Clapham
For the village in West Sussex, see Clapham, West Sussex.
Clapham is a place in London, England in the London Borough of Lambeth.
Clapham dates back to Anglo-Saxon times; the name is said to derive from the Anglo-Saxon word for "Clappa's farm". For many years it was a tiny village surrounded by marshland but it was swallowed into Greater London in early Victorian times. Clapham was seen as an unremarkable suburb, often cited as representing the thoughts of the ordinary people: the so-called "man on the Clapham omnibus".
Today Clapham covers a largish area surrounding Clapham Common. The old town and high street to the east of the Common, is today a lively set of restaurants and shops. The other side of the Common, encompassing Battersea Rise, Northcote Road and the area known as "Between the Commons", is popular with young middle-class professional families: Northcote Road is not known as "Nappy Valley" for nothing.
The main railway station
is the largest junction on the UK network being the point where routes to the west and southwest of London converge. Other stations include:
Nearest places:
There are several tube stations on the Northern Line in Clapham::
See also: Clapham Sect
