Clapham

Clapham is where many Londoners buy their first family house. The streets between Clapham Common and Wandsworth Common are lined with Victorian and Edwardian terraces built for exactly that purpose: four bedrooms, a long garden and a short walk to the station.

Most houses here have already been extended, into the loft and out at the back, so buyers compare kitchens, ceiling heights and garden aspect rather than room counts. The Abbeville Village, with its butchers and bakers, sets the tone; Clapham Old Town adds the pubs and the Friday market.

The Northern line reaches Bank in under a quarter of an hour, and the Overground runs from Clapham High Street. On a sunny weekend, half the area is on the Common.