does Hanwell in london suffers from airplane noise?

[allaflutter]

if not, why are the prices quite low there? seems to have a nice park, victorian houses, I don't know it so is there a big catch (unsafe, etc)?
are there fast trains to Paddingtom from the rail station?

[interalia]

I used to live there. The plane noise was not noticeable where I was (north of the Uxbridge rd). We lived near the train line so obviously there was train noise in our road. It's not any less safe than any other part of London. I never had any trouble or felt unsafe. Fast trains to Padd are every 30 mins I think.

I think the reason it is cheaper is there is no tube without getting a bus to Ealing or Northfields and trains to Pad (which is not in the City) are only twice an hour. It is also slightly tatty and not very trendy.

[Sheshelob]

Ooo ooo! I know this one.

Very little airplane noise (but we lived in Richmond terminal 5 for years so anything is quiet) and just generally a nice place to live. It is a bit shabby in places but really just that. Nice, multicultural and full of families.

Thinking of moving or just compiling a list of places under the heathrow flight path?

[allaflutter]

wow, fast replies! thanks!
isn't there Boston Manor tube there - or is it considered a better, differnt area? Some people don't need trains to the City !

She had a laugh at 'terminal 5'! Richmond can be really terrible, especially just North of the station, literally planes thunder over your roof and then leave a trail of sound for 5 min - I do know a bit about it, slightly better over the Green but my God, the prices for these houses despite the planes! To answer your question, just interested if there is any affordable area in London left with good-ish links, and I like (and lived previously in SW and do use Padd a lot), so far just theoretical as I'm out of Lon now but fed up with travelling there
She, can you recommend the better areas, or is it very small anyway? Wouldn't mind going to have a look. Oh, and are there any shops , cafes, or is it really shabby? sorry for so many q's.

[allaflutter]

like west london, I meant to say.

[interalia]

Boston Manor would be a bit of a walk I think, more like a short bus journey. Not the end of the world. There are quite a few nice cafes and restaurants, Thai, Portuguese etc. As sheshelob says, it is quite multicultural in a useful way - you can get any type of food in the world you want! There are lots of grocers and things, especially west Ealing way.
The flight path into Heathrow is much lower down, over the A4 a couple of miles south.

Boden-land it is not, but I prefer that anyway. None of those wanky cupcakey places, but really nice food to be had. Not really many clothes shops and things like that, but Ealing is 10 mins away on the bus and has lots of high street shops.

[allaflutter]

thanks, interalia, I don't mind lack of clothes shops, I usually shop in particular places in central london, and not often nowadays! but food shops are importat to me - any good bakeries btw?
Can you recommend the streets/areas to look at, and would that be around the rail station or towards tube?
you say you feel safe - so would you walk home in the dark there? I think I briefly have been to a bad bit - it was very noise and also quite rough looking, but this was somewhere near a tube can't remember which one.

[allaflutter]

noisey

[interalia]

Hmm can't remember about bakeries particularly but I'm sure there will be at least one. There is also a massive Lidl which can be handy... As I say, particularly down towards West Ealing on the Uxbridge Rd there are butchers, grocers, Polish food shops etc.

I used to get off the bus then walk 5 mins after dark no problem. A friend of mine has lived there decades and never had any trouble. Some really nice houses are around the rail station, Edward redbrick villa jobbies. Tbh it is mostly quite nice. If you look on a map, anything between the Uxbridge rd and rail station is decent - that's the bit I know. I also once went to a pub by the canal near St Mark's Primary school and that was nice too.

If the dodgy bit you saw had a tube stattion then I don't think it can have been Hanwell tbh, maybe it was Boston Manor.

[Sheshelob]

I think it has changed a bit since you lived there, Inter. There have been some naice deli/posh cheese/tea pig type places popping up all over to balance out the poundshop empires. What they call Hanwell Village has W7 which is pretty lovely for your Parma ham/cappuccino/courgette cake triumvirate. There is also a new bakery/cake shop opening on the high street, which is going to have all the yummy mummies falling over their Phil & Teds.

