Balham Hotels

Balham used to have a reputation for being a bit down-at-heel, and the area around the station does look a bit scruffy, but these days more and more young professionals are moving in and the area is on the up.  The town centre has a several independent food retailers and fashion boutiques.  It’s a multi-cultural area with places of worship for many different faiths.  However, it’s not really an area that tourists usually stay in, so there are few hotels near Balham Station.  Your best bet in this area is to look around Clapham South, which is the next tube station up on the Northern Line.   Most of the hotels in the surrounding area offer budget and basic accommodation, for instance the Gateway Hotel and the Euro Lodge Clapham (**).   There are a few bars and restaurants at Clapham South, and further along the same road you come to Clapham High Street, with a wide variety of trendy eateries and bars.  These Balham hotels would be suitable for young people on a budget who want to stay in an area with some nightlife nearby.

Balham Tube Station

Balham has two adjacent stations, serving both the underground and National Rail.  It’s in South London, in Zone 3, and the Northern Line runs through it.  The tube station opened in 1926.  During the Second World War, Balham was one of the deep underground stations designated as air raid shelters.  In October 1940 it took a direct hit, causing destruction and flooding in the tunnels beneath.  Sixty four people were killed.

Attractions

The London Sewing Machine Museum explores the development of the device from pedal and hand power in the Middle Ages to the high tech versions of today.  It’s got special displays on famous brands like Singer; a highly specialised and unusual museum, which is open the first Saturday of every month.

Within Balham itself there is a leisure centre with swimming, squash, sauna, steam room, beauty therapy and a gym.  Du Cane Court is one of the biggest private housing developments in Europe, and is noted for its landmark art-deco buildings.  There’s a market just off Balham High Road, selling fruit and veg, household good and flowers.

From the station there is easy access to a number of green spaces.  Tooting Bec Common is a large park nearby, with an athletics track, lake, sports pitches and playground, as well as an expanse of grass and woodland with a number of rare wildlife habitats.  There’s also an outdoor swimming pool, Tooting Bec Lido, which is the largest freshwater pool in England.  Wandsworth Common is another large green space in the area.  Some parts of it are used for sports and there are ponds and a lake where you can fish.  There’s a wildlife education centre there known as “The Scope”.  You can also walk to Clapham Common which is a popular place for people to gather, sunbathe, chat and drink on sunny days.

Recommended Web Sites

In our travels around the web, we found these Balham web pages useful. Contact us at team@tubehotels.com to list your favourite Balham website here.