Tooting is a district in south London which forms part of the London Borough of Wandsworth. Located five miles south-west of Charing Cross, there has been a settlement there since Saxon times. The Romans built a road from London to Chichester, which passed through Tooting and is now the Tooting High Street location. Tooting appears in the Domesday Book as Totinges.(Estate agents in tooting)
As with many London suburbs, Tooting expanded hugely in the Victorian era and then again in the two decades before the Second World War. Tooting has a conservation area called Totterdown Fields which was awarded conservation status in 1978. It was the first London County Council cottage estate built between 1901 and 1911 with over 1,200 houses across some 38 acres. Totterdown Fields is of historical significance because it was the first ‘cottage estate’ in the capital and subsequently protected from redevelopment.
Tooting has shot to prominence on television recently as it is the location for the Channel 4 series, ’24 Hours in A&E’ filmed at St George’s Hospital. The hospital relocated from Hyde Park Corner in 1954 to Tooting and then underwent a significant redevelopment in 2003. But Tooting is no stranger to the film cameras.
The BBC comedy series, ‘Citizen Smith’ was set in Tooting during the late 1970s. Starring Robert Lindsay, it has a famous catchphrase, ‘Freedom for Tooting’. But perhaps these links to the screen are no great surprise as Tooting was home to the UK’s first-ever purpose-built cinema, the King’s Hall Picture Palace.(Estate agents in tooting)
The borough of Wandsworth generally has a string of literary connections and was once home for Thackeray, Daniel Defoe and Thomas Hardy. More recent former luminaries of Tooting include Paul Merton, the well-known comedian and television personality and Sadiq Khan now Mayor of London and former Labour MP for Tooting.
Property Types in Tooting
As a south London suburb, Tooting like many other suburbs developed hugely during the Victorian period and then again the 1920s and 30s, so these eras account for much of the available housing type.
Tooting has the fourth-highest number of social housing properties with large post-war estates like Hazelhurst and Aboyne and smaller ones, including Flowersmead, Burtop Road and Copeland House. Some shared ownership developments have appeared during the last ten years.(Estate agents in tooting)
Properties in Tooting had an average price of £398,740* over the last year. The majority of sales in Tooting during the last year were flats selling for an average price of £501,940*. Terraced properties sold for an average of £840,216 with semi-detached properties fetching £1,344,803*. Overall, sold prices in Tooting throughout the last year were 14% up on the previous year and 12% up on the 2018 peak of £624,715*.
The average monthly rental price in Tooting is £1,729**(Estate agents in tooting)
Demographics in Tooting
The 2011 Census gave the population of Tooting as 16,239***
The average age of people in Tooting is 33, and like many parts of London, Tooting is home to a mixed, international community. 52.4% of people living in Tooting were born in England.
Schools and Colleges in Tooting
There are ten primary schools near Tooting Bec, nine of which have an OFSTED grading of ‘Outstanding’ whilst the remaining primary is rated as ‘Good’. These include St. Anselm’s Catholic Primary and Honeywell Junior School. Several secondary schools in Tooting graded ‘Outstanding’ include The Graveney School, the Bishop Thomas Grant Catholic Secondary School in nearby Streatham and La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls’ School in Clapham Park.
There are three independent schools which take children from age 4-18 years.
In the state sector, the catchment area is king and needs to be considered carefully by purchasers looking to target specific schools, especially if they are popular.(Estate agents in tooting)
Local Attractions Near Tooting
200 acres of green space is one of Tooting’s biggest attractions. Tooting Common offers cycling and walking trails, Wandsworth Common is located to the north and Figges Marshes to the South.
Tooting also has its own community garden run by the Transition Town Tooting initiative.
Tooting Tram and Social is a popular night-time venue. This converted Victorian tram shed offers late-night live music for free, or you could try the Wednesday wine tastings at the Tapas Room. Tooting Bingo Hall is not to be missed because of the stunning architecture which gives this building a Grade 1 Listed status.
Shopping Facilities and Leisure in Tooting
It’s not for nothing that Tooting was named one of the top ten coolest neighbourhoods in the World by Lonely Planet.
One of the reasons for this is the family-friendly atmosphere and the great amenities, including a diverse and eclectic high street with a style all of its own. Independents squash in between all the numerous eateries for which Tooting is famous. There is a Sainsburys for every day essentials plus Superdrug, Primark and TK Maxx.
Tooting famously has two indoor markets located on Tooting High Street and within metres of one another: Tooting Market, the smaller of the two, and the other is The Broadway Market.
The Broadway Market is one of London’s largest indoor markets with more than 90 stalls and a proud heritage that dates back nearly 100 years. Street food stalls are a prominent feature of both markets.
Tooting Market has recently undergone a major rebranding programme since it was purchased by new owners in 2010 and now the market is one of the busiest destinations in Tooting. Tooting Market recently won the Best Small Indoor Market category at the Great British Market Awards.
A large area known as Tooting Common lies at the northern end of Tooting and this area is home to Tooting Bec Lido, an open freshwater swimming pool and the largest in the UK measured on the surface area. If you want to swim indoors, then there is also a Leisure Centre with an indoor pool, a fully equipped gym and cricket, badminton, squash and football on offer.
Pubs and Restaurants in Tooting
Tooting High Street has a long and proud Asian heritage and has enjoyed a reputation for decades as a destination for genuine Indian cuisine. Not for nothing is Upper Tooting Road called the ‘curry corridor’ between Tooting Bec and Tooting Broadway stations. Now this food culture has expanded with independents and gourmet chains muscling in on the foody action.
Tooting offers just about every world cuisine, but it is also gaining something of a reputation for gastropubs. Try The Selkirk where you can enjoy real ale or classy cocktails, this pub also has a lovely beer garden.
The Wheatsheaf serves a great range of local and continental craft beers and an extensive family-friendly, vegetarian and vegan menu.
Upcoming Developments in Tooting
There are plenty of new developments in Tooting and the surrounding area offering a mixture of family homes, flats and shared ownership properties.
Travel Connections from Tooting
Tooting is on the London Underground Northern line with two stations, Tooting Bec and Tooting Broadway, one at the top of the hill that is the High Street and the other at the bottom. It takes around 20 minutes to get to London Bridge. The Northern Line has a 24-hour service on Fridays and Saturdays.
National rail services can be taken from Tooting railway station with a direct link south to Sutton via Wimbledon and north to Farringdon and St Pancras and then on to Luton airport.
There are several bus links with routes to Central London, Croydon, Sutton and Kingston.
Tooting Broadway tube station is currently being reviewed by Transport for London as a potential stop on the planned Crossrail 2 development. This would give Tooting a quick and direct connection to major stations such as Clapham Junction, Victoria, Euston and Tottenham Court Road.
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