35-783: The Falconbrook was a stream that rose in Balham and Tooting , draining much of those parishes then the south and west of the larger district of Battersea including Clapham Junction to enter the London reaches of the Thames . Before doing so, it briefly formed the border of Wandsworth Town , reflected in the SW11/SW18 boundary today. The river was culverted in the 1860s and has become an important combined sewer. In 2007, heavy rain caused this to flood, to low but still property-damaging depth, at Falcon Road near Clapham Junction station . The Falconbrook, once
70-655: A Southern Railway poster "Gateway to the Continent" dating from 1928 by T D Kerr. In 1979 Micky Dolenz of the Monkees directed a short film based on the sketch with Robbie Coltrane playing multiple roles. It was released for broadcast in 1981. The mockery reduced as Balham house prices soared. In 1932, the Balham Group, the first British Trotskyist group, was expelled from the Communist Party of Great Britain and formed
105-464: A combined sewer , the Falconbrook sewer overflowed on more than one pavement and road, including Falcon Road by Clapham Junction , during those floods . Since then, five flood events in the local Critical Drainage Area (7/21) have occurred. 51°27′50″N 0°10′04″W / 51.46396°N 0.16778°W / 51.46396; -0.16778 Balham Balham ( / ˈ b æ l əm / )
140-442: A key location at the crossroads of St Johns Road and St Johns Hill as both were developed into streets of shops. The then landlord, John Tavener, entered into what appears to have been a land-for-reconstruction swap with another developer, George Nathaniel Street, so that The Falcon was in 1882-3 relocated to the curved crossroads corner of its site and rebuilt in its current form by builders R. & H. Pickersgill. J.F.B., writing in
175-561: A pair of golden falcons displaying their wings. The Falcon brook and similarly named features in the locality - Falcon Park, Falcon Road, "The Falcons" housing estate, the Falcon pub , and the Falconbrook Primary school. - have names derived from this display of heraldry . At the time of the culverting of the river, both Falconbrook and York Sewer names were in concurrent use. Falconbrook's catchment basin , unlike longer tributaries such as
210-489: A pair of golden falcons displaying their wings. The Falcon inn is thought to have taken its name from this display of heraldry . The Survey of London points to the earliest record of The Falcon dating to 1733, but speculates that an inn of that name had by that time long existed. An 1882 publication about Battersea makes the claim that a portion of the Falcon Tavern dates back 275 years. The Falcon site was, from 1717, on
245-479: A southwest London brook has been slightly replaced by surface water drains. Mainly, however, its course forms a gentle valley with an occasional colloquial name and hosts a mid-Victorian solution to the then extent of urbanisation. When London's later growth is considered this solution, a combined sewer , leads to the Thames-side Southern Low Level Sewer in the London sewerage system which
280-605: A variety of bars, restaurants and shops including major chains. There are also local services, including independent stores, coffee houses and brasseries. There are two car parks serving the vicinity, one behind the Sainsbury's (181 spaces) and one in front of Waitrose. Balham is diverse both in terms of economic and cultural demographics with an increasingly professional middle class population. The Polish population in Balham has hugely increased since 2006, though Balham has been one of
315-535: Is an area in south-west London , England. It has been settled since Saxon times and appears in the Domesday Book as Belgeham. The area saw significant development after the opening of Balham railway station in 1856. During World War II, Balham Underground station suffered heavy damage from air raids , killing around 64 people. In 1974, a bomb planted by the Provisional IRA exploded near government buildings in
350-555: Is an interchange between National Rail and London Underground services, in London fare zone 3 . The stations connect Balham to both the City of London and the West End . Balham Underground station is on the Northern Line . Clapham South Underground station is also technically in Balham, lying exactly at the meeting point of Clapham , Battersea and Balham. Current bus routes serving
385-541: Is insufficient when it rains (it overflows into the tidal Thames ). To make this (and others) sufficient and account for its rainwater intake, the Thames Tideway Tunnel is expected to be complete in 2025. The source of the Falconbrook was Streatham Hill , with an additional source to the west at Furzedown south of Tooting Bec Common . From its source the Falconbrook flowed west through Balham, then turned north one residential block before Wandsworth Common as it
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#1733086026152420-582: The Communist League . Falcon, Battersea The Falcon is a Grade II listed public house at 2 St John's Hill, Battersea , London. The current Falcon inn was built in the late 19th century as a purpose-built hotel, with a pub on the ground floor, and is on the Campaign for Real Ale 's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors . It has entered the Guinness World Records for having
