Balham () is an

area Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape A shape or figure is a graphics, graphical representation of an obje ...

in south west

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England. It has been settled since Saxon times and appears in the Domesday Book as Belgeham. The area saw significant development after the opening of Balham railway station in 1856. During World War II, Balham Underground station suffered heavy damage from air raids, killing around 64 people. In 1974, a bomb planted by the Provisional IRA exploded near government buildings in the area. Balham is between four south London commons. The town centre features a variety of bars, restaurants, and shops, and the area is economically and culturally diverse. The Polish, Irish, Portuguese, Somali, Pakistani, and Brazilian communities are well-represented in Balham. Notable landmarks in the area include the Bedford, a pub venue for live music and comedy, the distinctive Art Deco-designed Du Cane Court, and the Oak Lodge School for deaf children. Balham has its own library and leisure centre and was the site of the UK's first pedestrian diagonal X-crossing. Balham station serves as an interchange between National Rail and London Underground services.

History

The settlement appears in the ''

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

'' as ''Belgeham''. Bal refers to 'rounded enclosure' and ham to a homestead, village or river enclosure. It was held by Geoffrey Orlateile. Its ''Domesday'' Assets were: 1½

plough A plough or plow ( US; both ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses, but in modern farms are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden, iron or ...

s, of

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artifi ...

. It rendered (in total): £2. The Balham area has been settled since

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

times. Balham Hill and Balham High Road follow the line of the

Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

Stane Street to

Chichester Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ci ...

– (now the

A24 road This is a list of roads designated A24. Roads entries are sorted in the countries alphabetical order. * A24 motorway (Austria), a road connecting Vienna and the A23 to Stockerau * A 24 motorway (Germany), a road connecting Hamburg and Berlin ...

). Balham is recorded in several maps in the 1600s as Ballam or Balham Hill or Balham Manor. The village was within the parish of

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

. Large country retreats for the affluent classes were built there in the 18th century; however, most development occurred after the opening of Balham railway station on the line to Crystal Palace in 1856.

Second World War air raid

Air Raid Damage in Britain during the Second World War HU36188

On 14 October 1940 Balham Underground station was badly damaged by air raids on London during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. People took shelter in the tube station during the raids. A bomb fell in the High Road and through the roof of the Underground station below, bursting water and gas mains and killing around 64 people. This particular incident was featured in ''Atonement'', a 2001 novel by

Ian McEwan Ian Russell McEwan, (born 21 June 1948) is an English novelist and screenwriter. In 2008, ''The Times'' featured him on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945" and ''The Daily Telegraph'' ranked him number 19 in its list of th ...

. An image of the aftermath is of the bus, on route 88, which had fallen into the bomb crater. All passengers, along with the driver and conductor, had escaped from the bus before it fell. The bus was hauled out of the crater after two weeks.

Post-war

On the morning of 17 July 1974 a 10-pound bomb planted by the

Provisional IRA The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, fa ...

in a dustbin near Irene House (a Social Security office) and St Mary & St John the Divine Anglican Church exploded, shattering a four-foot wall and 50 windows. No-one was hurt.

Geography

Balham is overwhelmingly in

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan The London Plan is the statutory spatial development strategy for the Gre ...

, with only small parts in the neighbouring Borough of Lambeth and encompasses the A24 north of Tooting Bec and the roads radiating off it. The Balham SW12 postcode includes the southern part of Clapham Park otherwise known as Clapham South and the Hyde Farm area, both east of Cavendish Road and within

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

(historically Clapham, except for Weir Road) as well as a small detached part of Clapham south of Nightingale Lane, and part of

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

(the roads north of Nightingale Lane). The southern part of Balham, towards Tooting Bec, near the 1930s block of

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

flats called

Du Cane Court Du Cane Court is an Art Deco apartment block on Balham High Road, Balham, south London. A distinctive local landmark, it was opened in 1937 and, with 677 apartments, is the largest privately owned block of flats under one roof in Europe. It was a ...

and the area to the south of

Wandsworth Common Wandsworth Common is a public common in Wandsworth, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, south London. It is and is maintained and regulated by Wandsworth Council. It is also a Ward of the London Borough of Wandsworth. The population of the ward ...

, comes under the SW17 postcode. The Heaver Estate lies to the south of Balham in Tooting. The Estate mainly comprises substantial houses, was built in the grounds of the old Bedford Hill House and was the work of local Victorian builder,

Alfred Heaver Alfred Heaver (10 February 1841 - 8 August 1901) was an English carpenter turned builder and property developer, responsible for the construction of a number of housing estates amounting to thousands of homes in south London, including the Heaver ...

