This Putney neighbourhood is in the London Borough of Wandsworth. This southwest London locality, right beside the Thames, offers residents a bit of a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of central London, whilst still providing good access and transportation options into the city centre. The neighbourhood is well-situated, and offers many entertainment options, with the Thames and boating to the north, and many green spaces and parks to the south and west. Housing options are also expansive and include Victorian cottages, period conversion flats, as well as large modern flats. This area has a relaxed vibe and gives residents some peace and calm away from London’s hectic city centre.

The first recorded reference of Putney was in the Domesday Book in 1086. It was called Putelei and was noted for having a river crossing, although the earliest bridge didn’t appear here until 1642. This bridge consisted merely of a line of boats and was about 500 yards downstream from today’s bridge. The first permanent crossing and proper bridge was completed in 1729, and was only the second bridge to go across the Thames in London: London Bridge was the first. The present-day stone bridge was built in 1886 and included water pipes running under the roadway, making residents’ lives much easier and more efficient.

Edvard Beneš, the president of Czechoslovakia, lived in the area in the 1930s when he was sent into exile. He was forced to resign his presidency due to pressure from the Nazi regime and ended up in Putney. Also, Algernon Charles Swinburne and his close friend Theodore Watts-Dunton shared a house and lived in the area in the late 1800s. Swinburne was one of the most accomplished lyric poets of the Victorian era, and was a preeminent symbol of rebellion against the conservative values of his time. Watts- Dunton was a critic and poet and is most known for rescuing Swinburne from alcoholism.

Putney Bridge marks the start of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. The two crews set off from a concrete bollard called The University Stone on Putney Embankment.

Theft is the highest reported crime in the neighbourhood; however, overall crime in the area is down compared to previous years. Some may find it a bit too far outside of London for their liking, but the area is full of well-educated young people and families who enjoy it and the break from the busyness of central London.

There is a planned demolition of an existing building in the area, and in its place will be a new mixed-use building, six storeys in height, which will include new residential flats, as well as commercial floor space. Additionally, Crossrail 2, a new railway that will provide a North-South rail link across London, is set to open stations at Wimbledon and Clapham Junction, which are very close to this neighbourhood area. Plans for Crossrail 2 have been rather uncertain but recently, in Summer 2022, excitement for the initiative was reignited after a multi-billion pound funding package by the government was offered to Transport for London. No updates on the matter have been publicly provided since then, but it is hoped that the area’s connectivity will improve! Plans were also been announced in 2021 to build 29 new council homes in Putney. Wandsworth Council will bulldoze garages on the Platt Estate in the area to make way for two new blocks of flats.