Battersea area guide

Summary:

Battersea, SW11, lies in the London Borough of Wandsworth, about three miles south-west from the city centre, on the south bank of the river. Vaguely triangular in shape, its northern boundary is the Thames. Its north-eastern corner is one mile south of Westminster and the north western corner is demarcated by Wandsworth Bridge. Battersea then tapers to a point roughly three miles south. Once a strictly working class suburb with a rough reputation, Battersea has successfully reinvented itself into a trendy area and has become a very desirable place to live during the last 20 years. Riverside warehouses have given way to modern apartments with splendid views and serious prices to match. Chelsea Bridge marks the eastern end of the riverside strip of smart modern flats, which runs all the way around the Thames, to the Wandsworth boundary and beyond. 'Montevetro', the giant glass slab designed by Richard Rogers, has been joined by Norman Foster's curvaceous Albion Wharf, in Hester Road, between the bridges of Battersea and Albert. Dozens more luxury tower blocks are in the development or planning stage. There are large open spaces nearby: Battersea Park, Wandsworth Common and Clapham Common.

Properties:

SW11 has become a microcosm of British urban housing styles as architectural fashions and styles have swept through. Late-Victorian terraced housing and flat conversions have been joined by smart new townhouse/flat developments. Houses with five bedrooms or more and larger flats are rare, although the park has some bigger flats and 'Twixt Commons' has some large houses. The smartest new homes are the new riverside flats and loft-style conversions of old Victorian schools.

Buyers:

Middle-class professionals mostly, who seek better value for money than nearby Clapham. There has been a slightly subdued demand for expensive riverside flats as investors recalculate their budgets. Tenants and owner-occupiers have a wide choice of flats, from ex-council to Manhattan type. Clapham junction, despite the name, is actually in Battersea, which draws city types who compete for the smart terraced. 'Twixt Commons' houses middle-class families on the whole.

Sales Information:

The table below details the most recent sales information for this area, broken down by postcode, property type and average sale value.

Postcode	Detached	Semi-Det	Terraced	Flat / Mais	Total / Average
SW11	- -	14 sales £1,152,864	148 sales £836,475	216 sales £402,432	378 sales £600,169

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