Located in the Borough of Wandsworth, between Balham and Colliers Wood, Tooting may once have had a reputation which was more shabby than chic, but the strong multicultural community spirit, over 200 acres of tranquil green space and the vibrancy of not one but two standout markets is tempting Clapham and Balham stalwarts further down the Northern Line in search of a little originality amongst a lot of homogenous gentrification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Only 6 miles south west of central London, Tooting has excellent transport links and some of the lowest tax rates in the country courtesy of Wandsworth Council. Families can still find a generously sized fixer upper in Tooting and a number of new build shared ownership developments have sprung up in the area over the past 10 years alongside a sea of roomy, ex-Council flats, bringing an influx of first time buyers and young professionals priced out of nearby Clapham, Battersea and Balham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Add to that the great schools and family-friendly vibe and it\u2019s no wonder Tooting was named one of the top 10 coolest neighbourhoods in the World<\/a> by Lonely Planet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Tooting is home to two Underground stations, Tooting Bec and Tooting Broadway, both of which are on the Northern line, merely 16 minutes from Waterloo, 20 minutes from London Bridge and 25 minutes from both Tottenham Court Road and Bank. Tooting railway station offers services to Elephant & Castle, London Blackfriars, Wimbledon, City Thameslink, Farringdon and St Pancras International. All stations fall under London travel zone 3 and \u2013 perhaps even more importantly \u2013 being only three stops from Morden you are likely to grab that elusive rush hour seat!<\/p>\n\n\n\n A number of bus services<\/a> run through Tooting, including the 44 to Victoria, the 355 to Brixton via Clapham and Balham and the 270 to Putney Bridge via Earlsfield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The suburb is out of the congestion charge zone; however, London traffic can always be an issue and parking may be challenging in Tooting if you don’t have your own parking space. The A24 runs through Tooting and takes you to the M25 motorway via the A3 at Motspur Park in less than half an hour, or you can continue on the A3 towards Portsmouth. A quick trip over Battersea Bridge brings you to the A4 and the Great Western Road for easy access to Heathrow airport and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tooting also benefits from the Cycle Superhighway 7<\/a> which brings suburban commuters into the heart of the city and the Quietway 5 which runs through scenic Tooting Common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nearest stations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n With an impressive choice of state and independent schools, Tooting is a popular location for families. Primary schools such as Tooting Primary School<\/a>,<\/strong> <\/strong>St Boniface RC Primary School<\/a>,<\/strong> <\/strong>Hillbrook Primary School<\/a>, St Anselm\u2019s Catholic Primary School<\/a> and Muslim Gatton VA Primary School<\/a> have all been rated outstanding by Ofsted<\/a>. In terms of secondary schools, Graveney School<\/a> has also been rated outstanding, as has Ricards Lodge High School<\/a> for girls in Merton and La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls\u2019 School<\/a> <\/strong>in Clapham Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are also a number of independent schools<\/a> in Tooting and the wider Borough, including Al Risalah Boy\u2019s School<\/a> and Al Risalah Girls School. Alternative education is also on offer at the London Steiner School<\/a> in Balham and The London Acorn School<\/a> in Morden Hall Park. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For further education, South Thames College<\/a> and affiliates offer a range of options from access and undergraduate courses to apprenticeships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In terms of higher education, St. George\u2019s University of London is a highly rated medical school dating back over 250 years<\/a>. Excellent transport links mean that Tooting residents also have easy access to all of London\u2019s other universities<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the smallest members of the family, head to Tooting Baby<\/a> to find the best playgroups Tooting has to offer. Tooting has a vibrant town centre, covering Tooting High Street, Upper Tooting Road and Mitcham Road and including essentials like Sainsburys and Superdrug and high street favourites Primark and TK Maxx. However, the real draws are the two markets; award-winning Tooting Market<\/a> and Broadway Market<\/a>. Running 7 days a week and Monday-Saturday respectively, and offering gastronomic delicacies from around the World, one-off fashion, vintage finds, homewares, tailors, beauty services and much, much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whilst Tooting may have a reputation for fast rather than fine food, with chicken shops and kebab houses aplenty, there