This neighbourhood benefits from an excellent balance in its local amenities without being too far (or close) to busy central London. Locals have great transport connections to Waterloo (13-minute train ride from Earlsfield Station) as well as a bustling local high street along Garratt Lane, which provides a number of bars and restaurants and a great atmosphere. The demographic in this neighbourhood is quite varied with some families and older residents, who have lived here for a longer period as well as increasing numbers of young professionals renting. In particular, many families choose to reside in the area for its good schools and easy commutable distance. Locals have a great selection of choice for open green space, one of the perks of this part of south-west London including the larger Wandsworth Common to the north of the neighbourhood area, as well as smaller, hidden gems such as Godley Gardens.

Earlsfield shares a similar history to many of the other former-villages in the Wandsworth Borough, as prior to the arrival of the railways in this case, Earlsfield Railway Station which opened in 1884 was not truly connected to the heart of London. There was, however a well-established selection of industries and trade in this area, predominantly alongside the Wandle river to the north in the form of the mills, but generally the Wandsworth area was comprised of farmland, gardens, parks, and grand estates such as Wimbledon and Wandsworth Commons. Whilst the area was once regarded as fairly working class, it has in recent times taken on a more affluent population, which may be a result of the great location just outside of central London.

You perhaps didn’t know that one of the countries most esteemed statesman and former Prime Minister-Lloyd George, resided for over 70 years in Routh Road in this neighbourhood area. The famous politician is best remembered for his socially minded, reforming politics. His role as chancellor of the ex chequer through the early years of World War One and subsequent role as Prime Minister after Asquith. During his time as Prime Minister, he oversaw Britain’s important role in what is regarded as a key moment in international relations history: the drafting of the Treaty of Versailles. A blue plaque can be found outside his home on Routh Road, a worthwhile stop for any history buff.

Did you know that the Commonwealth Writers Prize winning writer Louis de Bernières actually lived in Earlsfield whilst writing his bestselling novel, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin? Bernières lived in the neighbourhood for 10 years and penned his movie-adapted novel there before relocating to Norfolk.

It can sometimes seem difficult to feel connected to nature when living in a large city like London, but the Wandle Trail provides a predominantly traffic-free walking route alongside the river all the way out to Croydon. The route is 12 miles in length and can be traversed by foot and bike.

Unfortunately, one of the most common and pressing crime problems in London, that of knife crime, has not evaded the Earlsfield and Wandsworth area. There has been a worrying surge of stabbings in the capital, with a fatality in Earlsfield in April 2018 being a recent one. Despite this, there has been a city wide commitment from the Mayor of London and the Metropolitan police to tackle this problem. In general, there is a strong sense of local community in the area, which supports community activities such as the nearby ‘Hazelfest’ in Tooting. Held at the Hayesen House Tower, the festival provided a ‘range of free arts and crafts activities, live dance and music performances, circus acts and participatory street art ’ for locals in the nearby area.

A recent effort has been made by Wandsworth Council to reinvest in the public green space available to local residents, which is part of a move to make better use of the Wandsworth Local Fund (WLF). The fund is gathered from contributions from development projects in the local area, and Godley Gardens – the cherished park in the centre of the neighbourhood– received funding a few years ago, alongside other green spaces in the Wandsworth area. The council held a consultation with residents to decide how best to apply the funds, and was generally positively received, with residents supporting the move to ensure important local funding streams are being applied to local community assets.

In 2020, Wandsworth Council approved plans to build more than 400 new flats in Earlsfield. The new homes will be built on the Riverside Business Centre and Flip Out Trampoline Centre just off Garratt Lane. Of the 402 homes, 62 will be at social rent, and 60 at intermediate rent. In 2021, the regeneration of a stretch of Garratt Lane was also initiated, with plans to start a major project to build new homes and a modern community health centre on council-owned “brownfield” land. The council and its development partner are building a fully updated, larger GP-led NHS community health centre plus a pharmacy and nearly 200 new homes on the land. High-end design developments have also sprung up in the area. Earlsfield Place, a new state-of-the-art complex in the area, is situated on the side of the River Wandle and is expected to be fully completed in 2023. The development is made up of a collection of 115 studio, 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments, and six 3 bedroom freehold houses.