Our sales & lettings offices

About Clapham Southside

Buying a property in Clapham

Clapham has always been a popular place to live: through the 18th and early 19th centuries it was favoured by the upper classes, with many large and gracious houses and villas built around Clapham Common and in the Old Town. Samuel Pepys spent the last two years of his life in Clapham, and in the early 19th century Clapham was the home of the anti-slavery campaigners such as William Wilberforce.

Once the Underground system was in place, Clapham became popular with commuters – the area boasts two Tube stations – and was often cited as representing the thoughts of the ordinary people: the so-called “man on the Clapham omnibus”.

These factors have combined to make the area what it is today: a draw for families, who love the accommodation on offer: terraced Victorian houses and slightly bigger gardens than other neighbouring areas. Clapham Southside has, like other Douglas & Gordon UK offices, seen a huge increase in sales during 2006 and 2007 as people clamour to find a home. Sales manager Alix Stuart-Bruges says, “In Abbeville Village, which is our main area, property prices have risen by 20-30% during 2006 and 2007, although they’re now starting to plateau due to rising interest rates and the summer market. If you want to buy a property in Clapham you’ll pay from £375,000 for a two-bedroom flat with no outside space up to £3 million for a grand London house in Elms Road or Rodenhurst Road in Abbeville Village or The Chase in Clapham Old Town.”

Douglas & Gordon’s Clapham Southside office also covers Clapham South, where property for sale fetches £70-100,000 less and houses starts at £825,000, plus the area towards Brixton, where a four-bedroom house would set you back £650,000.

Abbeville Village isn’t a misnomer: with its niche boutiques, post office, summer fete and farmers’ market, it really does offer locals a sense of community, as well as proximity to the green spaces of Clapham Common. This attracts a mix of people from young professionals to families. But Alix is at pains to point out that the Clapham Old Town area is also highly desirable, offering a mix of restaurants, shops and amenities within walking distance.

The lettings market in Clapham

Alex Best-Shaw, Douglas & Gordon’s lettings manager for the Clapham Southside UK office, states that family houses are the focus for people looking to rent in Clapham. “Most of our stock is large, Victorian four- and five-bedroom houses, which are let for £800-900 per week. We have fewer flats for rent but a two-bedroom flat would rent for £375 per week.”

Prices have increased but not as much as for accommodation in some other areas. “Our client base is families, with fewer young professionals. Clapham Southside is particularly popular for corporate lets as it’s convenient for the Tube to the City. We also have a lot of French families who want to send their children to the local French schools. They’re attracted also by the common, the villagey feel of the Abbeville area and good transport links.”

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