Areas to live in London
Discussion
Hi,
I will be moving from Glasgow to London in September for work and will be working round Whitehall, so walking distance from Charing Cross and Westminster tubes. So I have been looking at areas on these tube lines and have come up with Kilburn/Queens Park/West Hampstead, Fulham/Putney and the Northern line above Islington so Chalk Farm/Kentish Town/Tufnell Park up to as far as Archway. Budget isn't that big, looking at £650 a month for a room with bills included. Any other areas you would look at? Don't have a big list of requirements, as long as there are decent local amenities and good transport links
Also, is changing tube lines in the morning a complete pain? This would open up places along the Central Line both East and West but I don't want to do that every morning if it's going to stress me out.
I will be moving from Glasgow to London in September for work and will be working round Whitehall, so walking distance from Charing Cross and Westminster tubes. So I have been looking at areas on these tube lines and have come up with Kilburn/Queens Park/West Hampstead, Fulham/Putney and the Northern line above Islington so Chalk Farm/Kentish Town/Tufnell Park up to as far as Archway. Budget isn't that big, looking at £650 a month for a room with bills included. Any other areas you would look at? Don't have a big list of requirements, as long as there are decent local amenities and good transport links
Also, is changing tube lines in the morning a complete pain? This would open up places along the Central Line both East and West but I don't want to do that every morning if it's going to stress me out.
Changing tube lines isn't exactly fun but usually not a nightmare either.
Don't limit yourself to the Tube though and remember to look at a real map rather than relying on the Tube map too. To get from Temple to Covent Garden by tube means; District/Circle to Embankment, Northern to Leicester Square, Piccadilly to Covent Garden - or an easy 10 minute walk. Likewise Waterloo mainline station's just the other side of the river and opens up most of south London, where the Tube doesn't go and overground services abound.
Outside the mega-bucks most of London's much of a much-ness really. It's all really diverse and multi-cultural with few areas that you could say we especially good or bad.
If you can:
1. Work out how long you want and how long you're willing for your commute to be (train/tube + walk at each end), using the web to get a search radius.
2. Look at some of the flatshare websites to see what areas inside that radius you can afford to rent in.
3. Book a few weekends in London and get out and about to those areas. Ride what would be your commute and walk around those areas propery - the areas around some stations can look a bit crap but a 5 minute walk and you hardly believe you're in the same area.
4. Don't trust perceived wisdom about what's good/bad and rule places out without taking a look. Say you're moving to Hackney and people will suck their breath through their teeth. Move to the same place and call it London Fields and those same people will say "Oh, I hear it's really nice around there".
Don't limit yourself to the Tube though and remember to look at a real map rather than relying on the Tube map too. To get from Temple to Covent Garden by tube means; District/Circle to Embankment, Northern to Leicester Square, Piccadilly to Covent Garden - or an easy 10 minute walk. Likewise Waterloo mainline station's just the other side of the river and opens up most of south London, where the Tube doesn't go and overground services abound.
Outside the mega-bucks most of London's much of a much-ness really. It's all really diverse and multi-cultural with few areas that you could say we especially good or bad.
If you can:
1. Work out how long you want and how long you're willing for your commute to be (train/tube + walk at each end), using the web to get a search radius.
2. Look at some of the flatshare websites to see what areas inside that radius you can afford to rent in.
3. Book a few weekends in London and get out and about to those areas. Ride what would be your commute and walk around those areas propery - the areas around some stations can look a bit crap but a 5 minute walk and you hardly believe you're in the same area.
4. Don't trust perceived wisdom about what's good/bad and rule places out without taking a look. Say you're moving to Hackney and people will suck their breath through their teeth. Move to the same place and call it London Fields and those same people will say "Oh, I hear it's really nice around there".
I've considered somewhere South and walking to work but only looking about 30 mins each way so think most of Vauxhall is a bit far, Lambeth North and Waterloo are do-able though. Quite expensive now but obviously saving a lot on a Travelcard.
If changing lines isn't too bad I'll look at other areas too. Not long back from Barcelona where it could be a 10 minute + walk to change!
If changing lines isn't too bad I'll look at other areas too. Not long back from Barcelona where it could be a 10 minute + walk to change!
0860a0860a said:
I've considered somewhere South and walking to work but only looking about 30 mins each way so think most of Vauxhall is a bit far, Lambeth North and Waterloo are do-able though. Quite expensive now but obviously saving a lot on a Travelcard.
If changing lines isn't too bad I'll look at other areas too. Not long back from Barcelona where it could be a 10 minute + walk to change!
It all depends on where you change. Bank station is massive for example and could walk for ages to change lines. At other stations, the different lines come in on the same platform.If changing lines isn't too bad I'll look at other areas too. Not long back from Barcelona where it could be a 10 minute + walk to change!
I'd personally try and find somewhere where it is possible to walk to work - either to save the fares or just as an alternative when the tube is not running or you just don't fancy it.
It is worth spending a few days walking around different areas and see what you are happy with. London is vast and different things suit different people.
My own preference is to live further out and commute in. I am on a fast train line, so still have a 35 minute door to door commute even though I am out in zone 6. I wouldn't recommend that for someone new to London, though, as it is not really a city 'feel', the prices are not a whole lot cheaper and the travel costs are huge.
0860a0860a said:
walking to work but only looking about 30 mins each way so think most of Vauxhall is a bit far,
Just wait until your citymapper disruption alert goes off, that 30minutes will seem like a distant dream.I cycle everywhere in London, I get from Chiswick to Covent Garden in around 30/40minutes. Living anywhere is possible but it's finding a balance of things you like to do and having enough money to do the things you like to do and... say... eat, if you don't want it to grind your soul away.
Gassing Station | London | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff