North London/South London divide

[LuckyAmy1986]

I have always lived South of the river and love it, although it's true you do have to cross for a lot of the good stuff! However, colleagues who live North of the river are quite down on the South and how dull it is, how far away from everything etc etc. Do other people have a clear favourite? Is there actually a real divide? Btw, I know this is totally mindless chat, it was just on my mind!

Voted with my feet, 3 years Cricklewood and Hendon, 33 years Balham, Tooting and Peckham (last 15). 4.5 miles to covent garden, 12 mins on train to Victoria, London bridge, Blackfriars...great green spaces (can see at Paul's cathedral from top of Nunhead cemetery makes you realise how near the centre is.

@Sophoa

Ooh no. Definitely not S London. Once a N Londoner you’re a N Londoner for life

My family are from north London. I was born and grew up in north London. Made the move south of the river with DP and we're very happy here.

@Desiringonlychild

my DH grew up in north london and he refuses to go anywhere south of the river.

He called dulwich grotty (please don't flame, its his words not mine, i like dulwich). I got him to view a property there, and never heard the end of it. He claimed that the air gave him heart palpitations and hayfever (wth) and had to stop at a superdrug for hayfever tablets.

Which is why we ended up buying in east finchley. I don't think I could ever get him to move outside north london (assuming that the move is a UK move rather than an international one). St Albans might be as far we can venture.

I don't quite understand it.

That's just ridiculous - it sounds like he's serious?! I couldn't be with someone who had such limited, restrictive horizons.

I grew up SE, right in the middle of "rough" according to that map! Loved it there, but I'm in Yorkshire now, and can't ever imagine moving back.

I'm NL through and through.

SL is nice. More green, feels more fancy in lots of places, less crowded etc. I can see why people love it. But I've always felt a bit not quite right there.

And if course it's just banter 😃

South for the win, South West especially.

Lol at that map

My first grotty London flatshare was in pre-gentrification Herne Hill, then I lived in Vauxhall, Kennington and Lambeth before moving north to Finsbury Park. I’m long gone from London now, but have hugely fond memories of all of those.

@ReceptacleForTheRespectable to be fair, he does like Richmond and Kew. Is ok with Wimbledon. But not anywhere else.

I think it's just really hard to travel from north London to South London, which is why we pick a tribe early on and largely stay loyal. My fate as a north London girl was sealed when I went to a London university (the one near covent garden) and stayed in places like Bloomsbury and Camden during my student years. That's where I met DH and therefore all my memories are in places on the Northern line like Leicester Square and Camden and Tottenham court road. I just moved progressively up the northern line as I grew older.

I think this is a different question for those of us born in London who have lived here our whole lives (and may have accents that reflect the bit we're from, the way that Zadie Smith is subtly but audibly from Willesden and not, say, Acton or Hackney). Then it's not so much 'which bit is nicest' as 'how tribal are Londoners?' Personally, I think South London is aesthetically more pleasing for the most part than North London, and it's definitely cheaper. But it's still a foreign country. As, in fact, is East London.

Richmond isn't actually in London at all but I think it's correct to say that it's in SW London. If not the definition of that pleasant green expensive river-dwelling way of life. It would be odd to me to say that it was in South London, though.

As for anyone who doesn't think Chiswick is in West London... come off it! West London comes in two basic varieties. The epicentre of one is the boundary of W11 and W8. The epicentre of the other is the boundary of W4 and W3. Half a day walking from Whole Foods on High St Ken to the Lancaster West estate, and half a day walking from Turnham Green through the Bedford Park Estate up to Acton High Street, and you've basically cracked West London. Discuss...?

A lot of the most desirable spaces in North London are really far away from the centre - Hampstead (very like Blackheath imo), Richmond, Kew, Chiswick - all nice but pretty far away.
I take issue. Hampstead is 20 mins on the tube to Leicester Square and it's lovely being central but up on a hill

Sarf London born and bred here. Great place. North of the river is full of provincials who've moved to the big city 'cos home was such a dump.

Richmond isn't actually in London at all but I think it's correct to say that it's in SW London. If not the definition of that pleasant green expensive river-dwelling way of life. It would be odd to me to say that it was in South London, though.

Richmond is in London, it’s a London borough.

I agree Richmond is not in ‘London’ (don’t want to get into the Borough nonsense) BUT it is definitely in SW London. !!!

Utter madness I fully admit. Fully.

North London is the best

If I’m really honest - just thought about this and it struck me - for me ‘London’ is very roughly the congestion zone (not sure about those western extensions).
All other parts have to be preceded by compass reference.
I know this means eg that Islington is not ‘London’ but it is deffo NL obviously.

But this only applies when actually in London. If I were say on a beach in the Maldives () and someone said they were from London, then Richmond I would completely accept that. But if I overheard someone here in say Clerkenwell saying to someone else they lived in London but I knew they lived in Richmond I would think that wasn’t quite right.

I need a lie down !

There's a reason why there's no tubes ''down there''

It’s deliberate - keeps the North London riffraff away

@SomethingOnce

There's a reason why there's no tubes ''down there''

It’s deliberate - keeps the North London riffraff away

Yes - the clay in South London makes it’s hard to dig the tunnels.

I prefer North London (Hampstead, Highgate, Crouch End, I like the hills and green spaces. But there’s some lovely parts of south London. I live in East London.

Parts of Islington are of course in the congestion zone So Islington is a mixed affair.

@HeronLanyon, it makes my kids wince when they hear someone at uni say they live in London but then turns out they are from Surrey or Essex, etc 😂

@Magicbabywaves, the part of SE London that I’m from is full of parks and green spaces 😀

Neither is better or worse they are just different. I find London is more like pockets of villages. East Dulwich is similar to Highgate / muswell hill etc.

I lived three years in New Cross, one year Brick Lane and I've now been Highgate way for about 6 years. I absolutely love it here and it feels like my home. I wouldnt have wanted to raise a family in any of the other areas but they were fun at the time.

DH was born King's Cross, he lived there his entire life. Now we live zone 3 north he thinks it's the countryside haha

[quote bigTillyMint]@HeronLanyon, it makes my kids wince when they hear someone at uni say they live in London but then turns out they are from Surrey or Essex, etc 😂

@Magicbabywaves, the part of SE London that I’m from is full of parks and green spaces 😀[/quote]
The boroughs that were in Essex and Surrey have been part of London for almost 60 years. Do keep up.

@doadeer i once knew someone born and bred LDNer who went to Rochester (Medway/Kent) on the train and ended up at Rochester Esplanade. They thought they were at the beach/seaside! I thought that was so funny when I heard it.

When I have been away and cross Albert Bridge it’s then I feel at home

I’m from and grew up in sw London lived many places in London (and abroad) but South London is home and we are happy in SE London.