Moving house in Clapham
Clapham is south-east of our base, over the river and through Battersea. It is a short run from SW6, so the van is at your door early and the day is spent moving, not driving.
Most of SW4 is Victorian. The grid of streets around Abbeville Road and the long roads between the High Street and Clapham Road are terraces, and many have been split into flats. Expect a shared front door, a steep staircase and, quite often, a flat in the roof. A sofa that went in before the loft conversion may not come out the same way, so we look at the stairs on the survey, not on the day.
Around the Old Town and on the edges of the Common the houses are older and larger: Georgian and Regency terraces and villas, many of them listed. They come with stone steps up to the front door, a basement flat below and tall rooms with heavy furniture to match. Floors, banisters and doorframes are covered before anything moves.
Clapham is split between two councils. Most of it, including the Old Town, the High Street and Clapham North, is in Lambeth. The boundary runs across the Common, and the streets off its west side are in Wandsworth. The two councils ask for different notice for a parking suspension, so check which one your street is in before you fix a date.
The Common itself is busy for much of the year. Lambeth licenses funfairs, festivals and the start of a London to Brighton bike ride there, with fencing and event traffic on the roads around the edge. If you live near the Common, check the council's event notices before you book.
