Balham station

Balham station consists of two adjacent stations (a London Underground station and a National Rail station) in the Balham area of south London, England. The station is on the A24 Balham High Road in the London Borough of Wandsworth, and is in Travelcard Zone 3.

The two stations are connected, though owned and operated separately with separate ticket-issuing facilities and gatelines.

National Rail station

The National Rail station at Balham, which is managed by Southern, is on the Brighton Main Line, four stops south of London Victoria. Although on a north-south route, the tracks pass through Balham on an approximately east-west axis, with Victoria towards the west.

The tracks are on an embankment and access to the platforms is via an underpass beneath them. There are four tracks and four platforms, although only two are regularly used in service. Just beyond the south/east end of the station, the line divides into two branches. One branch is the Brighton Main Line, continuing towards East Croydon, with the other heading towards Crystal Palace. Further south, there is another branch which heads towards Mitcham Junction and Sutton. Between Balham and Mitcham Junction, a new station at Mitcham Eastfields was opened in 2008.

Balham

Coordinates: 51°26′36″N 0°09′09″W / 51.4434°N 0.1525°W / 51.4434; -0.1525

Balham /ˈbæləm/ is a neighbourhood of south London, England, part in the London Borough of Wandsworth and part in the London Borough of Lambeth.

History

The settlement appears in the Domesday Book as Belgeham. Bal refers to 'rounded enclosure' and ham to a homestead, village or river enclosure. It was held by Geoffrey Orlateile. Its Domesday Assets were: 1½ ploughs, 8 acres (32,000 m²) of meadow. It rendered (in total): £2. The Balham area has been settled since Saxon times. Balham Hill and Balham High Road follow the line of the Roman road Stane Street to Chichester – (now the A24 road). Balham is recorded in several maps in the 1600s as Ballam or Balham Hill or Balham Manor. The village was within the parish of Streatham. Large country retreats for the affluent classes were built there in the 18th century; however, most development occurred after the opening of Balham railway station on the line to Crystal Palace in 1856.

Balham (disambiguation)

Balham is a district of London, England

Balham can also refer to: