Wallington Area Guide
Wallington, SM6 an Overview
Wallington in the London borough of Sutton is an oft overlooked location and yet with some outstanding secondary schools, (including the country’s highest achieving state school; Wilson’s), good transport links into Central London and some stunning Victorian and Edwardian Villas, Wallington can boast some of the best value for money property in the Greater London suburbs.
Although prices have risen considerably since the village of ‘Waletone’ was mentioned in the Domesday Book and valued at £10 housing stock is varied meaning there is property available for first time buyers, large family homes and empty nesters.
Trains from Wallington run directly into Victoria Station, Victoria itself has undergone a huge transformation with an increased number of businesses in the area and of course Westminster and many civil service buildings are walking distance from Victoria Station yet 30mins on a train to Wallington and you are surrounded by ponds, parks and a much calmer pace of life.
While the pace of life may be more sedate that is not to say Wallington is lacking in local amenities. With many high street names having opened up in the vicinity yet still a number of independent traders Wallington offers a good selection of shops, bars and restaurants and is popular with Families as there are plenty of leisure activities for younger and older children alike.
A Brief History of Wallington
Originally part of Surrey, Wallington became one of the many Greater London Suburbs. Like many outlying villages the arrival of a train station saw it develop into a bustling town and by the 1860’s large Victorian Villas were being built for the increasingly wealthy middle classes, made rich by the industrial revolution.
The spread of these large neo-gothic houses saw Wallington creep further south to what is now the main high street on Woodcote Road and by the First World War Wallington had become a town proper rather than a parish centred around Holy Trinity Church.
Today however, the area around Holy Trinity remains the most sought after with Clifton Road, Park Road and Belmont Road collectively known as old Wallington Town.
Post-war saw further development and many of the housing stock is typical semi-detached vernacular style though there is also a number of semi’s of the rarer Tudorbethian build.
In more recent years Wallington has benefitted from further development and since 2010 an increasing number of modern luxury apartments near the train station has attracted and influx of younger first time buyers which has also helped increase local trade and provision of local amenities.
Wallington: Amenities for Families
Very much a family town, Wallington and the surrounding has lots of activities for children and adults. Within Wallington is the Phoenix Centre, part of the Everyone Active group. It hosts a number of classes for children and adults as well having a soft play area and catering for kid’s parties, two larger leisure centres are situated just on the outskirts of Wallington the Virgin Active and the Westcroft Leisure centres. Both have swimming pools and offer a range of classes for kids.
Independent classes and clubs exist as well, including Surrey Dojo, which teaches Shotokan Karate to all ages and abilities. Explore Learning, based in the centre of Wallington offers extra-curricular classes and private tuition to help children develop their skills and a love of learning.
Socialising in Wallington
There are a number of friendly pubs in Wallington that attract a mixed crowd of local office workers, young couples and ladies on a night out, including the Dukes Head, The Wallington Arms and The Plough. For more intimate drinking and dining El Nido a Spanish tapas bar on the Manor Road has consistently good reviews, as does Korykos a traditional Turkish Restaurant, just further down Manor Road.
The Brook café/bistro boasts a pop-up cinema showing an eclectic range of films from the avant-garde to familiarly popular. With an onsite recording studio as well the Brook also offer a range of parties for both adults and children from private film screenings to raucous recording sessions!
A regular farmers market provides Wallington residents the opportunity to stock up on fresh, local produce.
