History of Clapham

Clapham dates back to Anglo-Saxon times: the name is thought to derive from the Old English clopp(a) + h?m or hamm, meaning Homestead/enclosure near a hill.

Clapham appears in Domesday Book as Clopeham. It was held by Goisfrid (Geoffrey) de Mandeville.

In the late seventeenth century large country houses were built there, and throughout the eighteenth and early nineteenth century it was favoured by the wealthy merchant classes of the City of London, who built many large houses and villas around Clapham Common. Samuel Pepys spent the last two years of his life in Clapham, living with his friend and former servant William Hewer.

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the Clapham Sect were a group of upper class social reformers who lived around the Common. They included William Wilberforce, Henry Thornton and Zachary Macaulay, father of the historian Thomas Macaulay, as well as William Smith, M.P., the dissenter and Unitarian. They were very prominent in campaigns for the abolition of slavery and child labour as well as for prison reform.

Clapham with its large common where people picnic, walk their dogs or fly their kites is not just an area with one of the largest green expanses in London but also a place with a village feel and a great choice of quality bars, cafés and restaurants to keep you entertained. It has a large supermarket on Clapham High street and a few more near Clapham Junction while a top quality butchers, delicatessens and bakers have sprang up over the last 5 years, making it a place where you can buy top quality food. Away from the high streets and main arteries, Clapham is full of leafy streets with a great choice of Victorian properties, some very large and most with gardens. It has great transport links and is favoured by some stars who appreciate a bit more anonymity in this part of South London while remaining close to the West End.

Places of interest

http://www.mylambeth.co.uk/
http://www.myclapham.co.uk/clapham/community-history.htm
http://claphamhighstreet.co.uk/
http://www.urbanpath.com/london/areas/south/clapham/

• Clapham common

Transport Links – Visit Transport for London for more information

Clapham High Street – National Rail
Wandsworth Road – National Rail
Clapham North– Northern Line
Clapham Common – Northern Line
Clapham South – Northern Line

Local Authority

Lambeth – http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/

Council tax bands for 2007/2008

Please note you should always check the value of your property on the 1st April 1991 to ensure you are in the correct council tax band.

Council Tax band	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
Property Values as of April 1991	Up to £40K	£40 to £52K	£52K to £68K	£68K to £88K	£88K to £120K	£120K to £160K	£160K to £320K	over £320K
Lambeth LA	£791.49	£923.40	£1,055.32	£1,187.23	£1,451.06	£1,714.89	£1,978.72	£2,374.46

Average Rental and Sale prices for Clapham (SW4)

	Postcode	Area	1 Bedrooms	2 Bedrooms	3 Bedrooms	Bigger
To Rent	SW4	Clapham	£286 pw	£341 pw	£405 pw	£761 pw
For Sale	SW4	Clapham	£318,000	£437,000	£640,000	£1,325,000

School League tables – Click here for School League Tables

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For Secondary Schools in Lambeth please click here
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