A little bit of history
Streatham, historically part of London's market garden, was once an important staging post on the route down to the coast. The Church of St Leonards in Streatham can be traced right back to Anglo Saxon times. Streatham once boasted 12 cinemas and theatres ' the only one left is now the ODEON, although the White Horse pub sometimes screens films in its back room. The heyday of Streatham was the 1950s when the High Road was south London's premier shopping destination, Roger Moore resided at the splendid (now Grade II listed) modernist Pullman Court on Streatham Hill and Britain's first supermarket opened here. In the 70s and 80s Streatham hit the headlines with revelations of the comings and goings in Cynthia Payne's brothel. Today Streatham is heading for a second heyday with investment in the Hub leisure centre and house development and various other new build residential, retail and leisure spaces in the pipeline.
Need to know
Property guru Sarah Beeny lives in Streatham ' a pretty compelling endorsement for this up-and-coming area.
Consultation is under way on a large redevelopment scheme at Streatham Hill which will see us say goodbye Caesars nightclub and old Bingo Hall and hello new shopping centre and residential housing.
Shopping
As befits the longest high street in Europe, Streatham High Road has a vast array of shops. There are all the usual high street suspects plus the excellent Streatham Fruiterier, which despite its tiny size somehow always manages to have everything on your list, 24 hour chemist Westbury, craft shops, three DIY stores and a farmers' market outside the Odeon on the last Saturday of every month. And should all that fail to satisfy, Brixton Market's quirky shops and eateries are but a 10 minute bus ride away.
