Living between the Commons is more expensive for a reason. It is lovely! The houses tend to have more square footage than those on north side, tonsleys, Shaftesbury estate etc. if you were thinking of Chelsea you will find BTC much more affordable with better access to green space than Chelsea. There are many American families around here too. You will pay more for your house if it's in catchment for the state schools so in your case you should avoid 400m around Honeywell School on Honeywell Road (between northcote and webbs roads) and around 500m around Belleville School (on webbs road between belleville and Wakehurst roads). Good luck!

Thank you to everyone who gave their 2 cents and took the time to reply. Now that I've been to the area I can see why my initial question was a bit difficult to answer- I'm still a bit confused as to where certain areas begin and where certain areas end- but I am delighted to report that we found a lovely place to live between the commons and just off Northcote Road.

We tried desperately to get a place close to the school but were unable to get in walking distance so I'm afraid we will have to take the city bus or face traffic at least until the children are old enough to walk the distance. At least my husband will finally have an easy commute.

I look forward to joining your community! Thanks again and see you all in July.

Wow! you've had a lot of replies!! Thought I'd add my two pence worth as well though....

I live just off Abbeville Road and I really love it. It has a real village feel. Its quieter and feels more spacious than the street between the commons (I think anyway!) and property prices are cheaper.

There is a good mix of useful shops and nice restaurants on abbeville road which give it a nice community feel - you bump in the neighbours at the bakery or in the pub on the weekend, there is a summer village fete and a christmas fayre etc. You're a very short walk from clapham common for swings, tennis courts and open space and also clapham high st or old town for bigger supermarkets, pharmacy more restaurants etc

I really love it here. Its a great place to be with little people.

But, as people say proximity to your school is probably the biggest factor - make life easy for yourself! If at all possible I'd avoid being reliant on a car for the school run. The traffic might be manageable but its a nightmare to park and you might find yourself spending a fortune on parking tickets - the wardens like to hover around the school gates and punish parents for parking in the wrong spot!

Could you rent in the area for a while until you get to know the area a little more? Then you can buy a house in your favourite spot with confidence.

Good luck!!

North Battersea is very close to Chelsea (just over the river) but with the benefits of Battersea Park, the river, very close to the Kings Road, but all without the extreme Chelsea house prices. It's also a bit more varied in North Battersea, it's not totally over run with children, but it's easy to get to Northcote rd etc too. Could be a good compromise for you?

Hello,

We had the same concerns a few years back when we moved to London and we decided to go to Wimbledon a bit further from Clapham, but it ticked all the boxes for us. What it is was really important was the support and advice we got from a company called SecurelyBe...in London, the lady that helped us through all the settling was really good and thoughtfully with our needs of info and all the million questions we asked them even before our arrival, I felt heard as she relateed to my situation.
Have you considered to get this kind of help? I have been in a few relocations myself in the past and when you have children you need help to deal with the uncertainties in lots of different areas.
Here is their website just in case could be your "cup of tea" ?www.securelybe.com
Good luck with the move, London is a great place to be if you know how things work and what to do

Same as the above poster... we are nearer to Balham, but I am from the US too. Get close to the school, I think anything more than a 10min walk (without scooters) is painful (especially in the rain).

Almost anywhere is good really, I'd look for a garden or a close park too.

Good Luck (PM me if needs be...)

I would also say go for proximity to the schools. I'm from the US, moved here from NYC over 10 years ago and Chicago before that. Driving to/from school is a no go for most i would say - more hassle than its worth. We have lived off Battersea Rise, off Northcote Road and now off St John's hill. Its brilliant around here and there are areas of Clapham that are very nice too as mentioned above- so i would suggest you focus on proximity to schools and what you can afford. Happy to speak to you separately if you wanted at any point. Email or phone - whatever suits. I have twin boys that are 3.5 years old. Drop me a line if you want.
krista.pound@kpmg.co.uk

We gave Chelsea consideration only to expand our choices- not because of a desire to live there. My husband and I both thought living outside central London might provide the opportunity for finding a larger living space for less money.

Easy for your husband to say it will be easy, when it's not him doing the school run presumably!

Chelsea is of course lovely and tbh getting over the river from north-south is easier than the other way, so living there would make it marginally more convenient for getting out of town at weekends etc, as well as putting you closer to town.

