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!

For me it's more east v West. I've lived in
Nw - Hampstead
W - Chiswick
SW - east sheen ish - so maybe this is South London?

Hampstead felt more classic London with the big white houses whereas the other bits are more suburban

Tbh all of those places are pretty similar in how nice they are. I would never want to live somewhere edgy or hip.

I’ve lived In south London all my life so naturally I prefer it to north London. It’s easier to get around and there’s more to do here. I’m not posh enough for the other side of the Thames unfortunately

Oh yes, I know there are lovely parks and green spaces in south London, I just prefer the ones in North London. Like I say, I’m in East London so don’t have skin in this game.

@LittleBearPad, I think they feel so far from the centre compared to zone 2

I've got a friend who was born and bred in Kentish Town, moved to Australia and now lives in the Cotswolds. He still thinks KT is the centre of the universe and mentions it at least once a day.
Ditto another friend who was born and bred in Parson's Green when it was very working class. Still wishes he could go back, mentions it at least once a day!!
The moral of the story is try to stay in the place you call home and, if not, try to let it go!

I live in a crappy bit of West London but it’s brilliant. I can walk from my crappy bit to the V&A in an hour and it’s green nearly all the way if I choose the roads right.

My friends live in much naicer parts ‘south of the river‘, but I hate it.

Crossing the river is mental. Quite exciting going over it, but then you arrive at Wandsworth Town where the houses cost £3m but it is so suburban and roadbound it feels like you’re in the posh bit appendix of ‘Crap Towns’.

All the terraced houses in Clapham and Balham look exactly the same and each street seems to be a mile long. In Liverpool they’d cost £80k, but here that’s just what they’ve spent at Farrow & Ball on grey-green paint.

Everyone I’ve ever met who lives there is a bit thick and a bit racist. If my parents had spent half a million sending me to an elite private school, I hope I’d do better than a 2.1 from Newcastle (which they pronounce New Carsal).

There’s fucking MILES between train stops and tube stops. God help you if you get off at the wrong Clapham and have to walk to the right bit.

You still don’t find many black cans there, especially in the daytime, so can’t easily hail a taxi if you get lost between the many Claphams.

Brockley is fab but it’s like they worked out on a tube map, “Where’s the furthest place I can live in London but still claim I live in London?” Nobody would actively choose to live there.

I was born in north london but raised & still live in the South.
Obviously I prefer South! I'm SW & do favour that over SE simply because of the lack of tube.

I don't know if this is a licensing thing or just an old urban myth

True but way back in the day.

I really like North, East and West and I’ve just realised why I loathe the South - it’s because it’s full of people who don’t really want to live in London. They actually like getting in a car to do the big shop, and hanging out with people who are white and straight and Tory.

only hanging out I meant. Nothing wrong with straight white Tories, as long as they’re not your only friends. Which makes for an unpopular opinion in SW11.

My friends who grew up in Fulham consider themselves to be South Londoners because they want to be cool! 🤣

@breadcakebiscuits

The MP for Battersea is a black lady from the Labour Party.
I can’t think how urban your neck of the woods must be if you find Wandsworth Town suburban... By zone 4/5 you’d think you’re in the coutryside...

Anywhere you need to catch a bus in order to catch a tube is suburban in my book .

Only the Wandsworth type wouldn’t catch buses. They’d drive everywhere.

When we were younger my brother used to always question why all the white people in North London dressed like they were university lecturers!

I am north London and have known several people who live south of the river.

The only thing I can say is none of them seem amenable to come north of the river.

In 20 + years I don’t think they have ever seen my house.
I have always had to drive to them as although they all drive they don’t like driving and there is no tubes near them and buses take forever.

South London is really nice but personally my friends have put me off living there.

I think this is a different question for those of us born in London who have lived here our whole lives

True dat!

@PercyKirke that made me laugh.

Purely anecdotal but SL seems to have lots of people born & raised here but everyone I've met from NL is from somewhere else.

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

tbf this works both ways I know people from the Heath or Mitcham who say they live in Surrey dahling!

You still don’t find many black cans there, especially in the daytime, so can’t easily hail a taxi if you get lost between the many Claphams.

That's nonsense.

Everyone I’ve ever met who lives there is a bit thick and a bit racist.
Yep you defo know SL 🤔

It's so childish to say one side is "dull" or whatever! I love where I live but dont need to bash where others live to prove it. So sad

Well Tooting and Battersea Rise are worlds apart, Womble, but SW11 is the only place where I’ve heard someone openly mention they didn’t want a black or Philippine nanny and all the other people at the dinner party nod along.

It’s also the most consistently Tory council in London - and we all know their views on asylum seekers , Europe and the Empire.

How much of SL have you seen though because it's more than just Wandsworth?