The sprawling Battersea Park makes up the lion’s share of this neighbourhood, which stretches from Battersea Bridge Road to Queenstown Road and Battersea Park Overground and Southern railway station. To the south, Battersea Park Road forms the border. The area surrounding Battersea Park is generally residential, comprised of well-built Victorian terraced houses, with some post-war council blocks and towers to the western portion. The riverside is generally more modern in architectural style, with some industrial remnants still on display.

Battersea Park is a 200-acre green space situated alongside the River Thames, featuring a small children’s zoo, a boating lake, an all-weather sporting facility, cricket pitches, a pagoda, and other amenities for the public. The park is also a local nature reserve, with a variety of local flora and fauna found in the park’s boundaries. The park defines the area, making it a desirable place to wander around any time of year.

The area which is today Battersea Park was a flood-prone marshland in the 1840s, known as Battersea Fields and was quickly being surrounded by industrial sprawl. It had been cultivated for strip farming and market gardens (mostly cabbage and asparagus), but was otherwise uninhabited, with only a scattering of houses. It was also a famous site for duels, such as in 1829 when the Duke of Wellington duelled with the Earl of Winchelsea. The area was bought by the council for the creation of a park, which included dismantling the Tivoli Tea Gardens and pleasure grounds, as well as a famous tavern. The lake today was constructed in 1860, and additions and removals have constantly changed the Park’s landscape to be what it is today.

Battersea Park used to host three beer gardens, which were sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Brewers, who took full advantage of their advertising rights. The beer gardens included a Powder Room, which offered free advice but charged for any make-up services. The Park temporarily reverted to its past as a market garden when allotments were set up during the First and Second World Wars; in the latter, a barrage-balloon site and experimental radio station were also created, while the running track became an anti- aircraft gun site.

Battersea Park is a great location, but it impedes mobility, particularly for those far from Battersea Park and Queenstown Road stations. For those living west of Battersea Park, getting to Waterloo and the City can be troublesome.

The Battersea Power Station development is just to the east of Battersea Park. The power station recently finished a £9bn residential, retail and leisure development, much of which was designed by Foster + Partners and apartments by Frank Gehry architects. The initial proposal included 50% affordable homes, but only 9% of the properties ended up falling into this category. Both the Netherlands and Chinese embassies are looking to follow the U.S. and relocate to the area.