But do also consider how locally the other pupils live to school - play dates and general socialising with parents is much easier if you are nearby. Worth asking the school how far their pupils come from? Also while you may be able to drive to the school you may find parking more of a problem - the wardens hover around schools in the morning like bees to a honey pot, so if the parking restrictions come into force before school starts this could get expensive! I should reiterate my view that it is better for everyone if we can avoid more cars on the roads especially around schools to which other children are walking!

As others have added, there are loads of fantastic places to live, I really would start with the school and work from there. If your husband wants to live in Chelsea there are lots of great private schools near there too, I don't know why you wouldn't consider those?

We live in St Johns Hill, which, if you have a private school place/s secured, is great and more affordable than between the commons. Its got a nice set of shops, a deli / cafe, a couple of nice pubs, a mini Sainsbury's and is 10mins walk to Clapham Junction Station. It is also a 10 min walk to the Northcote Road. You can also get the bus to anywhere a well. You will pay circa £100k less for a like for like house, than one between the commons.

best of luck

Another vote for proximity to the children's schools, as that is what makes the most difference to your day. Scooters are brilliant, once I trained my kids to stop at the roadside!

I'm also a fan of the Northside and Old Town areas. There are some lovely places down the Abbeville Road way too.

Between the Commons is a very nice area, but the downside is that it is there is a significantly higher cost to live there than some surrounding areas.

Alas, nearly all of Battersea/Clapham suffers from a surplus of real estate agents in our shopping streets!

I don't agree that Clapham common is not nice. It is not as posh as Between the Commons, but it is very nice, especially Clahpam Old Town, which is less crowded than Northcote road. I also agree with the area between Clapham common north side and Lavender Hill. On the south side of Clapham Common, the area of Abbeville Road is also great. It would definitely not be my choice to go Between the commons, because of 1) the price, 2) the oversubscribed schools.
in any event, lots of nice places in SW london. Also, Balham, Earlsfield, Wandworth town (lovely), Saint John's Hill.
Good luck

Which school is your child going to? Another part of Battersea is what is know as Northside. It's the bit between Clapham Common Northside and Lavender Hill up as far as Cedars Road. It has great bus routes from Lavender Hill and clapham Commin Northside, is in easy reach of Northcote road, is rightby Clapham Common and you get much more for your money than between the commons.

I knew my original question was a tricky one so I thank you for taking the time to reply!

The information you've provided is incredibly helpful. I have so little knowledge of the area and clearly must admit that I have been quite confused as to where the boundaries lie. It also confirms my suspicion regarding London traffic. My husband was trying to convince me that we should consider Chelsea- that the drive to the school in Clapham would be "quick and easy". Coming from NYC I know all too well that it if there's any traffic to contend with, the easiest looking commute can become a traumatic experience when actually attempted.

I'm hoping to find a home within a 5 to 10 minute walk to the school. I've also been told I should teach my 5 yr old son how to ride a scooter because that is, apparently, the way all the little ones get themselves around.

Hi there

Your question is a bit tricky to answer - Wandsworth is the borough, so a very wide area indeed. The area which most people might consider as "Wandsworth central" is down by the town hall, probably not where you're thinking of. Then there are the residential areas near to Wandsworth Town and Wandsworth Common stations, the former has lovely houses in the "Tonsleys", the latter having great houses off Bellevue Road, which has a bit more going on in terms of child-friendly stuff, cafes and shops etc.

Battersea is in fact where Between the Commons is situated, (south Battersea), and this area stretches up to the river and Battersea Park (north Battersea), and includes the area around Clapham Junction, just to confuse matters. Lots of lovely places to live round here - Northcote Rd, Prince of Wales Drive, Shaftesbury estate (though not as many shops in the latter two and public transport much more limited in N Battersea).

"Clapham" proper is in Lambeth borough, and would be the area around Clapham Common and Clapham North tube stations, which is less child friendly.

Then there's the area around Clapham South - going up to Abbeville Village (gorgeous) or down to Balham, again lovely houses and cafes especially in the Ramsden Road / Nightingale area.

Personally I would live as close to your chosen school as you can, taking into account your preference for house and how far that would take you from whatever else you want to access. It's all pretty easy on foot round here though, while the traffic can be terrible. The fewer cars we have on the roads in the mornings during the school run the better (for motorists and pedestrians alike!). It can take ages to go even a short-ish distance in the car.

Feel free to message me if you like, hope this helps.