Once a village, Balham was a part of Streatham parish until the mid 19th century. During the Middle Ages Balham was divided between two manorial estates, one held by Bermondsey Abbey and the other by Bec Abbey in Normandy. After the reformation in the 1530's the farms and woodlands came into secular hands. With the coming of developments that spread along the main road from Clapham, the small population of Balham increased rapidly in the nineteenth century.
By 1900 Balham had become the popular London suburb we find today. This busy Heritage Trail takes us through the pre-suburban historic sites of Balham, and features Victorian and Edwardian growth.
Author - Graham Gower
£3 including p&p
