Wandsworth

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Location
Wandsworth
<tr><td colspan="2"> Image:Greater london outline map bw.png </div></div> </div> </div> </td></tr>
OS grid reference:	TQ255755
Latitude:	51.46449°
Longitude:	-0.192419°
Administration
London borough:	Wandsworth
County level:	Greater London
Region:	London
Constituent country:	England
Sovereign state:	United Kingdom
Other
Ceremonial county:	Greater London
Historic county:	Surrey
Services
Police force:	Metropolitan Police
Fire brigade:	London Fire Brigade
Ambulance service:	London Ambulance
Post office and telephone
Post town:	LONDON
Postal district:	SW18
Dialling code:	020
Politics
UK Parliament:
London Assembly:	Merton and Wandsworth
European Parliament:	London
London \| List of places in London

Wandsworth is a largely middleclass area by the River Thames in south-west London. It is at the centre of the London Borough of Wandsworth, made up of Balham, Battersea, Clapham Junction, Earlsfield Nine Elms, Putney, Roehampton, Southfields, and Tooting. Wandsworth gets its name from the River Wandle, which enters the Thames at Wandsworth.

1 Description
2 Famous Residents
3 Nearest places
4 Transport
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Description

It is a town of extremes (a fact highlighted in the hugely popular film "Love Actually") containing some light industry and warehouse sites rapidly being surrounded by luxury riverside housing. There is an area of expensive middleclass terraced housing (known as The Tonsleys) behind Old York Road - the former centre of old Wandsworth. It has some major transport routes running through it, which bisect the area and are usually heavily congested.

Set back from the river, up the top of East Hill can be found Wandsworth Common which contains an area known locally as "the toast rack" containing some of the most expensive townhouses in London^{[citation needed]} across from "Chez Bruce" formally "Harveys" where the renowned chef Gordon Ramsey learnt his trade and is regularly voted the best food in London.^{[citation needed]}

There are many individually owned cafés, bars and restaurants occupying St John's hill and Old York Road (Tonsleys) encompassing the local government's vow to restrict chain stores to the newly-regenerated south side shopping centre and cinema complex. Wandsworth has two pubs featured in the the good pub guide; "The Ship" (popular with the local affluent SW london familes) and "The Alma".

Nearby is Wandsworth prison, which is the largest prison in the London area.