Destination London England

The City of London is one of the most beautiful and interesting places to visit. From its many awe inspiring museums to its lovely parks and gardens, London, England is a delight, writes Castanet.com

Most visitors enjoy visiting London’s famous landmarks including the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, London Bridge, and Kensington Palace. London, England also has some wonderful parks and gardens including well known Hyde Park and Greenwich Park.

When planning a vacation to London, you will encounter an assortment of exciting attractions and activities that all call for your attention. Besides the high fashion parts of the city or the entertaining theatre productions, London is thriving with a plethora of sights and events to keep you occupied during a stay in the city.

Filled with history, excitement, fun, culture, entertainment, and nightlife, London is one of the leaders in setting trends for the rest of the world. When it comes to planning an itinerary, there is a wide-range of neighborhoods to consider paying a visit.

In Battersea and Clapham, the number of bars and restaurants overflows. As you visit the Bayswater and Paddington part of the city, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens can be located. In Bloomsbury, Fitzrovia and Euston, the pages of some of the greatest literary works open up as you visit some of the bookstores and famous haunts of well-known authors. The Royal British Museum is also a popular tourist attraction in the city. For a handful of impressive bars and clubs, head for Brixton, which also boasts a popular market area. Shoppers love a visit to Camden, which offers a glance at the Bank of England, and the Leadenhall Market. A trip to Clerkenwell and Shoreditch brings you closer to Hoxton Square, and plenty of artsy adventures. Venture to the Dockland or Wapping area to come face-to-face with the Canary Wharf Tower. In Ealing, you may gaze upon the stunning London attraction of Benedictine Abbey, which offers a variety of sights to enjoy. Traveling throughout Greenwich, other attractions to enjoy include the National Maritime Museum, as well as the Thames Barrier Park. And of course there’s the famous London Zoo located in Regent’s Park.

South West London is Leading Market Indicator

Outside central London, the biggest price jumps among the city’s prime residential markets occurred in southwest London in the third quarter.

Prices in districts such as Fulham, Clapham, Wandsworth and Richmond, which range from 500,000 pounds to 2 million pounds, climbed 8.4 percent from the previous three months and are now 2.5 percent higher than they were a year ago.

Values in these areas fell almost 26 percent from the peak of the market to the end of March, triggering purchases from owner-occupiers who don’t require large mortgages. Prices rose 6.4 percent in the second quarter from the previous three months.

Southwest London is probably a better “leading market indicator” for top-priced homes in the city and the U.K. than central London, where overseas buyers account for almost 60 percent of purchases and more than 20 percent of sales are of second homes.
Bloomberg

Landlord Licensing

London city council tonight voted to license smaller landlords, a measure most politicians said would protect the health and safety of vulnerable tenants.

The new bylaw was a compromise measure that will leave about 8,000 landlords rather than bylaw officers policing properties on first inspections.

The new bylaw only applies to rental properties with four or fewer units and properties that have added units since 1993 without expanding the size of the building.

Lambeth Celebrates Childrens Week

Many people living in London property in Clapham and other areas of Lambeth are expected to take part in a new advice and play week to celebrate the work of children’s centres across the borough.

Set to take place later this month, Children’s Centre Week will see a number of the borough’s facilities sign up to the scheme and offer activities to parents and their youngsters.

Clapham Manor Children’s Centre will host activities such as health and self-esteem workshops and employability guidance events during the week.

Paul McGlone, cabinet member for children and young people’s services at Lambeth Council, believes the week should promote the important services offered by children’s centres.

He said: “I hope as many parents and children as possible use this as an opportunity to discover the wealth of services open to them.”

Lambeth Council recently celebrated the completion of this summer’s Rolling Sound arts and media scheme, which helped a number of young people across the borough to enjoy constructive activities during the school holidays.

Clapham High Street Market

London property owners who regularly shop in Clapham High Street may be able to take advantage of a new initiative designed to improve trading areas in the borough of Lambeth.

The local council has announced that ten new street trading pitches may be erected across the borough, with facilities designed to help street traders sell a range of products.

Clapham High Street is one site planned for the scheme, with the pitches expected to be suitable for single market stalls.

Councillor Sally Prentice, cabinet member for the environment at Lambeth Council, commented that it is important shopping areas are made to be as attractive as they can be.

She added: “We want to improve our shopping areas and street pitches [as] a good way of making them more attractive and vibrant, as well as increasing choice to shoppers.”

The council has also announced that the number of parking tickets issued in the borough of Lambeth dropped last year, which could offer welcome news to local residents.