. Balham is situated between four south London commons: Clapham Common to the north,

to the west, Tooting Graveney Common to the south, and the adjoining Tooting Bec Common to the east – the latter two historically distinct areas are referred to by both

Wandsworth Council Wandsworth London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Wandsworth in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Wandsworth is divided into 20 wards, eac ...

and some local people as

Tooting Common The Tooting Commons consist of two adjacent areas of common land lying between Balham, Streatham and Tooting, in south west London: Tooting Bec Common and Tooting Graveney Common. Since 1996, they have been wholly within the London Borough of W ...

. Neighbouring areas are:

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...

, Clapham Park, Clapham South,

and

Tooting Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and partly in the London Borough of Merton. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross. History Tooting has been settled since pre- Saxon times ...

Economy

Balham's town centre has a variety of bars, restaurants and shops including major chains. There are also local services, including independent stores, coffee houses and brasseries. There are two car parks serving the vicinity, one behind the Sainsbury's (181 spaces) and one in front of Waitrose.

Demography

Balham is diverse both in terms of economic and cultural demographics with an increasingly professional middle class population. The

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

population in Balham has hugely increased since 2006, though Balham has been one of the centres of the community in London since

. The

White Eagle White Eagle(s) may refer to: History and politics * Coat of arms of Poland, a white eagle * Crusade of Romanianism, or White Eagles, a 1930s far-right movement in Romania * Task Force White Eagle, a Polish military unit during the War in Afghanist ...

Club is a thriving Polish community centre, and its traditional Saturday night dance draws people from across London. Opposite the White Eagle is The Polish Roman Catholic Church of Christ the King. The Irish, Portuguese, Somali, Pakistani and Brazilian communities are also well represented.

Landmarks

* The Bedford is a pub venue for live music and comedy on Bedford Hill. Performers at the Banana Cabaret have included

Stephen K Amos Stephen Kehinde Amos (born 3 December 1967) is a British stand-up comedian and television personality. A regular on the international comedy circuit, he is known for including his audience members during his shows. He began his career as a c ...

Omid Djalili Omid Djalili ( fa, امید جلیلی; born 30 September 1965) is a British actor, comedian and writer. Early life and education Djalili was born on 30 September 1965 in Chelsea, London, to Iranian Baháʼí parents. He attended Holland Park ...

, Harry Hill, Eddie Izzard, Al Murray and Catherine Tate. The pub has won various awards including the Publican Music Pub of the Year 2002; the Morning Advertiser Pub of the Year 2004; and the Evening Standard Pub of the Year 2002. In 1876, the pub building (then named the Bedford Hotel) housed the

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

's inquest into the notorious unsolved murder of

Charles Bravo Charles Delauney Bravo (30 November 1845 – 21 April 1876) was a British lawyer who was fatally poisoned with antimony in 1876. The case is still sensational, notorious and unresolved. The case is also known as The Charles Bravo Murder and the ...

, a resident and lawyer who was poisoned, possibly by his wife.

The Priory The Priory Hospital, Roehampton, often referred to as The Priory, is a private mental health hospital in South West London. It was founded in 1872 and is now part of the Priory Group, which was acquired in 2011 by an American private equity firm ...

, where the alleged murder took place, is also a landmark noted for the specific architectural style. *The Bedford Hill area of Balham was associated with

street prostitution Street prostitution is a form of sex work in which a sex worker solicits customers from a public place, most commonly a street, while waiting at street corners or walking alongside a street, but also other public places such as parks, benches, e ...

throughout the 1970s and '80s. A project was organised for the matter in the late 2000s and since then has no longer been an issue for residents. *

was the largest block of flats in Europe built for private occupation rather than as social housing at the time. Its 676 flats range from studios up to 4-bedroom penthouses. The block has had a number of notable residents, including comedian

Tommy Trinder Thomas Edward Trinder CBE (24 March 1909 – 10 July 1989) was an English stage, screen and radio comedian whose catchphrase was "You lucky people!". Described by cultural historian Matthew Sweet as "a cocky, front-of-cloth variety turn", he was ...

and actress Dame

Margaret Rutherford Dame Margaret Taylor Rutherford, (11 May 1892 – 22 May 1972) was an English actress of stage, television and film. She came to national attention following World War II in the film adaptations of Noël Coward's '' Blithe Spirit'', and Osca ...