455-595: The Lea and Wandle , is entirely based on impermeable to semi-impermeable London Clay . It starts north of areas with remaining Lambeth Group and North Downs topsoil. Ponding of the "Falcon Brook" has been recorded as early as 1745. An entirely London Clay catchment basin and flatter lower course through Battersea was, before urbanization, a major factor contributing to the stream's overflow. Some separate surface water and sewerage systems are in place and are sufficient to drain many parks, roofs and roads in an attempt to intercept
490-564: The 1 December 1883 edition of Notes and Queries , mourned the passing of the old Falcon Inn, and of quaint old inns not only in London and the suburbs, but in the country: Reopened as The Falcon Hotel, the building is described by the Survey of London as a "robust piece of London pub architecture in the Franco-Italianate taste", in brick with cement dressings, and having an ornamental turret above
525-537: The 1930s block of Art Deco flats called Du Cane Court and the area to the south of Wandsworth Common , comes under the SW17 postcode. The Heaver Estate lies to the south of Balham in Tooting. The Estate mainly comprises substantial houses, was built in the grounds of the old Bedford Hill House and was the work of local Victorian builder, Alfred Heaver . Balham is situated between four south London commons: Clapham Common to
560-772: The London Heliport. This point is the western corner of Battersea, on the border with Wandsworth Town ; the rest of the shared border runs along the top of the valley's western side. The earliest recorded name for the brook was the Hyde Burn or Hydebourne , appearing as Hydaburn or Hidaburn in Cartularium Saxonicum defining grants of land in Battersea made in 693 and 695. This name may be related to Hyde Farm adjacent to Toooting Bec Common in Clapham , lying north and east of
595-559: The Oak Lodge School for deaf children. Balham has its own library and leisure centre and was the site of the UK's first pedestrian diagonal X-crossing. Balham station serves as an interchange between National Rail and London Underground services. The settlement appears in the Domesday Book as Belgeham . Bal refers to 'rounded enclosure' and ham to a homestead, village or river enclosure. It
630-579: The Southwark to Kingston turnpike , at a ford over the Hydeburn brook (itself later renamed the Falcon brook) and at the foot of St Johns Hill and Lavender Hill . Its idyllic position is captured in a circa 1801 caricature by John Nixon, bearing comic verse from 1785 by Edward Trapp Pilgrim; both playing on the name of the then landlord, Robert Death. The inn was extended some time after 1835 and refronted in brick by
665-520: The area are the 155 , 249 , 255 , 315 , 355 and N155 . For many years Balham was held up to mockery because of the comedy sketch " Balham, Gateway to the South ". Written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden , with Peter Sellers as the narrator, it satirised the travelogues of the day, with their faraway exotic locations, by highlighting the supposed tourist attractions of Balham in postwar austerity Britain. The title's origin most probably alludes to
700-482: The area. Balham is between four south London commons. The town centre features a variety of bars, restaurants, and shops, and the area is economically and culturally diverse. The Polish, Irish, Portuguese, Somali, Pakistani, and Brazilian communities are well-represented in Balham. Notable landmarks in the area include the Bedford, a pub venue for live music and comedy, the distinctive Art Deco -designed Du Cane Court, and
735-507: The brook, and the name thought to relate to the " Hide of land in Balham..." (a direct translation) in a grant of land made to Bec Abbey towards the end of the 11th century. From the mid-15th century through to the 19th century, the river was known as the York Brook or York Sewer , the name derived from York House , property of the Archbishops of York , which stood at
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#1733086026152770-529: The bus before it fell. The bus was hauled out of the crater after two weeks. On the morning of 17 July 1974 a 10-pound bomb planted by the Provisional IRA in a dustbin near Irene House (a Social Security office) and St Mary & St John the Divine Anglican Church exploded, shattering a four-foot wall and 50 windows. No-one was hurt. Balham is overwhelmingly in Wandsworth , with only small parts in
805-505: The centres of the community in London since World War II . The White Eagle Club is a thriving Polish community centre, and its traditional Saturday night dance draws people from across London. Opposite the White Eagle is The Polish Roman Catholic Church of Christ the King. The Irish , Portuguese , Somali , Pakistani and Brazilian communities are also well represented. Balham station