are actually a number of options for the more discerning foodie. In addition to street food, both Broadway and Tooting Markets offers a range of relaxed restaurants to suit every palate such as Parisian Bistro Bordelaise<\/a> or Aussie brunch spot Brickwood<\/a>. Head to Upper Tooting Road (known as the \u2018curry corridor\u2019 between Tooting Bec and Tooting Broadway stations) for the best Indian restaurants and takeaways south of Brick Lane like Mirch Masala<\/a> and favourite of Tooting local Sadiq Khan, Vijaya Krishna<\/a>. Tooting also has a great (and growing) selecting of gastro pubs such as The Selkirk<\/a> where real ale and classy cocktails are the order of the day and you can enjoy a tasty Sunday lunch in their lovely beer garden, or The Wheatsheaf<\/a> for a great range of local and continental craft beer, an extensive wine list and family, vegetarian and vegan friendly menus. Or go continental at The Little Taperia<\/a> and Middle Eastern at Meza<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nights out revolve around venues like the Tooting Tram and Social<\/a>, a converted Victorian tram shed which offers late night live music with no entry fee, something of a rarity in London! For a more laid-back evening, head to The Tapas Room<\/a> which offers Wednesday wine tastings and discounts on #TightTuesday. Make sure you head to the impressive Tooting Bingo Hall<\/a> at least once too. Now run by Gala, this stunning Grade I-listed building started life as cinema and theatre in the 1930s and once played host to the greats like The Beatles and Frank Sinatra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If it is outdoor space you are after, Tooting delivers. Tooting Common<\/a> \u2013 also home to Tooting Bec Lido<\/a> (London\u2019s biggest outdoor swimming pool) has an athletic track and gym, impressive cycling and walking trails and a lovely little caf\u00e9. Wandsworth Common<\/a> is also located to the north, Figges Marshes<\/a> to the south and Wandle Meadow Nature Park<\/a> to the west. As the name suggests, Tooting Community Garden<\/a> is also a great space for the green fingered and just one of the projects run by the Transition Town Tooting<\/a> initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indoor fitness comes in the shape of F45 gym<\/a> and Tooting Leisure Centre<\/a>, where little ones will love the swimming pool, soft play area and plentiful children\u2019s activities on offer. The Trafalgar Arms<\/a> Sunday Kids Table is also popular with local families and means everyone gets to finish their Sunday lunch while it\u2019s still warm! Or enjoy a peaceful coffee and cake at child-friendly Dee Light Bakery<\/a> in nearby Balham whilst little people enjoy their play area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Tootopia<\/a> is a 3-day event every September celebrating all that is good about Tooting food, drinks, culture and live entertainment. Foodival<\/a> focuses on local, sustainable food, produce and cooking and Tooting Folk and Blues Festival<\/a> is a family-friendly music festival held at Tooting Bec Common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tooting Arts Club<\/a> provides a dazzling display of theatrical performances and is known for their unusual on location productions. Head to The Wheatsheaf<\/a> for pub quizzes, sporting events, comedy and live music and The Gorringe Park<\/a> for the tastiest in gastro fare and film screenings in their basement cinema.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Head to Visit Tooting<\/a> to find up to date listing of events in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Borough of Wandsworth is one of the safest parts of South London with one of the lowest crime rates of all London boroughs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With many residents being hospital staff and students at St George\u2019s Hospital and St. George\u2019s University of London and a large number of families and young professionals in the area there is a strong sense of community spirit. Tooting has had a Safer Neighbour Police Team in place since 2009 and Police engagement with the community is strong (they have certainly embraced Twitter<\/a>!).For more information on crime statistics and local policing in Tooting, visit the Police UK website<\/a>.\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Located in the Borough of Wandsworth, between Balham and Colliers Wood, Tooting may once have had a reputation which was more shabby than chic, but the strong multicultural community spirit, over 200 acres of tranquil green space and the vibrancy of not one but two standout markets is tempting Clapham and Balham stalwarts further down<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-area-guides"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTransport<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Schools<\/strong>
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nLeisure and amenities<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s on?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Crime and safety<\/strong>
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