Neighbourhood Watch: Vauxhall

On its way to becoming one of the capital’s most desirable neighbourhoods...

London Focus

Given that Vauxhall is right by the river, with brilliant transport links and fast access to the West End, it should have always been a property hot spot. But the spotlight hasn’t been aimed at this part of south London till recently, as for many it’s little more than a big bus station with a few gay nightclubs around it. Now it looks like it may become one of the capital’s most desirable neighbourhoods.

Where is it?
Vauxhall has a fantastic location: Oxford Circus is 10 minutes away on the Victoria line, and there are some excellent views over the Thames that take in Westminster and the space age-meets-lego MI6 building. Rail services link to Waterloo and as far south as Guildford, and there are plentiful bus routes that will take you west, north and east. It’s set to get even more accessible with new Northern line tube stations in Battersea and Nine Elms.

Tell me more
Vauxhall’s moniker is a corruption of Falkes’ Hall, named after the soldier Falkes di Breauté, who was around in the 12th century doing dodgy deeds for King John. In history books the area’s greatest claim to fame is Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens (along with jewel in the crown, Battersea Power Station. Created in 1661, Samuel Pepys’ account has details of picnicking families as well as working girls and the men who seek them out, Pepys being one of them. Aside from carnal pleasures, entertainment came from musicians, dancers, lion tamers, jugglers, acrobats and fortune tellers. The Pleasure Gardens were highly exclusive and very popular with the elite, and this was where ladies showed off the latest, most expensive fashions.

It’s a far cry from 19th century Vauxhall, which was heavily industrialised, with gas works, water works, soap factories and cement manufacturers. The area was attractive to factory owners because of its proximity to the Thames, as well as being far enough from the City of London to not bother residents with noxious fumes.

Thriving industry, rail stations and bridges made it a target for bombing during World War II; it is believed approximately 2,500 bombs were dropped in Vauxhall and its immediate surroundings.

Post-war developments like the infamous Aylesbury Estate in Elephant & Castle were constructed to house people who had lost their homes

For fifty years Battersea Power Station supplied electricity, but it’s since become one of London’s most iconic buildings, famously appearing on the cover of Pink Floyd’s Animals (that’s the one with the pig floating in the sky). Since being decommissioned in 1983 numerous plans have come and gone, thwarted by lack of funding or common sense. Some of the more outlandish ones have been a theme park, a home for Cirque du Soleil and a new stadium for Chelsea FC. The final consensus is to convert it into flats, shops, restaurants and a hotel; there will also be new cycle paths and green spaces, as in the words of the Mayor’s office, the aim is to create a new South Bank.

If you need further proof of the area’s gentrification, the American embassy is being relocated here and will come complete with a surrounding moat.
\n\nI hear something about a hardcore gay clubbing scene?
Why yes. Forget Soho, die-hard partygoers come here for after-hours clubbing, fetish nights and saunas open all hours. The Royal Vauxhall Tavern hosts the long-running Duckie, with cabaret, music and comedy, while the Eagle has Horsemeat Disco every Sunday, a friendly night of disco, soul and funk that’s seen special guest DJs like Seth Troxler, Andrew Weatherall and Derrick Carter.

That sounds lovely, but I struggle to stay awake past 11pm
Then you might want to stroll to the Tate Britain, just a hop and a skip away over the river, or tour the Oval cricket ground. For good food head to Brunswick House Café and the co-operative-run Bonnington Café, plus the Soho House group have opened one of their popular Dirty Burger eateries under the arches. New Covent Garden Market is the largest fruit and flower market in the UK, and though it’s primarily for wholesalers it’s open to the general public.

There has been a terrible lack of parks ever since the demise of the Pleasure Gardens in 1859, and so Vauxhall was added to social reformer Octavia Hill’s campaign for more public spaces, leading to the opening of Vauxhall Park in 1890. The Nine Elms revamp will include more greenery, otherwise locals can head to nearby Battersea Park.
\n\nCan I afford it?
Vauxhall has changed a lot in the last decade, and there is only more to come with the regeneration of Nine Elms - much like the rest of the city this means plush apartment blocks built alongside more modest housing. With some properties in the Tower on St. Georges Wharf costing around £20 million and having a vetting process for prospective buyers, you can see how one enthusiastic media rep got to the notion of calling it “the Knightsbridge of the south”.

Although flats in Battersea Power Station won’t be completed till 2016, they’re in high demand; 600 of them were snapped up within four days of going on sale. But if you haven’t made billions from the oil industry, fret not. Ex-council flats in the area provide affordable living close to the river and central London, and a percentage of new homes in the Battersea Power Station development is to be deemed affordable, although somewhat surprisingly, these aren’t top priority in terms of construction.

For trivia lovers
Vauxhall Motors, although founded in the area in 1857 are now based in Luton. They started out making pumps for ships, and began making cars in 1903.

In 1906 Vauxhall Bridge was replaced so that it could support electric trams, becoming the first London bridge to do so.

China manufacturers Royal Doulton also hail from here.

The very first Sainsbury’s to open in London was at 62 Wandsworth Road, where it still stands today. It was opened by Margaret Thatcher in 1982.


Further reading: London’s hottest new neighbourhoods

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