If you are looking to buy, the area round by the Fox pub (terraces and maisonettes) is really nice, with a strong, family based community vibe. They've also just opened some allotments, where you can grow courgettes to make your own cakes...

West Ealing and Northfields are also worth a look. Lovely parks, naice shops, brilliant takeaways and Parkers, an old fashioned bakery that has queues out the door on Saturdays. And they have a brilliant farmers market every Saturday that has an incredible array of food for the Bag for Life brigade . This includes nice bread. There is even a Waitrose over the Uxbridge Rd that sells John Lewis kids clothes. You can imagine my heady middle class joy!

In terms of safety, it is really safe. I have left my staggering drunkenly home days behind me so don 't know what it is like late late. But i've done a fair bit of walking about in the dark and have never felt worried.

I have lived all over and this really is a great place. Just normal families, no drama, and thankfully because it isn't trendy, no twats in trilbies or with wacky facial hair . It is super family friendly and is so genuinely mixed that it makes me really proud to be a Londoner.

Anyone would think I work for the Ealing Tourist Board...

[allaflutter]

oooh, Shes, you interest me strangely! I'm not really thinking of buying, would have to rent for a bit first - wouldn't mind to be a few days per week lodger, for a short while, to avoid travelling to London which is getting on my nerves, and see whether I like it. If you know anyone who takes lodgers, pm me please btw! not that it's urgent.
It's all about courgettes suddenly, is it?
Could you tell me where are all these delis/bakery etc are, so I have a look when I visit - are they on Uxbridge rd nearest to station?
I think once you aer in Ealing per se, prices magically rise (on rightmove) especially around Lammas park. Is it walkable from H.? blimey, they have Waitrose - hmm, maybe it's a good place to invest property wise, as it's bound to spread from Ealing (already sounds like spreading). But isn't the planes noise worse over Northfields?
inter, yes, it could have been Boston M. or towards Hounslow even. reassuring about safety, thanks.

[Sheshelob]

It is all about those pesky green gourds, I'm telling you.

Lammas Park is well nice out of my price range but there are whole swathes of scruffy bits in West Ealing and Hanwell that are full of Edwardian Maisonettes and Houses (the courgettes and artisan breads of property).

As for where to find the delights of the foodie middle class Uxbridge Road is not the place. For couscous, acres of raw fish, a continental bounty and various forms of fried chicken, Uxbridge Rd is your man. Otherwise it is Northfields Avenue and Hanwell village (just off Uxbridge Rd).

As for lodging, we are really new here, so know precious few people. But if I randomly hear of anything, I will let you know.

You sound young, so it is my duty as Ealing's Tourist Board to point you in the direction of our wide selection of pubs. They are brilliant. And I know a thing or two about pubs.

What brings you to London?

[allaflutter]

What about south of Boston rd? few properties there in good condition, but it does look further out (towards the river).
Also do you know, whether asking prices aer readily paid there, or is there room for negotiation?
So I won't miss the Hanwell village once I'm out of the station? just walk south?

I go to London for cultural stuff (to do with work, and geberally), and also to study part time, plus have friends there as I've been a londoner for years and years (divorced now and can't afford a reasonable size place in a reasonably nice area - and no, I'm not very young so I can't live in a shoe box! not that I'm old either !).

Pubs, always useful to know if fthey serve some food, I'm a wine drinker though, not beer! Haha at fried chicken forms, not for me - but I do like a good fish n chips on occasion!

[allaflutter]

that comma's in the wrong place there, 2nd paragraph.

[allaflutter]

line, not paragraph

[Sheshelob]

Take a right out of the station and you're golden.

This is said nice place: www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186338-d3627340-Reviews-or5-W7_Emporium-London_England.html

From what I can tell, it is a buyer's market. I know someone who recently had to drop their asking price by £80k to get a buyer (and that was in Richmond). So I think you can drive quite a hard bargain.

Am also not old or young - ah, 30s - and we've found a rather spacious period place up rent for not bad money. It took 3 weeks of full time looking from my husband but we got there in the end.

