FAO Londoners - advice on where to live?
Discussion
As there's a large number of members here, I'm hoping to hear from people who either live or have lived in London on areas of London to consider.
The Partner and I have taken jobs in Chelsea and SW1 (By Waterloo) and are looking at places to live. We have an upper budget of around £1500pcm for a two bedroom place - it'd be great to get under that, but we wouldn't dismiss going a little higher for the perfect place.
So far we have a sort of shortlist that looks like;
West Hampstead,
Chiswick,
Wimbledon,
Twickenham,
Richmond,
Stratford,
Bow,
West London locations were likely chosen with idea of perhaps being a bit safer and nicer, although I wonder if this is still true these days?
East London appeals because of travel links, but we are slightly put off by the reputation of East London.
Any input on the short-list we have? Any we've missed, or any that we should dismiss?
The Partner and I have taken jobs in Chelsea and SW1 (By Waterloo) and are looking at places to live. We have an upper budget of around £1500pcm for a two bedroom place - it'd be great to get under that, but we wouldn't dismiss going a little higher for the perfect place.
So far we have a sort of shortlist that looks like;
West Hampstead,
Chiswick,
Wimbledon,
Twickenham,
Richmond,
Stratford,
Bow,
West London locations were likely chosen with idea of perhaps being a bit safer and nicer, although I wonder if this is still true these days?
East London appeals because of travel links, but we are slightly put off by the reputation of East London.
Any input on the short-list we have? Any we've missed, or any that we should dismiss?
Is this a short term proposition hence wanting to rent? For £1.5k PCM you could both afford the Mortgage for a reasonable house.
Bow is really OK, in fact if you can get around Tredegar Square it's really rather nice. West Hampstead is lovely and a lot closer to where you both will be based with your jobs.
Bow is really OK, in fact if you can get around Tredegar Square it's really rather nice. West Hampstead is lovely and a lot closer to where you both will be based with your jobs.
mwstewart said:
Is this a short term proposition hence wanting to rent? For £1.5k PCM you could both afford the Mortgage for a reasonable house.
Bow is really OK, in fact if you can get around Tredegar Square it's really rather nice. West Hampstead is lovely and a lot closer to where you both will be based with your jobs.
Thanks,Bow is really OK, in fact if you can get around Tredegar Square it's really rather nice. West Hampstead is lovely and a lot closer to where you both will be based with your jobs.
It's a medium-term thing, but we're not buying simply because we're not in a position to do so in terms of deposit.
I'm from East Lancashire but I work in Sunbury on Thames Greater London, I rent a place in Richmond and I'm here mon to Fri, It's great, you are outside the congestion charge and parking is OK (in lower Richmond anyway) yet close enough to get to central London in less than half an hour Kew garden is a short walk and the Brooklands Motor museum is close. I've found it to be really a really nice area and quiet too Oh and Sunbury on Thames is very nice, some nice flats which have balconies overlooking the river Thames with really nice yachts lining the edge of the river with some good pubs too. If you can afford the high price Richmond gets a thumbs up from me. Mind the mosquitos though...
mikehiow said:
The Partner and I have taken jobs in Chelsea and SW1 (By Waterloo)
SE1 I think you mean. West Hampstead is the clear winner from that lot. Jubilee line straight to Waterloo, whilst one of you gets off the stop before at Westminster and takes the district line to Sloane Sq for Chelsea.
And West Hampstead is a great place, with West End Lane having a great vibe.
Edited by TwigtheWonderkid on Wednesday 30th July 20:30
I'm from East Lancashire but I work in Sunbury on Thames Greater London, I rent a place in Richmond and I'm here mon to Fri, It's great, you are outside the congestion charge and parking is OK (in lower Richmond anyway) yet close enough to get to central London in less than half an hour Kew garden is a short walk and the Brooklands Motor museum is close. I've found it to be really a really nice area and quiet too Oh and Sunbury on Thames is very nice, some nice flats which have balconies overlooking the river Thames with really nice yachts lining the edge of the river with some good pubs too. If you can afford the high price Richmond gets a thumbs up from me. Mind the mosquitos though...
You'll get something reasonably smart in SE London for that money I think.. say, Brockley, St. Johns, Hither Green. SE really isn't bad at all... much less rough than East london IMHO. A few of those have very quick trains straight into London Bridge as well I think.
Lastly, if your budget can stretch to Rotherhithe / Bermondsey.... that's walking distance to the Jubilee line and easy to drive out of London when you want via the A13. Lovely areas within easy reach... Shad Thames, Canada Water, Wapping, Borough market etc etc
Lastly, if your budget can stretch to Rotherhithe / Bermondsey.... that's walking distance to the Jubilee line and easy to drive out of London when you want via the A13. Lovely areas within easy reach... Shad Thames, Canada Water, Wapping, Borough market etc etc
AOK said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
mikehiow said:
The Partner and I have taken jobs in Chelsea and SW1 (By Waterloo)
SE1 I think you mean. Edited by TwigtheWonderkid on Wednesday 30th July 20:30
Why would anyone working in Chelsea say "I'm working in SW3, by Battersea". Just seems very odd.
To be honest it depends on what you want from London because ultimately its all a compromise. I wouldn't be looking at any of areas you've mentioned with 1,500PCM because while it is a good deal of money, it isn't much around London especially in the areas you've mentioned.