. Scenes from Agatha Christie's Poirot were filmed in the building. *

Oak Lodge School Oak Lodge School is a specialist day school with a residential provision for students with hearing, speech, language and communication needs aged 10–19. It is located in the London borough of Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district o ...

is a secondary school for deaf children aged 11 to 19. It accepts pupils from all over London. * ''Impressions of Balham'' are four cold cast bronze reliefs mounted on a high brick wall on Balham Station Road. These depict local residents and everyday scenes. They were conceived and constructed by Christine Thomas and Julia Barton and installed in 1991. *Balham has its own library and leisure centre. *The UK's first pedestrian diagonal X-crossing was installed at the intersection of Balham High Road, with Balham Station Road and Chestnut Grove in 2005. This was later adopted at

Oxford Circus Oxford Circus is a road junction connecting Oxford Street and Regent Street in the West End of London. It is also the entrance to Oxford Circus tube station. The junction opened in 1819 as part of the Regent Street development under John Nash, ...

in 2009 which was the second X-crossing in the UK. *The world's first "intelligent" pedestrian crossings have also been trialled at Balham station (including Tooting Bec). *The prominent neon sign "Roberts for Ekcovision" installed by a former electrical shop in the 1950s on Bedford Hill was restored in 2022.

Transport

Balham station is an interchange between National Rail and

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...

services, in

London fare zone 3 Fare zone 3 is an inner zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail Nationa ...

. The stations connect Balham to both the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

and the West End. Balham Underground station is on the

Northern Line The Northern line is a London Underground line that runs from North London to South London. It is printed in black on the Tube map. The Northern line is unique on the Underground network in having two different routes through central London, two ...

. Clapham South Underground station is also technically in Balham, lying exactly at the meeting point of Clapham,

and Balham. Current bus routes serving the area are the

155 Year 155 ( CLV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 908 ''Ab urbe condita'' ...

249 __NOTOC__ Year 249 ( CCXLIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gavius and Aquilinus (or, less frequently, year 1002 ''Ab ...

255 __NOTOC__ Year 255 ( CCLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Valerianus and Gallienus (or, less frequently, year 1008 '' ...

315 __NOTOC__ Year 315 ( CCCXV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantinus and Licinianus (or, less frequently, year ...

355 __NOTOC__ Year 355 ( CCCLV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Arbitio and Maesius (or, less frequently, year 1108 '' Ab ...

and N155.

Notable people born in Balham

John Marco Allegro John Marco Allegro (17 February 1923 – 17 February 1988) was an English archaeologist and Dead Sea Scrolls scholar. He was a populariser of the Dead Sea Scrolls through his books and radio broadcasts. He was the editor of some of the most famo ...

, archaeologist. *

Ray Cattouse Ray Cattouse (born 24 July 1952) is a British former boxer who was British lightweight champion between 1980 and 1982 and fought for the European title. Career Born in Balham, London, and managed by Terry Lawless, Cattouse made his professional ...

, former British lightweight boxing champion. *

Gail Elliott Gail Elliott (born 1966) is an English fashion designer and former model. Early life Elliot was born in Balham, London, in 1966. She is of mixed Anglo-Indian, Scottish and other European ancestry. Career Modeling Elliot began to model when ...

, fashion designer and former model. *

Percy Fender Percy George Herbert Fender (22 August 1892 – 15 June 1985) was an English cricketer who played 13 Tests for his country and was captain of Surrey between 1921 and 1931. An all-rounder, he was a middle-order batsman who bowled mainly l ...

(1892) Surrey cricket captain, world record holder and England Test all rounder. * Fred again.., singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and remixer. * Mel Gaynor, musician, drummer of the rock band

Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United St ...

. * Ainsley Harriott, TV chef. *

Jimmy Hill James William Thomas Hill, OBE (22 July 1928 – 19 December 2015) was an English footballer and later a television personality. His career included almost every role in the sport, including player, trade union leader, coach, manager, director ...

, English footballer, manager and broadcaster. * Alan Knight, footballer. *

Jamie Lawrence James Hubert Lawrence (born 8 March 1970) is a football coach and former professional player who played as a right winger. He notably had spells in the Premier League with Leicester City and Bradford City, as well as playing in the Football Lea ...

