please empty your brain below
No, it's brilliant, and proof that anything is interesting to someone who's interested in things.

Sarah | 23.02.18 - 7:12 a.m. | #

What does 'topply' mean?

shirokazan | 23.02.18 - 7:27 a.m. | #

My first London home was adjacent to the route of the TM&W Railway, a bit further down the line and it marks the boundary between London and Surrey.

Ken | 23.02.18 - 7:41 a.m. | #

I don't think you need to worry. We appear to be finding the project oddly fascinating out here!

Mike Newman | Homepage | 23.02.18 - 7:49 a.m. | #

I was hoping to dazzle with the fact that the Sixties band Amen Corner were named after this locale.

But turns out they weren’t.

David | 23.02.18 - 7:55 a.m. | #

My old stomping grounds in 2000-2002, working in a tiny startup in the area. Moved from Peckham to Tooting Bec to save money on the commute after a while. Nice to see your randomiser alight there, even if Tooting's delights for me are probably more in my nostalgia than anything on the ground.

Ben | 23.02.18 - 8:12 a.m. | #

The pub outside the station is quite nice. One thing of slight interest is that Tooting station is in Merton not Wandsworth like the rest of Tooting.

Andrew Bowden | Homepage | 23.02.18 - 8:27 a.m. | #

The general theme of Tooting station, which I see as being "All the interesting bits of the area it's named for are actually closer to another station" is bound to be repeated a few times in this series.

Nearby Streatham Common is much the same. It doesn't look like any part of Streatham Common is part of the station's hinterland.

Chz | 23.02.18 - 8:27 a.m. | #

The disparity between Lonely Planet's experience and yours may be explained by the fact that Tooting station, and four of the places you visited,, are actually in Mitcham (the boundary being the River Graveney). When it was built, it was the closest station to Tooting's centre, (and Mitcham already had two stations), and thus the name made more sense than it seems to now.

My dad was born near the station and was a pupil at the school on the Links estate.

Mitch | 23.02.18 - 8:38 a.m. | #

The station has a backwater service thanks to a backfired campaign by local residents. They could have had twice as many trains if they would change at Blackfriars, but insisted that their little trains should continue through the Thameslink core where they are not welcome because they impede bigger ones.

Did you see any unfortunate strangers or dogs shackled to the clock tower ?

kev | 23.02.18 - 8:44 a.m. | #

I have not encountered the word 'topply' before reading this post.

David Cook | 23.02.18 - 8:45 a.m. | #

I think you got the best bits of the area you chose, except perhaps for an Art Nouveau church whose name escapes me. I played Ingress down there and it's quite pleasant on a sunny day

Richard | Homepage | 23.02.18 - 8:55 a.m. | #

Even Wolfie Smith hung round Tooting Broadway rather than there.

D9000 | 23.02.18 - 9:11 a.m. | #

The signs might be the policies of the Tooting Popular Front.

"Power to the people!"

scrumpy | 23.02.18 - 9:34 a.m. | #

I remember, as a Graveney School pupil, getting eggs thrown down at me from residents of the aforementioned ugly grey tower block!

Also remember to bunking the train home from Tooting station every day to save money to buy weed. Fond memories.

DuttySouth | 23.02.18 - 9:51 a.m. | #

My mum came up from Cornwall to study at Furzedown Teacher Training College - which is how I came to be!

On my Dad's side a Gt grandfather was in the Tooting Graveney Workhouse in 1901. Originally built ca 1622 as Fairfield House, it was being used as a branch workhouse and over-spill for the Chelsea Workhouse from about 1879-1906.

Cornish Cockney | 23.02.18 - 11:46 a.m. | #

I think my great grandmother’s headstone is from the ‘topply’ memorial era. It’s tall but when it fell a few years ago it’s foundations only went down a few inches.

MJesq | 23.02.18 - 11:55 a.m. | #

Caroline who runs the very lovely little flower stall outside the cemetery is a family friend and comes highly recommended, and her wreaths are just to die for.

fishislandskin | 23.02.18 - 3:23 p.m. | #

This place looks very familiar i believe my mum was brought up in this area.

Meg | Homepage | 23.02.18 - 3:32 p.m. | #

It's fair to say that the "Tooting is cool" declaration might have had something to do with the fact that one Lonely Planet's editors lives there, although it's fair to say the main "cool" activity is up between Bec and Broadway, with a focal point being the market; for a short time before and after said declaration of cool, I was in Tooting frequently, as a rather good community music venue called "The Sound Lounge" occupied one of the buildings on the High Street, but they were unfortunately evicted to make way for a hotel and a Costa coffee.

Ah well, 'tis the way of these things.

Andrew Neil Carpenter | 23.02.18 - 5:01 p.m. | #

Even Google doesn't seem to know what topply means, and my phone's autosuggestion didn't think of it. Please can you put us out of our misery?

Andrew S | 23.02.18 - 5:28 p.m. | #

The best bit of Amen Corner, no longer there sadly, was the joke shop, pretty much opposite your picture here DG. It's where urchins from Tooting, Mitcham and Carshalton would spend the remnants of our pocket money once Saturday morning pictures at the Granada, now the bingo hall, had turfed us out.

Kev Hennessy | 23.02.18 - 9:13 p.m. | #

Ah yes Kev, I had forgotten about the joke shop, it was a great place, and even more fun was throwing hard sweets at the poor chap playing the Wurlitzer Organ as it rose out of the ground at Granada Saturday morning pictures.

fishislandskin | 23.02.18 - 9:27 p.m. | #

I had to re-read, to see the 'toppy'. From the context I'm assuming that it means that the cemetery does not contain a lot of headstones that look as if they are about to topple over. Good word.

Dave | 23.02.18 - 10:19 p.m. | #

DG’s been reporting from my ‘manor’, the London Road cemetery is at the bottom end of my road, although I’m technically the Mitcham side.

I think most locals are taking the inclusion of Tooting in the top 10 list with a decent size pinch of salt, but it’s nice to see somewhere in south London other than sodding Wimbledon, Clapham or Balham getting a mention...

Ian C | 23.02.18 - 11:06 p.m. | #

You probably walked past our front door on your way up to the Common. Tooting will make a very interesting study on the limits of gentrification. ie there's only so many sour dough pizzas/ meatballs/ gravy trays tapas the local populace can consume. Next time you come, let us know and I'll put the kettle on. Oh, that will be in about 600 weeks time?

south london lad | 24.02.18 - 10:22 a.m. | #

When I was a student, 76-79,I lived in the big student block behind the school. 10th floor one year and then 3rd floor the next. Great views of Tooting by night and the electrical flashes from the train line. Great times.

Marmaduke | 25.02.18 - 12:18 a.m. | #











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