A brand-new climbing experience is coming to the heart of Wandsworth. We sat them down for a quick chat to find out what’s in store.
Tell us who you are and what you do.
We are Parthian Climbing. We run several state-of-the-art facilities across the country, with our latest centre opening at Southside Wandsworth on Saturday 1 July.
We offer climbing for everyone at our mixed-facility centres, all of which feature bouldering, top rope, lead and gym facilities.
How did Parthian Climbing come about?
Parthian Climbing is the brainchild of John Dunne, a world renowned climber who established many defining routes over his illustrious career. When St Benedict’s Church in Manchester was set for demolition in 2003, John saw an opportunity to bring life back to an ailing area of the city by installing a new climbing centre into the iconic building.
Two years later, Parthian Climbing Manchester was born and, five years after that, Parthian Climbing Harrogate and Parthian Climbing Reading opened their doors, with Southampton joining the family in 2021.
What made you want to come to Wandsworth?
A flagship London centre is the dream for any business and, with three units becoming available in the Southside Shopping Centre in Wandsworth, we jumped at the opportunity.
It’s such a different location than we’re used to – a bustling high street filled with shops, restaurants and cafes, with thousands of people passing by every day. The team at Southside and the local people we’ve met so far have been so welcoming and excited for us to open, and we’ve really fallen in love with the place already.
What can we expect when you open at Southside?
Firstly, you can expect to be welcomed in by an absolutely amazing team we’ve put together. From the centre manager to the centre assistants, we have an incredible pool of talent and enthusiasm, ready to introduce you to the world of climbing.
And when it comes to climbing, we’ve got you covered! We have a huge selection of boulder walls to choose from, including
“The Titan” – a replica of the Paris 2024 Olympic boulder wall, as well as top-ropes, lead climbs, and autobelays. And as if that wasn’t enough, we have a huge gym and training area, retail space for all your climbing goods, and a café which will serve delicious coffee and food. Perfect for a post-climb snack, or to enjoy while the kids are having their climbing session!
Is climbing suitable for everyone?
Absolutely! It’s a great sport for general fitness. It also challenges the mind as you have to figure out the way each route or bloc is meant to be climbed to make it as efficient as possible.
The joy of climbing is that you are competing against yourself, not having to worry about what other people around you are doing, or how they’re progressing. And you only need to look at the incredible GB para-climbing team to see that there is no limit to the sport’s inclusivity.
What’s your favourite thing about Wandsworth Town?
The people! We love how psyched everyone we’ve met has been to hear that we’re coming. We were so excited about the community we could build here, and we feel like we’ve already made so many great friends before we’ve even opened!
We ran a free half-term drop-in event for people to come and try out one of our roped sections and it was so great to see everyone enjoying themselves so much. Some kids came back four or five times, and it was so lovely to see just a small window into what our centre would be like once it’s buzzing with people.
