This residential suburb sits to the east of Norbiton in West New Malden in the borough of Kingston Upon Thames. The wide streets are lined with a typically suburban mix of Edwardian and inter-war semis, and post-war estates, and while bounded to the north by the affluent enclave of Coombe, the houses in this neighbourhood are decidedly more affordable, particularly towards the south. The 1km long High Street to the east of the neighbourhood provides the community with plenty of local shops and amenities, many of which are run by the strong Korean population that has become concentrated in the area. New Malden station also sits along the High Street, from which a semi-regular service into Waterloo runs, and while nearby Kingston and Wimbledon are more lively and well-known, this quiet location is underappreciated but still remains popular with young families and commuters.

The town of New Malden was established simply as a result of the railways, which arrived in the area on the 1st December 1846, but up until then it was entirely rural. The neighbourhood gets its name from the former village of Old Malden, which is located 3km to the south, and which translates from Old English to “the cross on the hill”. Following the introduction of the railways, building was slow up until the turn of the century, and it wasn’t really until the 30s when large scale house building began, after the opening of the Kingston bypass in 1927. The area suffered heavily during the Second World War with 1,300 homes lost in a single day of bombing, which lead to the rapid building of the area’s many post-war estates. The famously large South Korean population began to establish itself in the 1970s due to New Malden being the location of the original South Korean embassy, as well as the home of Samsung’s European headquarters. Since then the population has grown to around 10,000, bringing a vibrant culture and a large economic benefit to the area.

Art fans will be interested to know that the abstract sculptor Sir Anthony Caro (1924-2013) was born in New Malden. His work is characterised by his use of found industrial objects, and, having worked with Henry Moore, Caro was lauded as the greatest British sculptor of his generation.

If the 10,000 strong population of South Koreans isn’t impressive enough, New Malden is also home to the largest population of North Koreans anywhere outside of North Korea itself. The 700 North Korean members of the community, most of whom are refugees, publish newspapers in both Korean and English, and have opened a number of shops that cater for the local population.

A common trait of the south-western suburbs is their poor transport links to London, and while New Malden has its own station, the trains that run to London are infrequent and often delayed, not to mention expensive! However, Surbiton, which has a far more frequent and fast service to Waterloo is only a short bus ride away.

In the long term the biggest change to New Malden is likely to be the introduction of Crossrail 2, which will reduce journey times into central London and alleviate congestion on the busy South Western Main Line. However, the project has been on hold since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and is not expected to be completed until well after 2030. In the more immediate future, a major regeneration scheme on the Cocks Crescent site in the centre of New Malden has been approved by the council. It is hoped that the project - which will comprise a new leisure centre, community hub, and 400 new homes - will help fund the wider regeneration of the town centre. Slightly north of this site the development is also underway on a prominent mixed use development adjacent to New Malden Station which will provide over 80 residential units, in addition to retail and office units on the ground floor.