If you want posh and trendy nightclubs and cafés on your doorstep like you will get from many of the areas mentioned then fine. Personally I'd prefer a quieter area AND a better home to boot, so it may be worth considering looking further afield. Almost anywhere within the M25 will see you get to central London sharpish on a over ground train. To give you an idea, Orpington is 14 miles away from Waterloo, but yet the 15 minutely train will get you into waterloo east in 30 mins. Similar stories with Bromley, Bexley, sidcup, etc. Rents are a fair bit cheaper compared to some of the places you've mentioned and they generally feel (to me) cleaner, "safer" (don't believe the hype about London being crime infested. Don't make yourself a victim and you'll probably be fine) and nicer places to actually want to live in.
Will you have to drive for work? That can make things a lot more hazy.
BTW, nice to see you around (Joshy from OcUK)
.
If you want posh and trendy nightclubs and cafés on your doorstep like you will get from many of the areas mentioned then fine. Personally I'd prefer a quieter area AND a better home to boot, so it may be worth considering looking further afield. Almost anywhere within the M25 will see you get to central London sharpish on a over ground train. To give you an idea, Orpington is 14 miles away from Waterloo, but yet the 15 minutely train will get you into waterloo east in 30 mins. Similar stories with Bromley, Bexley, sidcup, etc. Rents are a fair bit cheaper compared to some of the places you've mentioned and they generally feel (to me) cleaner, "safer" (don't believe the hype about London being crime infested. Don't make yourself a victim and you'll probably be fine) and nicer places to actually want to live in.
Will you have to drive for work? That can make things a lot more hazy.
BTW, nice to see you around (Joshy from OcUK)
.Edited by JoshyS on Friday 1st August 18:01
Frixturbo said:
Born and bred in london...
Amazing place, but certain areas are full of s
te...
Out of all those places, I'd say west hampstead... Beautiful area, better class of people, close to everything you could possibly need...
Second I'd say Richmond...
But that's just my opinion...
I'd agree, but £1,500 for a 2-bed place is going to put you at the very poor end of either of those two places.Amazing place, but certain areas are full of s
te...Out of all those places, I'd say west hampstead... Beautiful area, better class of people, close to everything you could possibly need...
Second I'd say Richmond...
But that's just my opinion...
It also depends what type of experience you are looking for from London. As has already been mentioned, Richmond is vety different to Bow, but neither are perhaps what people might be expecting when they come to 'London'.
Richmond is a lovely place with good transport links, but it is very clearly part of suburban London and that is not what everyone wants. It is definitely worth spending some time in all of the places to see what feels right.
The other thing is not to get too hung up on postcodes and wider areas and look at the individual places you will be living in. SE London has got a reputation for being a poor relation, but parts of Blackheath and Dulwich are a lot nicer than the poorer parts of Chiswick or Richmond.
Hi Josh, I did think it may be you.
No driving required for work - fixed place of work in Central (actually SE1, not SW1 as I mentioned earlier!)
What we want? I don't really know - a change primarily.
We quite like the brand new flats in Stratford that come with underground parking and a concierge, some with a Gym, and the transport links from Stratford are awesome. The Olympic park, Westfield and having friends in Bow are all bonuses.
But similarly, the suburban places like Twickenham/Richmond really appeal, too.
The more we think about it, I think we're leaning towards something a little cheaper. So without sacrificing, I think that means going a little further out.
Finding places with private landlords are a big thing for us at the moment. The difference can be nearly £2k "start up" if we can find somewhere that asks for 4 weeks deposit.
No driving required for work - fixed place of work in Central (actually SE1, not SW1 as I mentioned earlier!)
What we want? I don't really know - a change primarily.
We quite like the brand new flats in Stratford that come with underground parking and a concierge, some with a Gym, and the transport links from Stratford are awesome. The Olympic park, Westfield and having friends in Bow are all bonuses.
But similarly, the suburban places like Twickenham/Richmond really appeal, too.
The more we think about it, I think we're leaning towards something a little cheaper. So without sacrificing, I think that means going a little further out.
Finding places with private landlords are a big thing for us at the moment. The difference can be nearly £2k "start up" if we can find somewhere that asks for 4 weeks deposit.
I work in London and spend a fair bit of time traveling around it. The West side is definitely better than the East. Chiswick, Richmond etc are very nice. Do some research though, some very nice areas are on top of some really sh** areas. Eg: the north end of Chiswick boarders the South Acton Estate!
Hope this helps.
Hope this helps.
Well, We've applied for a place on Stratford High Street - right off the A12 so means fairly easy access in and out of London M11/20.
Pudding Mill Lane station is right behind, Stratford and Bromley by Bow stations less than a mile walk if we're feeling spritely.
It was the travel links from Stratford, secure underground car parking and the views from a 10th floor flat that got us, though. Plus it helps having friends just around the corner.
30 Minutes drive to Brands, too!!
Pudding Mill Lane station is right behind, Stratford and Bromley by Bow stations less than a mile walk if we're feeling spritely.
It was the travel links from Stratford, secure underground car parking and the views from a 10th floor flat that got us, though. Plus it helps having friends just around the corner.
30 Minutes drive to Brands, too!!
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