Chard Estate Agents - Battersea area guide

Battersea, SW11

One of the biggest attractions of Battersea, although by no means the only
one – is that it is in the Borough of Wandsworth, one of the lowest
council tax areas of the whole country, never mind London. Battersea is

fringed with open spaces such as Battersea Park and Wandsworth Common
and a potent attraction is the waterfront and serene riverside walks. But the
main appeal of the area has to be Battersea Park which offers 2000 acres
of parkland including an art gallery, children’s zoo, lake, tennis courts and a
deer park. The Peace Pagoda, built in 1985, the gift of Japanese Buddhists,
has become the biggest draw for visitors.

One of the major landmarks used to be the Battersea Power Station, built
between 1929 and 1939 and featured on the Pink Floyd album, Animals. Now
disused, it I gradually being turned into an entertainment and commercial
complex, and will have new transport links. Other landmarks are the famous
Battersea Dogs’ and Cats’ home, New Covent Garden Market, which dates
from 1974 and the London Heliport, London’s busiest heliport and a great area
for celebrity-watching – or, indeed, taking a helicopter.

Originally an island settlement, Battersea was reclaimed by draining
marshland and before the industrial revolution, it was mainly farmland and
famous for pig breeding – hence the famous flying pig logo on the Pink
Floyd album. Battersea then grew into an industrial area with many
factories, including Price’s Candles (now trendy apartments) and Orlando Jones’
Starch Factory.  Since the 1970s, when industry in the area declined, the
factories have been demolished and/or turned into luxury apartment buildings.

Battersea has many trendy bars, restaurants and shops. If you enjoy
browsing in antique shops then you will love Battersea as it is full of
quirky individual outlets rather than the boring high street chains.
Properties include small and medium-sized Victorian houses that may or may
not be divided into flats and also eighties townhouses and maisonettes.
The waterfront has stylish, state of the art apartments and penthouses,
and there is much local authority-type housing and also mansion flats. All
types of properties are on offer in Battersea, from tiny studios to five
or six-bedroom houses.

Battersea has everything really, except that it is not on a handy tube
line and most probably, never will be. There are no future plans to tunnel underground.