Pubs here have wine. Lots of wine.

[allaflutter]

haha, so what are these good pubs?

ah ok! that place is ON Boston rd, so it's not a bad part - properties on rightmove just south of this (and called Olde Hanwell), hopefully it's doesn't flood there though!definitely up my street

If you lived in other areas of Lon before, how does it compare?
it's funny about buyers market - Richmond imo was hugely overpriced (for average terraces, not for the grand villas) it's the case of plane noise, so I'm not surprised - but it's no buyers market in Chiswick where prices were always rising but slowly, and forget Battersea (even not nice parts!), also I think best of Ealing is a hard thing as there isn't much on the market in best areas. Oh well, if I visit and like it, can always try!

[Sheshelob]

Exactly. It is no way near as posh as any of those places but it is lovely. I have lived in Kennington, Blackheath, Highbury and Richmond, and this is my favourite so far. But that may well be because I have a toddler and it is incredibly child friendly. I never fitted into the Richmond thing. Too yummy mummy for my apocalyptic chic.. Didn't feel like London. This area is far out but is so beautifully multicultural that you can't imagine that you are anywhere else.

Pubs. And Fullers pub. The brewery is local and they really look after their pubs round here. The Plough on Notthfields avenue is a particular favourite.

[allaflutter]

well, Richmond is also classed as Surrey (at least partly) so no surprise there - I can't stomach surrey's middle-class snobbery which is just so hugely outdated! (not so much firther out Surrey but all that Esher -Richmond - even Barnes), I'd rather be more chilled out, or if I wanted posh I'd rather be in the middle of Chelsea which is less snobby than Surrey (maybe because it's also a mix of nationalities). Oth I couldn't take 'scary rough', Kennington would be a push (stands out on your otherwise 'nice' list - Lewisham was just announced as having the highest murder rate in the UK! they are bordering I think). Richmond is nice to visit though, once in a while - nice river walks, etc.!
I like laid-back places but with a bit of taste and quality, and I need to have greenery around. Whether it's too child-centred for me - well, I'll go and see. The point is, I wouldnt stay in Hanwell all day, it could be a convenient yet pleasant enough place to live. Anyway, will report once I've been. Thanks - didn't know they had their own brewery (isn't that unusual?). Do you take your toddler to all these pubs?

[Sheshelob]

Hell yes! But only for Sunday lunch. I do the rest of my dinking on the park bench in the playground.

Kennington was well rough when I lived there, due to the fact i lived on the same street as a crack house, but is now super naice. Blackheath is the one next to Lewisham and is lovely.

The thing about murder rates and things is that sadly for the people involved it tends to be by people they know. So I wouldn't worry too much about that.

I think if you like places like Chelsea, Hanwell and West Ealing are going to be too shabby. I love a bit of shabby but it isn't for everyone. Northfields and Ealing are greener and a bit swankier. But the prices go up as soon as you step into those areas. So it is swings and roundabouts really.

The thing I like is that in my area you'll have middle class skater boys inhabiting the same street as a Somali family from the estate off to Mosque and a professional Iranian couple doing their shopping. It genuinely makes my heart swell because it undermines what all the racist idiots say about multiculturalism. It just works.

Good luck!

[allaflutter]

what I said was, I prefer Chelsea attitudes to Surrey's - it's mixed in its own way but I don't really LIKE it beyond the amenitiesgood looks it has, as it's very 'indifferent' and you can do as you like - which is better than judgey and competitive stuff like in Surrey - but chelsea it's not where I'd choose to live right now, nor can I afford it (who can, if they are buying!?). As I said before, I like 'nice bits' and relative peace in a place, so neither all grim nor all swanky, swanky is too much effort on everyday basis, !
Mainly I have to go by what's affordable, and precious little is in London atm, out of which Hanwell sounds best, from what I can hear. I don't like faceless North Lon suburbs, or plces like Bromley with no character but still some competitiveness. I should have bought in Ealing proper years ago, but missed my chance, now the prices are up.

[allaflutter]

and yes, harmony rules (to your last sentence).