How is Clapham

Hello,

What is your opinion on Clapham? Is it a safe place to live? We went there last Christmas, it seemed very nice, with a bunch of restaurant/bar and accomodations close by (supermarket, theater...).

Are there any other places that you would recommend instead? (similar but cheaper, or just better overall).

Thanks!

Clapham is a pretty decent area, cheap for housing and reasonably safe by London standards, decent transport links - a good choice.  I have a few friends living there and they all love it.

I don't know that I'd consider Clapham to be cheap, as it is probably one of the more pricey areas south of the river, though not as much as Battersea, Wandsworth and Putney. However, it is pretty nice and has good transport connections.

I'm a fan of Balham, which is just south of Clapham. It has the same transport links (underground and overground stations), some nice restaurants and a Sainsburys and Waitrose. It is a bit cheaper and you can get a seat on the tube in the morning, whereas you've got no chance at Clapham South/Common/North.

Hi Jerome -- I find the question of safety relative to what a person's experience has been but yes, Clapham is regarded as safe.

Before making suggestions on other neighbourhoods it would be helpful to know
Do you know where you'll be working? (or going to school)
What's your budget?
What are your priorities?

I agree with Lost.librarian - Clapham is definitely not cheap.

sort of depends on what you're after - it's a nice neighborhood, but quite young.  I'm 32 and feel quite old there  it's definitely got a post-college vibe to it, I think.  Which is great as it means fun bars, clubs and restaurants, but if you're not in that place...

Transport links are decent, although like LL said, there's not much chance of getting a seat on the tube in the morning.  The Northern line runs from Balham, through Clapham up into town, but you can change for the Victoria line at Stockwell which is a bit faster and gets you to the western part of the city pretty easily.

I would definitely say it's safe

Other places to consider around the area if you're keen are Kennington and Oval.  Slightly closer to the center of the city, comparable price wise.  Probably not such a concentration of good bars and restaurants, but a fair amount. 

Thanks for your answers.
I live in Hoboken, NJ, right now. Plenty of bars/resto and the quite young neighborhood seems to fit I'm 26 ;-)

It seems possible to find a decent 1 bedroom for around 800 pcm in the area, I think that would fit me. Is Balham much cheaper?
To answer jayvee, I don't know where I'll be working yet, I'm moving to London to find a job as it is not working from the US.
So for my priorities, I would say an area with bar/resto is important but of course, it will depend of the budget. Once I have a job, I'll be able to know how much I can spend and upgrade if possible.
Oh and Clapham is nice because it's convenient to go to King's Cross Station to catch the Eurostar.

If you know another area that could fit those needs, don't hesitate to let me know!
Cheers.

Hmmmn. Not sure I'd say Clapham is convenient for Kings X although it is handy for Waterloo.

If you live in Hoboken and like it, I agree that Clapham is a nice fit. It has a similar vibe with lots of post-uni 20-somethings and young profs – and as an added plus it’s greener than Hoboken. You can find pretty much anything you want in Clapham and it has good transport links (though I agree with Britwife, it’s a hike to KingsX).

But you have to pay for those bars, restaurants and other amenities. I’m not sure where you came up with that £800 pcm figure for rent, unless it’s a share, but when I searched on www.findaproperty.co.uk only 1 flat came up at that price.

It's Just my opinion, but I think you'll have to re-evaluate your housing budget or standards quite significantly if you want to live in Clapham or a Clapham-like area.

Balham has a less intense scene than Clapham and though it’s lovely, it isn’t cheap either (the same search produced 4 flats).

Here are some other areas you may want to explore:

West: Fulham, Hammersmith, Chiswick

North: Camden, Islington, Crouch End

East: Shoreditch, Dalston, Stoke Newington

There was a resent discussion about this very topic here:
http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=53151.0
started by chadwyckp, who is looking for a similar type of neighbourhood as you. You may find some useful info.

Good luck

Hmmmn. Not sure I'd say Clapham is convenient for Kings X although it is handy for Waterloo.

The Northern line goes through Euston/Kings Cross-St Pancras - so you can get there from Clapham without changing trains.  Does take about 30-40 mins though.

You can find a flat share in Balham for £500-600 pcm. I shared a good sized, alright 2 bedroom flat with a friend for £500 a month plus another £50 for bills.

I think £800pcm for a one bedroom is somewhat fantasy. There are not that many 1 bed flats in that area, most are 2+ beds and conversions. You could find a really nice house share for ~£500pcm on a leafy street between Balham or Clapham.

www.gumtree.co.uk is a great place to look for researching flats.

Hello,

Thanks for the answers, I'll read the other thread in a bit. For King Cross, yes, I like the fact that you don't need to change train, when you have luggage, it's practical. Then if it's 15 or 40 min, I can deal with that.

For the rent, I had checked on http://www.primelocation.com/ [nofollow]
There was 9 results there so that's why i said it seemed possible. But I don't know how those places look and when I look at the other websites (thanks for the links), indeed there is less choice. So I guess I would have to put more or find another area. Or maybe we'll find the perfect deal!

Thanks for your help.

Kings Cross is well accessible from most of London one way or another!


Vicky

Note for new arrivals: Balham is not pronounced "Bal -ham" - it's more like "Balum"