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Living in London
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Didn't really know where to put this so sorry if it's in the wrong place....
I'm going to be living and working in London in the next few months but I have no idea where to live. I'm going to be working in the central city area so I think I've got quite a bit of choice over which area to live in.
I'd like to live somewhere fairly lively and young but not somewhere sloane square-ish with a load of ex public school grads. I realise renting in London is expensive, but I'm not really sure of the more expensive/cheaper areas etc. I'll be looking for a 2 bedroom flat with a friend.
Can anyone advise me on the best areas to be etc? I just want a few ideas really - where or what people like / don't like about London.
Thanks guys
I'm going to be living and working in London in the next few months but I have no idea where to live. I'm going to be working in the central city area so I think I've got quite a bit of choice over which area to live in.
I'd like to live somewhere fairly lively and young but not somewhere sloane square-ish with a load of ex public school grads. I realise renting in London is expensive, but I'm not really sure of the more expensive/cheaper areas etc. I'll be looking for a 2 bedroom flat with a friend.
Can anyone advise me on the best areas to be etc? I just want a few ideas really - where or what people like / don't like about London.
Thanks guys
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Comments
not so good places - woolwich (crime), plumstead (crime), isleworth (boredom), forest hill (chavs), hounslow (boredom/crime/cesspit of the capital etc), most of north london lol
However it really depends on how much you want to spend - I have some friends who are renting in the middle of the village and paying over £1200 a month for a two bedroomed flat - but they are mad becuase there are lots of other places that are cheaper than that.
Otherwise i've always liked Shad Thames but thats a tad more pricey but really good becuase its within walking distance of lots of useful places, has loads of cool places to go out at night and not too expensive for a taxi home in the evening (think £15-20 from soho).
If you want to live somewhere achingly cool then go for Hackney - but its a bit of a dump so it can be easy to go wrong and depends how cool you are - think amy winehouse level of cool.
Other popular places include Brixton (ignore the reputation its "mostly" OK), Clapham, Balham, Battersea, Putney (the place next to clapham that beings with a W which i cant for the life of me remember the name of), stoke newington, islington, Kentish Town etc. (I'm guessign yoru looking at paying aroudn £150 a week for a room in one of those). Or if your feelign really 'ard peckham (again its reputation is mostly worse than the reality).
There are lots of other places which are OK but like you wouldnt' fall over yourself to live in them (these tend to be were most of us end up buying houses) - such as, Catford, Forest Hill, New Cross, Lewisham, Finsbury Park.(i'm no expert but i recon around £100 a week for a room)
The thing you have to remember about most of london is that except in the very middle and at the very outskirts no one area is ever "good" or "bad" - it's a total mixture of all different types of housing, cultures and people. So wherever you go ensure you have an open mind. Often there are a couple of nice roads surrounded by council estates etc. The chances of you actually being involved in any crime are low - but it pays to ensure that where ever you decide to live your reasonably close to public transport, that there is a well lit route for you to get to and from the station and that you avoid going down any alley ways etc.
If your only here for a few months then I think i would reccomend staying in one of the nicer places if you can afford it as that way you will maximise your time here.
As i said you wouldn't neccessarily choose to live in those areas esp if your renting but most people end up having to buy in them unless they work for a bank or are incredibly lucky. Mind you I'm kind of tempted with the idea of moving to Hither Green
And dont' dis forest hill
:thumb:
One thing you will want to think about is cost of housing. I work as a letting agent in the south-east and the cheapest 2 bed place we have at the moment is £196/wk which works out at about £850 a month - plus bills and council tax. And south east London is one of the cheapest areas to live in!
(Oh, and Calvin - Forest Hill to London Bridge is only 12 minutes, much better than the tube
This is what I was about to say. Tube sucks sometimes and it closes down at midnight. Trains are running even night time.
Croydon isn't too bad and it's about 15-20 min. away from either London Bridge and Victoria.
Yeah I have thought about moving somewhere like Islington, Hackney or Southwark. Gotta start looking for places really - I am assuming it's gonna be around £100 a week each rent at least, so not gonna have much spare money to spend!
My mate lives in Hackney, he says it's fine. It's getting an overhaul and the housing is dirtcheap. He's not some chav, he works in a prestegious record shop.
Isnt forest hill ruff ?
Kingston is quite young and trendy and great if you love shopping. It has the river and lots of lush bars alongside it and a few big clubs. It even has a smaller alternative club.
Currently studying there, it's Ok... A bit too 'trendy' for me.
What part of London is Kingston in ? Can you catch a tube in central London ?
Hackney is super cool but like most super cool places its a bit of dump.
Not to be mean Day 40 but i really wouldnt' reccomend Croydon for the whole "London" experience.
Who would have thought that Forest Hill would have created so much of a debate - half my family come from there so i guess i'm slightly biased - but i think its fine (though I guess they aren't like super posh or anything)
Kingston is barely London - it's too far. There is no tube there as it's WAY too far out - you're looking at a fairly lengthly train journey to and from London Waterloo.
If you're going to be working in Central London, and want to actually go out in Central London, I'd give Kingston a wide berth.
:no: Nope. Forest hill's not too bad and it's right next to the up-and-come East Dulwich.
Rough = possibly New Cross. TBH, i don't think anywhere in that area's too bad. Catford and Lewisham are a bit of a dive. And my boyfriend reckons Sydenham is a bit of a ghetto, but it's ok (biased, I grew up there!).
And I agree, Kingston's not London. It doesn't even have a London postcode does it?
New Cross is a bit crap, and catford is a dive, i went to school there but it's still not that rough an area.
Walthamstow and stratford are quite cheap and not that bad, they really aren't as rough as the majority of south london...i.e. gangland...personaly i would aim for somewhere like islington or camden areas, like kentish town, and such, places that are slightly off the beaten path... places like wilesdon and such aren't bad...harringay is a nice area and rents aren't too bad...
It in north surrey and has a KT postcode. It also very very expensive and although my brother lives up there, eveytimes hes moves its further and further out towards the M25.
I kinda agree, Croydon is for people who doesn't like overcrowded London too much.
Or, at least somewhere in the general vicinity (just as long as you don't pay extortionate amounts for a shoebox :grump: ).
I've got family in London and while they don't live in what could be called desirable areas, they are reasonably priced and not half as bad as people make out.
It is fairly expensive... But it's clean and if you're one of those people who needs to feel safe walking home at night, it's really good. I've never felt safer anywhere.
I think camden is scuzzy and overpriced.