, footballer. *

Eric Maxon Eric Maxon (22 May 1882 – 1963) was an English stage and early film actor and member of the Royal Shakespeare Company for whom, for a period, he also designed the costumes. He was born as Eric MacKay in Balham in London in 1882, the son ...

, Shakespearean and early film actor. *

Hannah New Hannah New (born 13 May 1984) is an English actress. She is known for her starring role on the television show '' Black Sails'' in which she plays Eleanor Guthrie, the owner of a saloon in Nassau, and also for her role as Rosalinda Fox in ''Th ...

, who starred as Eleanor Guthrie in the TV series '' Black Sails''. *

, actress. * Captain Sensible, singer and musician. * John Sullivan, writer of '' Only Fools and Horses''.

Notable people who used to work, study or live in Balham

* Adele, singer and songwriter, attended Chestnut Grove School. * Bob and Margaret, cartoon characters, are former residents. * Peter Baynham, screenwriter. *

Sarah Beeny Sarah Lucinda Beeny (born 9 January 1972) is an English broadcaster and entrepreneur, best known for presenting ''Property Ladder'', ''Property Snakes and Ladders'', ''Streets Ahead'', ''Britain's Best Homes'', ''Sarah Beeny's Selling Houses, How ...

, property developer, businesswoman and broadcaster is a former resident of Balham. * Marcus Brigstocke, comedian and actor with Rachel Parris. *

Jon Craig Jon Craig is the Chief Political Correspondent of Sky News, the 24-hour television news service operated by Sky Television, part of British Sky Broadcasting. He has occupied this position since July 2006.Jack Dee, comedian, actor, writer and producer is a former resident of Balham. *

Gracie Fields Dame Gracie Fields (born Grace Stansfield; 9 January 189827 September 1979) was an English actress, singer, comedian and star of cinema and music hall who was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s and was considered the h ...

, actress, singer and comedian was a former resident. * Stewart Lee, comedian and writer. *

Malcolm McLaren Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren (22 January 1946 – 8 April 2010) was an English impresario, visual artist, singer, songwriter, musician, clothes designer and boutique owner, notable for combining these activities in an inventive and provoc ...

, band manager, musician and entrepreneur, was a former resident with Vivienne Westwood. *

Rachel Parris Rachel Sarah Parris (born 27 May 1984) is an English comedian, musician, actress and presenter. She hosts the satirical news show '' Late Night Mash'' (formerly ''The Mash Report''). Early life Parris attended Loughborough High School. She holds ...

, comedian, musician and actress with Marcus Brigstocke. * DBC Pierre, novelist, is a former resident. * Arthur Smith, comedian. *

, comedian and former chairman of

Fulham Football Club Fulham Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, London, which compete in the . They have played home games at Craven Cottage since 1896, other than a two-year period spent at Loftus Road whilst Craven Cottage un ...

, was a former resident. *

Vivienne Westwood Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood (née Swire; born 8 April 1941) is an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. Westwood came to public notice when she m ...

, fashion designer and businesswoman was a former resident with Malcolm McLaren.

"Balham, Gateway to the South"

For many years Balham was held up to mockery because of the comedy sketch " Balham, Gateway to the South". Written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden, with Peter Sellers as the narrator, it satirised the

travelogues Travelogue may refer to: Genres * Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling * Travel documentary A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or t ...

of the day, with their faraway exotic locations, by highlighting the supposed tourist attractions of Balham in postwar austerity Britain. The title's origin most probably alludes to a Southern Railway poster "Gateway to the Continent" dating from 1928 by T D Kerr. In 1979

Micky Dolenz George Michael Dolenz Jr. (born March 8, 1945) is an American actor, musician, TV producer and businessman. He is best known as the drummer and one of three primary vocalists for the pop-rock band the Monkees (1966–1970, and multiple reunions ...

of the Monkees directed a short film based on the sketch with Robbie Coltrane playing multiple roles. It was released for broadcast in 1981. The mockery reduced as Balham house prices soared.

Balham Group

In 1932, the Balham Group, the first British

Trotskyist Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a rev ...

group, was expelled from the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPG ...

and formed the

Communist League The Communist League (German: ''Bund der Kommunisten)'' was an international political party established on 1 June 1847 in London, England. The organisation was formed through the merger of the League of the Just, headed by Karl Schapper, and the ...

Notes

References

External links

*
Balham, Gateway to the South
(film version). {{Authority control Areas of London Districts of the London Borough of Wandsworth Districts of the London Borough of Lambeth District centres of London