Balham is a place in the London Borough of Wandsworth.

Balham is a inner London suburb possessing many well built Victorian terraced houses now highly valued as family homes. It has been settled since Saxon times and large country retreats for the affluent classes were built here in the eighteenth century,. However, most development occurred after the opening of Balham station in 1856.

Balham is situated between four south London Commons, Clapham Common to the north, Wandsworth common 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 and most local people as Tooting Common. These give it a green feel and a distinct boundary that makes it stand out as a district in the area.

It possesses a railway to tube interchange (the origin of the phrase "Balham-Gateway to the South" was reputedly a genuine Southern Railway advertisement from the 1926 opening of the tube station). The stations connect Balham easily and quickly to both the City of London and the West End. All this has combined to make it a popular location and property prices have soared as middle class professionals have moved in displacing the more working class feel the district had up until the 1970s.

Balham has been one of the main centres for Polish people in London since the 1950s. The White Eagle Club is still a thriving community centre, and its traditional Saturday night dance ("zabawa") draws people from across London. There is also a Polish church.

Balham is famous for

Bal - ham, Gateway to the South - This is a line in a celebrated sketch by Peter Sellers and should be spoken with a broad American accent.

Prostitution _ The Bedford Hill area of Balham was associated with street prostitution throughout the seventies and eighties. Despite attempts by the local authority, police and residents to clean up the area the association remains.

The Charles Bravo Murder _ In 1876 a local resident and lawyer Charles Bravo was poisoned, possibly by his wife, and a web of lies and deceit uncovered which is still notorious and unresolved.

Nearest places:

• Tooting
• Clapham
• Streatham
• Brixton
• Battersea
• Wandsworth

Nearest tube stations:

• Balham tube station
• Clapham South tube station
• Tooting Bec tube station

Nearest railway stations:

• Balham railway station
• Wandsworth Common railway station

External links

• Balham Community Site (http://www.balham.com)