure, with a small brewery also present. When I arrived, I could see some smoke puffing from the large chimney.

Towards the Wandle

The Wandle flows proudly through King George's Park before being culverted beneath Southside. However, it reemerges north of the South Circular, and I walked along the Causeway up to its mouth.

The Wandle briefly splits in twain, becoming the Wandle and Bell Lane Creek. Processing plants on either side, I walked under a rail bridge and saw the two strands, with the occasional artificial waterfall, flowing through concrete banks, before they combine once more past the Spit nature reserve. From here, the Wandle becomes the Thames, so the lovely Thames Path is also present. I let myself spend some time relaxing by the Thames bank, with the even wealthier Hurlingham on the other side. To the right spans Wandsworth Bridge; the area has had two bridges, the first in 1873 before being replaced in 1940 to accommodate heavier loads. Its blue colour comes from camouflage against air raid shelters, though that's not enough for an architect to claim it's the least noteworthy crossing in London. 

Wandsworth Town

Newrise buildings aside, there isn't too much else of doubt around here in Wandsworth. A former Mercedes Benz factory stands here, along with a recycling centre and a bus garage decked out with tourist vehicles. At its centre, however, is a massive roundabout, with a circular lattice holding an advertising board as if a cage within. It's fascinated me since childhood, and admittedly makes it more distinctive than other roundabouts, though that's not too tough a task. Crossing through the small Bramford Gardens, I eventually got to a pedestrianised zone, with various independent shops and Wandsworth Town, the local train station.

South Western Railway's trains all run from Waterloo to Clapham Junction, before splintering into two branches. Wandsworth Town is on the line towards Staines, and has been since opening in 1846. Its exterior is a dull glass, so there's nothing much to say about it. 

From here I went home.