Lettings Agents in Clapham: Lettings in London SW4

Clapham was originally a small hamlet in the early 19th Century. The area now has two main assets: Clapham Common and excellent transport links into Central London and the City from Clapham Junction. Properties in this area range from splendid Georgian and Regency homes surrounding the Common to Victorian terraced houses and conversion apartments. Shops and restaurants can be found on Abbeville Village and Clapham Old Town.

Travel Links to Clapham

• Clapham Common (Northern Line)

• Clapham High Street Railway Station

• Motorway Junction M4 Junction 1

• Airport London City

History of Clapham

Clapham dates back to Saxon times, specifically a settlement known as “Osgod Clapha”. The settlement was small and it didn’t expand much further than hamlet size for some while. The Common provided grazing for farm animals then, and was still being used for this purpose until the beginning of the 20th century.

The land around Clapham was fairly marshy, and this limited development in the middle Ages. By the 17th century highwaymen were a common sight on the Common, stealing as much money as they could from passing stagecoaches.

Clapham started to expand at the end of the 17th century, as the Fire of London led to many homeless north Londoners arriving. Prostitution became big business, even though the women involved for the most part avoided the Common.

Clapham Junction station was constructed in the 19th century, and industry grew up around this part of the borough. Industry brought in more workers, and so housing development occurred as a result of this.

The 20th century didn’t really see that much more development. Today Clapham is a popular residential district, with a thriving atmosphere. Clapham has become popular with young professionals, particularly those with children, and the area around Old Town, the High Street and Abbeville Road has been transformed by the cinema, bars, restaurants and shops.

Pubs, Bars, Cafés and Restaurants in Clapham

Rose & Crown
2, The Polygon, Clapham, London, SW4 0JG
Tel: 020 7720 8265

The Two Brewers
114, Clapham High St, Clapham, London, SW4 7UJ
Tel: 020 7498 4970

Arch 635
15-16, Lendal Terrace, Clapham, London, SW4 7UX
Tel: 020 7720 7343

Rinky Dink
38, Clapham High St, Clapham, London, SW4 7UR
Tel: 020 7627 1036

The Falcon Clapham North
33, Bedford Rd, Clapham, London, SW4 7SQ
Tel: 020 7274 2428

Kazbar
50, Clapham High St, Clapham, London, SW4 7UL
Tel: 020 7622 0070

The Royal Oak
10, Clapham High St, Clapham, London, SW4 7UT
Tel: 020 7720 5678

Tim Bobbin
1-3, Lillieshall Rd, Clapham, London, SW4 0LN
Tel: 020 7738 8953

The Clarence Public House
34, Jeffreys Rd, Clapham, London, SW4 6QX
Tel: 020 7771 2004

Il Capo
22, North St, Clapham, London, SW4 0HB
Tel: 020 7738 8844

Gastro
67, Venn St, Clapham, London, SW4 0BD
Tel: 020 7627 0222

Haweli of Clapham South
3, Canvendish Parade, Clapham Common South, London, SW4 9DW
Tel: 020 8673 4900

Xian
32, Abbeville Rd, Clapham, London, SW4 9NG
Tel: 020 8673 9300

La Terraza Restaurant
27-31, Bedford Rd, Clapham, London, SW4 7HJ
Tel: 020 7737 4066

Maharani Indian Restaurant Ltd
117, Clapham High St, Clapham, London, SW4 7TB
Tel: 020 7622 2530

Polygon Bar & Grill
4, The Polygon, Clapham Old Town, London, SW4 0JG
Tel: 020 7622 1199

Bierodrome Clapham
44-48, Clapham High St, Clapham, London, SW4 7UR
Tel: 020 7720 1118

Golden Curry Restaurant
131, Clapham High St, Clapham, London, SW4 7SS
Tel: 020 7720 9558

Indian Flavours
5, Clapham High St, Clapham, London, SW4 7TS
Tel: 020 7622 2060

Acornflag
Lynton House, 54, Clapham Common South Side, Clapham, London, SW4 9BX
Tel: 020 7720 5005

Strada
102-104, Clapham High St, Clapham, London, SW4 7UL
Tel: 020 7627 4847

Grafton House Restaurant & Bar
13-19, Old Town, Clapham, London, SW4 0JT
Tel: 020 7498 5559

Thai Orchard
76, Clapham High St, Clapham, London, SW4 7UL
Tel: 020 7627 1588

Libraries in Clapham

London Borough of Lambeth
Mary Seacole House, 91, Clapham High St, Clapham, London, SW4 7TF
Tel: 020 7926 0750

Clapham Library
1, Clapham Common North Side, Clapham, London, SW4 0QW
Tel: 020 7926 0717