Visit Battersea Places

Welcome to Visit Battersea Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Battersea

  

Battersea Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Battersea

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Battersea history

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Battersea was for centuries since the 9th century centred on many of its cottages which stood by the then-founded St. Mary’s Church. The ancient parish turned “district” has remained only in a few non-administrative terms a part of Surrey since 1889.

Agriculture

Before the Industrial Revolution, much of the large parish was farmland, providing food for the City of London and surrounding population centres . At the end of the 18th century, above 300 acres (1.2 km) of land in the parish of Battersea were occupied by some 20 market gardeners, who rented from five to near 60 acres (24 ha) each . Villages in the wider area: Wandsworth, Earlsfield (hamlet of Garratt), Tooting, Balham – were separated by fields .

Industry

Industry in the area was concentrated to the northwest just outside the Battersea-Wandsworth boundary, at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Wandle, which gave rise to the village of Wandsworth . Protestant craftsmen – Huguenots – fled religious persecution in Europe, who planted lavender and gardens .

Railway age

The London and Southampton Railway Company engineered their railway line from east to west through Battersea, in 1838, terminating at the original Nine Elms railway station . Over the next 22 years five other lines were built, across which all trains from London’s Waterloo and Victoria termini would travel . An interchange station was built in 1863 towards the north west of the area, at a junction of the railway. Taking the name of a fashionable village a mile and more away, the station was named ‘Clapham Junction’

Social housing estates

Battersea has a long and varied history of social housing . The completion of the Shaftesbury Park Estate in 1877 was one of the earliest in London or the UK . The Latchmere Estate was the first estate directly built by a council’s own workforce and therefore the first true “council estate”

Battersea landmarks

Within the bounds of modern Battersea are (from east to west): Battersea and (east to west) The area is known as Batterse, with the name of the first place in the area. The area was established in the early 1900s.

Battersea geography / climate

Battersea is on the curved south bank of the River Thames on the curve of the Thames. It is one of the most famous landmarks in the world.

Riverside

Battersea’s northern limit is thus the Tideway, the Thames below Teddington . Immediately to the west is Wandsworth Town and Wantsworth Town . To the north-east are Vauxhall and then Lambeth, including Waterloo .

Other boundaries

Battersea at one end of its riverside has a western corner at a point 350 metres east northeast of Wandsworth Bridge . The western corner is roughly three miles (5 km) from the northeastern corner – but two miles (3 km) away from the western corner .

Neighbouring districts

To the east are South Lambeth and Stockwell; to the south is Balham; the southeast is Clapham; and to the west is Wandsworth Town .

You can visit Battersea places with Walkfo Battersea to hear history at Battersea’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Battersea has 669 places to visit in our interactive Battersea map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Battersea, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Battersea places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Battersea & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 669 audio facts unique to Battersea places in an interactive Battersea map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Battersea Places Map
669 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Battersea historic spots	Battersea tourist destinations	Battersea plaques	Battersea geographic features
Walkfo Battersea tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Battersea

  

Best Battersea places to visit

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Battersea has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Battersea’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Battersea’s information audio spots:

Queen’s Tower, London The Queen’s Tower is located in the South Kensington Campus of Imperial College London . It is 87 metres (287ft) tall with a copper-covered dome at its top . To reach the base of the dome from the ground on foot, one must ascend a series of narrow spiral staircases .

Fulham Fulham is 3.6 miles (5.8 km) southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. First recorded by name in 691, Fulham was a manor and ancient parish. It was the Metropolitan Borough of Fulham between 1900 and 1965.

Three Standing Figures 1947 Three Standing Figures 1947 (LH 268) is a large stone sculpture by Henry Moore . It was made in 1947–48 and exhibited at London County Council’s first Open-Air Sculpture Exhibition at Battersea Park in 1948 . Donated to the council, it has been exhibited at the park since 1950 . It became a Grade II listed building in 1988 .

York Mansions York Mansions is one of the seven Victorian blocks of flats on Prince of Wales Drive, London, in Battersea, in the London borough of Wandsworth . The four-storey building is portered .

The Albert Palace The Albert Palace was a large building located in Battersea, in the borough of Wandsworth, London . It faced, and formed a backdrop to the lake in the park . It was a re-erection of an iron and glass structure, like The Crystal Palace of 1851 .

St Mary of Debre Tsion, Battersea St Mary of Debre Tsion is a church in Battersea, London . It was built in the 1960s . It is one of the largest churches in the world .

Katherine Low Settlement The Katherine Low Settlement was founded in 1924 as part of the settlement movement . It is now a listed building and provider of charitable services to the local community .

Old Battersea House Old Battersea House is one of the oldest surviving buildings in South West London . It was rumoured to have been designed by Sir Christopher Wren . Grade II* listed building was built around 1699 and Grade II listed .

Clapham Grand The Grand (previously The Grand Theatre) is a Grade II listed building on St John’s Hill, near Clapham Junction, South London . It was designed by Earnest Woodrow and was first opened in 1900 as The New Grand Theatre of Varieties .

The Falcon, Battersea The Falcon is a Grade II listed public house at 2 St John’s Hill, Battersea, London . It is located in the centre of the city’s most famous landmarks .

Visit Battersea plaques