840-567: The confluence with the Thames. The feeder stream from Tooting Bec Common was similarly sometimes recorded as the York Ditch . The Manor of Battersea was owned from about 1627 to 1763 by the St John baronets, of Lydiard Tregoze , who latterly became the Bolingbroke Viscounts . The supporters of the armorial bearings of the St John family were a falcon wings displayed Or , or, more plainly,
875-460: The corner gable. The interior of the pub was remodelled in 1896 by the builders Turtle & Appleton, who created an open-plan space by the use of cast-iron columns to support the upper floor, and the introduction of elaborate oak-work and glass-panel illustrations of the ancient inn's life. A billiard room was added to the rear of the Hotel in 1901 by Tavener's widow. Tavener's venture appears to have been
910-438: The longest bar counter in a public house. The history of The Falcon can be traced back to 1733 and it is likely that an inn stood at the site before that time. The Manor of Battersea was owned from about 1613 to 1763 by the St John baronets, of Lydiard Tregoze, who latterly became the Bolingbroke Viscounts . The supporters of the armorial bearings of the St John family were a falcon wings displayed Or , or, more plainly,
945-681: The neighbouring Borough of Lambeth and encompasses the A24 north of Tooting Bec and the roads radiating off it. The Balham SW12 postcode includes the southern part of Clapham Park otherwise known as Clapham South and the Hyde Farm area, both east of Cavendish Road and within Lambeth (historically Clapham , except for Weir Road) as well as a small detached part of Clapham south of Nightingale Lane, and part of Battersea (the roads north of Nightingale Lane). The southern part of Balham, towards Tooting Bec, near
980-418: The north of Tooting Bec Common, north down Cavendish Road (passing Weir Road), west along the approximate line of Kenilford Road, along Oldridge Road, turned north by Holy Ghost School, west of Rusham and Montholme Road and along Northcote Road, 8-11m AOD . After St John's Road it flowed along Falcon Road, Battersea just before its end turned west emptying in the tidal Thames west of Lombard Road and north of
1015-400: The north, Wandsworth Common to the west, Tooting Graveney Common to the south, and the adjoining Tooting Bec Common to the east – the latter two historically distinct areas are referred to by both Wandsworth Council and some local people as Tooting Common . Neighbouring areas are: Battersea , Brixton , Clapham Park , Clapham South , Streatham and Tooting . Balham's town centre has
1050-565: The raids. A bomb fell in the High Road and through the roof of the Underground station below, bursting water and gas mains and killing around 64 people. This particular incident was featured in Atonement , a 2001 novel by Ian McEwan . An image of the aftermath is of the bus, on route 88 , which had fallen into the bomb crater. All passengers, along with the driver and conductor, had escaped from
1085-562: The sewerage system before polluting the Tideway . A further interceptor pipe the Thames Tideway Scheme is expected to be completed by 2025 to avoid overflow. Thames Water carried out work at the end of 2006 to resolve the flooding of the Falconbrook sewer in the north of Balham, involving a series of road closures. In July 2007, in response to heavy rainfall due to its vale's hard surfaces including roofing relying on it so heavily as
Falconbrook - Misplaced Pages Continue
1120-483: The then landlord John Alder. In the 1870s and 1880s the area around The Falcon was developed into the terraced-house streetscape which remains to current times. Alfred Heaver , one of the key property developers, with the assistance of the Wandsworth District Board of Works, established St Johns Road as a straight wide road from what had been little more than a farm-track. The Falcon now found itself occupying
1155-512: Was held by Geoffrey Orlateile. Its Domesday Assets were: 1½ ploughs , 8 acres (32,000 m ) of meadow . It rendered (in total): £2. The Balham area has been settled since Saxon times. Balham Hill and Balham High Road follow the line of the Roman road Stane Street to Chichester – (now the A24 road ). Balham is recorded in several maps in the 1600s as Ballam or Balham Hill or Balham Manor. The village
1190-660: Was joined by the Tooting Bec feeder and continues to carve a ravine which is formed by St John's Road and Northcote Road in Battersea Rise. Springs feeding the first drain underneath the foundations of a row of shops (numbers 2–36 Streatham High Road, the A23 road ). During their construction, extra access space was built below the basement floors to accommodate the springs when in full spate. The brook flowed (and now sewer flows) along Drewstead Road, past Woodfield Avenue, passed through
1225-406: Was within the parish of Streatham . Large country retreats for the affluent classes were built there in the 18th century; however, most development occurred after the opening of Balham railway station on the line to Crystal Palace in 1856. On 14 October 1940 Balham Underground station was badly damaged by air raids on London during World War II . People took shelter in the tube station during
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