Welcome to London x London’s Streatham Guide: your guide to the best bars, restaurants and things to do in this South London neighbourhood.
Streatham sits in the London Borough of Lambeth, between Brixton to the north and Croydon to the south, built along Europe’s longest high street.
Streatham High Road is the longest high street in Europe, and once, rather unfairly, the worst street in Britain.
These days this corner of Lambeth has swapped that reputation for real, unpretentious south London charm.
Streatham means ‘hamlet of the street’, but this south London borough of Lambeth is anything but sleepy these days. Its origins trace back to the Roman period, when it was a farming parish in Surrey sustained by agricultural wealth. By the 18th century it had become known for its natural springs, drawing wealthy visitors in search of a cure, and the arrival of Streatham Hill railway station in 1856 turned the area into a fully-fledged London suburb.
By the 1950s, Streatham High Road was the busiest shopping street in south London, and today the area is enjoying a fresh resurgence among Londoners willing to venture beyond the centre. Streatham Common and its hidden Rookery garden offer a green escape from the high road’s bustle, while live music at Hideaway and comedy nights at the Railway Pub keep the evenings busy.
Unpretentious, up-and-coming south London charm
