WALK | Clapham High Street with Professor Mark Brearley

Explore Clapham High Street with high streets expert, business owner and former head of Design For London Professor Mark Brearley.

Mark will lead you on a journey of discovery along this ancient high street: one of the earliest suburbs to be connected to central London by train. Clapham High Street is home to numerous independent traders, ten of whom have been in the high street for more than 30 years. They’ve withstood huge changes to the economy and fabric of Clapham, some by purchasing their freeholds allowing them to withstand the recent price hike in rents. They nestle alongside chains, and form the frontage to a vibrant and unexpected mix of uses in the depth of the high street blocks. There are 48 food, beverage and entertainment businesses on the street, giving Clapham High Street a very particular feeling, alongside the booming nightlife and the legendary club Infernos. Clapham has gentrified rapidly over the past decades, find out what the impact of the changes, and what the future might hold, for this fascinating slice of south London.