Welcome to Wandsworth

It's this year's borough of culture — but loyal locals already know it's the place to be

- CATHY HAWKER

Educational excellence, a proliferation of parks, a shiny new private members' club, the lowest council tax in the UK and now the London Borough of Culture for 2025.

There are many reasons to love Wandsworth and you'll certainly hear them on repeat from loyal locals who are all firm believers in the brilliance of their south-west London home.

The celebrities have already moved in.

Battersea Power Station is the glittering riverside jewel in the borough's crown, with Sting and Trudie Styler and Bear Grylls among buyers of flats in the £9 billion development.

Cookery writer Skye McAlpine and her young family split their time between homes in Wandsworth and Venice, while acting duo Prunella Scales and her late husband Timothy West spent 50 years there, raising their two sons, including fellow thespian Samuel. It's also home to Mayor Sadiq Khan, whose Borough of Culture initiative will involve "hundreds of events" right across the wider area, from Roehampton to Battersea, Tooting to Putney.

Wandsworth's most prestigious enclave is Spencer Park, a group of 30 homes with gardens leading directly into a private square. David and Victoria Beckham are said to have scouted out the area before opting instead for Holland Park.