Premium #12421

Green oasis in London's coolest neighbourhood

House • Greater London United Kingdom

4 Guests

2 Bedrooms

2 Beds

2 Bathrooms

Primary home

Exchange types accepted

Simultaneous

Non-Simultaneous

Non-Reciprocal & Globe

Statistics

Listed January 2022

General overview

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Features

Show all features including those not in this home

Washer

Dishwasher

Oven

Microwave

Fridge

Iron

Hair dryer

Heating

TV

WiFi

High Speed Internet

Bathtub

Smoke alarms

Bed sheets

Towels

Workspace

Fireplace

BBQ

Garden / yard

Deck / patio / courtyard / terrace

Bikes

Camping gear

Travel Styles

Long term

Romantic

Foodie

Relaxing

Eco

City

Culture

Hiking

Cycling

Good public transport

House rules

Unsuitable for infants under 2

Suitable for children ages 2-12

Pets not allowed

No smoking

Allergens

Cat free

Dog free

Smoke free

Dates of Availability

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Neighbourhood

Our street is a traditional suburban residential street with a mix of Victorian terrace houses and newer houses. But within 5 minutes walk you will be on the high street, with a good selection of shops and restaurants. 

The Lonely Planet named Tooting as one of the 10 coolest neighbourhoods on earth (https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/tooting-named-one-of-the-10-coolest-neighbourhoods-on-earth-by-lonely-planet-a3618861.html), saying that "Tooting in South London has developed into an uber-cool neighborhood in recent years and lost none of its gritty charm in the process. Rubbing shoulders with perfectly pleasant yet slightly square Wimbledon, Earlsfield and Balham, Tooting is a more captivating affair, reveling in multiculturalism and originality. Its high street, which stretches between two Tube stations, is one of the best ‘curry corridors’ in the country, and contains some superb South Asian restaurants (...). The best shopping can be found inside eclectic Tooting Market, and quirky bars and pubs include The Castle and The Antelope. The Tooting Commons create over 200 acres of green space between them, and are home to Tooting Bec Lido – the largest swimming pool in the United Kingdom." (https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/best-secret-neighborhoods-of-the-world). 

We agree with this description (well, it's our home, right?). There are many great restaurants and food shops, but no fancy boutiques. It is a very safe and friendly neighbourhood, and people on our street know and look out for each other.

If you like swimming, the Tooting Lido outdoor pool has just been renovated. It was hailed as one of the 12 most beautiful pools in the world - see https://myswimpro.com/blog/2020/08/07/the-12-most-beautiful-pools-in-the-world/. It is a 20 min walk or 5 min cycle ride away from our place on the edge of Tooting Common, a large park with tennis courts, playing fields, a pond and lots of trees. There is another smaller park near our house, less than 10 min walk, with an outdoor gym. If you are into cycling, it's a pleasant 30 minute cycle ride to Richmond Park, via Wimbledon Common. The Thames path (you can walk all the way to Oxford and beyond along it - but that would take you about a week) is also not far. 

For those wanting to get out of London altogether, there are trains to Surrey (from Wimbledon), with endless possibilities for day trips - for example along the North Downs Way (https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/north-downs-way/).

Nearest airport

All London airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead, Luton, London city) are within about 1 1/2 hours away by public transport (train and underground/ metro). At off-peak times, a taxi can make it in less than an hour, but most of the time it takes nearly as long as the train / underground.

Getting around

You can find everything you may need on a daily basis within a short walk from our house - plenty of grocery shops, from supermarkets to specialty shops (including Polish, Indian, Turkish, West Indian foods etc.), green grocers, butchers, fishmongers). There is a huge range of restaurants, coffee shops, tapas bars / cocktail bars and street food stalls within 15 minutes walk. 

We are 5 minutes walk from Tooting mainline ("overground") rail station, which takes you into Central London (South Bank of the Thames / Tate Modern, St Pancras International and Regent canal, Camden Town) in half an hour. Tooting Broadway Underground station is 10 minutes walk, with Northern Line metro services to Waterloo Station, the West End and the City. The Northern Line also runs a night service, in case you are out clubbing into the early hours of the morning...

Wimbledon village is 5 minutes away on the train in the opposite direction (train station is 5 minutes walk from the house), with a wide range of shops, theatres and cinemas - and of course the tennis tournament! 

You can also take a bus (including a night bus) into central London (Victoria station, Waterloo station) from the end of our road, but it does take anything from an hour to two hours because of the traffic.

Map of Approximate Location

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People Like Us Local Guide

Happy to meet up for a drink and show people the neighbourhood.

Feedback

Barbara and Tony's home is a very comfortable oasis in South London. Every room is well appointed, indeed luxurious. The kitchen is complete with every necessary appliance. The garden is incredible and inviting. A great place to come home to after a day spent in the heart of the city, an easy train ride away. Tooting itself is an interestingLondon neighborhood, with abundant shops, restaurants, and community life going on. Highly recommended!

Home Feedback: Gay Lynette and Larry stayed with Barbara and Tony 1 month ago

Tony and Barbara’s home in Tooting is in a perfect location for visiting London. Just a few blocks from the busy main road yet quiet and peaceful. The kitchen/family room is where we spend our little time at home. It was perfect and comfortable with a gorgeous view of the garden, flowers and trees. Barbara was a joy to communicate with. She was always available to message on What’s App. Our only disappointment was their return flight was late so we didn’t get a chance to meet in person. I highly recommend this lovely home for a visit to London.

Home Feedback: Karen and Gail stayed with Barbara and Tony 5 months ago

We enjoyed our stay in Barbara and Tony’s home very much. It was a convenient location to visit London and surrounding areas. Their communication and written home guide was excellent. We especially enjoyed relaxing on their deck with a view of the garden. It was a comfortable place to be, in a safe neighborhood. We highly recommend Barbara and Tony’s home to anyone visiting the UK.

Home Feedback: Susan stayed with Barbara and Tony 6 months ago

As ever a total pleasure to stay at Barbara and Tony's place in London! 100% recommend!

Home Feedback: Catherine stayed with Barbara and Tony 6 months ago

We had a very good stay in Barbara and Tony's pretty house. Everything was perfect: Barbara and Tony thought of everything to make our stay easy and pleasant with very good advice on transport, restaurants, things to do... they were very available and responsive to answer our questions. The house itself is comfortable and bright with a beautiful little garden. It is well located in Tooting, close to everything but in a quiet area. In addition to our escapades in central London we enjoyed Tooting with its small town, friendly and cosmopolitan atmosphere. Thank you Barbara and Tony for making this stay possible and so enjoyable! And we hope to see you next time, perhaps for a reciprocal exchange 😊

Home Feedback: Mélanie et Johann stayed with Barbara and Tony 1 year ago

We spent a week in Barbara’s and Tony’s lovely house and had a great time. The house itself is very comfortable and the garden (and squirrels!) are delightful. The guide to the house was very useful and well done and communication with Barbara and Tony was very easy. Central London is easy to access either via the tube (10-15 min walk) or railway services (5 min). Tooting is a vibrant place with lots of restaurants and supermarkets.

Home Feedback: Armelle stayed with Barbara and Tony 1 year ago

Barbara and Tony’s home is most comfortable. It’s a quiet, private space removed from the bustle and noise of London. The kitchen / diner has lots of natural light. There is seating outside and a well kept garden. Parking outside the door is chargeable during the day. We parked our car elsewhere once we had unloaded. Access to London is via Tooting Broadway (Northern Line). It is less than a 15 minute walk away and from there the Underground goes straight to central London. We did several journeys by bicycle. There are lots of cycleways across to Wimbledon / Richmond as well as the Wandle Way (north) and Morden Park (south).

Home Feedback: Andrew stayed with Barbara and Tony 1 year ago

I have just spent one week in Barbara and Tony's stunning house in London; it has every modern convenience possible plus a charming garden for sitting outside on a nice sunny day, it is impeccably clean and well-organised. Communication with Barbara was extrememly easy and fluid both before and during the exchange. I would return to this wonderful London home anytime Barbara and Tony wish to to come back to Paris. Padraig. P.S. Barbara and Tony experienced a pretty major problem while in my place. My water boiler decided to break down and leak water out on to the floor. By the time I reacted to their messages on my phone they had already found the water mains and turned it off. They mopped up the little flood in the entrace hall, they cleared out all my clothes and shoes from the cupboard and put them out to dry on the balcony, they even went to neighbours' apartments to check that everything was ok there too (fortunately Barbara speaks fluent French). They were extremely resourceful in dealing with the problem, and when I returned two days later they had left my place extremely clean and well-ordered given the awful circumstances they had had to deal with. I'm not sure every exchnager would have reacted with such calm and composure. And despite having to deal with all this and having no hot water for their last two days they were incredibly gracious and charming throughout and kept reassuring me that they were still having a nice time. I'll always be very grateful to them for this.

Home Feedback: Padraig stayed with Barbara and Tony 1 year ago

We are just back from a lovely 11 day stay at Barbara and Tony's beautiful Tooting home. They were super easy to check in with ahead of the swap - providing lots of useful and practical info (including guides to the local area) so we could get organised ahead of time. Their home is a great base from which to explore all the delights of London (15 mins walk from the Northern Line, 5 mins walk from nearest rail station) and with restaurants nearby (lebanese, spanish, korean ....) we had entertainment on our doorstep as well as in the city! We would highly recommend Barbara and Tony's fantastic home as a swap - it was super comfortable and very well equipped, and had a beautiful garden (a real luxury in London) which, despite it being the end of October, still proved to be a suntrap. Time off from going out and about in busy London was always a real pleasure given the house quickly felt like a second home; a few nights we stayed in, with the added delight of a real fire we felt very spoiled. Huge thanks to you both for another fantastic PLU exchange!!!

Home Feedback: Catherine stayed with Barbara and Tony 2 years ago

We spent a wonderful week in London as part of a simultaneous exchange with Barbara and Tony. Barbara and Tony’s house is in tooting, London. The house is very comfortable and well furnished. Barbara was super helpful and very accommodating. She left very clear and helpful instructions in her manual for the house and was always available to answer our questions. Both tony and Barbara are very kind and lovely people. The area they live in is well connected to the rest of London - they live close to a Northern line tube station and also have a overground train station close by. So, getting around town is was super easy. Tooting itself is diverse and vibrant. Everything you might need (from gyms to supermarkets) is a short walk away and there are several parks nearby. There are some great restaurants in the area - so, make sure you try them out! We had an excellent time at Barbara and Tony’s place and are very happy to recommend their place to anyone who is interested in visiting London m.

Home Feedback: Sriram stayed with Barbara and Tony 2 years ago