Battersea: 'Improved massively'

Battersea was definitely not fashionable when John and Valerie Cumming moved to Prince of Wales Drive next to Battersea Park in 1975. But it was cheap, its rented flats inhabited by an eclectic mix of intellectuals, artists and locals. “You had MPs, journalists, decision-makers, and there used to be a native population,” says Valerie. “If you were born in Battersea that was where your family roots were. When we first moved here, there were families who had been in Battersea for 100 years,” says Valerie, a former deputy director of the Museum of London. “The riverfront was a mess as industrial activity slowed.

The Cummings noticed the first signs of a younger, more affluent population arriving in the 1980s. Says John: “There are a lot of young couples in their late 20s and early 30s here now, a lot of single people and middle-aged with grown-up children.

“Battersea has improved massively. It used to be the armpit of the world.”