What is it like living in Earl’s Court?

[Blackcats7]

Asking for a relative who loves culture but also wants to live in a safe area. I have zero knowledge of London but can see it is fairly central.

Noisy, traffic, and plenty of cheap hotels in the Victorian buildings.

I'm not a fan.

@Blackcats7

I wouldn't say that Earl's Court is especially cultural per se, although it's not a bad place to live in for access to, say, South Kensington, where the V and A and the Royal Albert Hall are.

I drive through Earl's Court now and then and it's always very busy; there's a lot of traffic in the roads near Earl's Court station.

It used to be said that there was a large Australian/Kiwi community in the area, but I'm not sure that this is still the case.

I think that the relevant questions for you would be what is your relative coming to London to do, how much could he/she stretch to potentially on rent per month and what kind of culture would he/she be interested in?

Depends. The parts closer to the A4 are indeed noisy and heavy traffic, a bit scruffy, houses broken up into shares and small apartments. Towards Brompton and Kensington, very quiet, a lot of old mansion blocks, leafy residents’ gardens, and expensive. Where else is your friend considering, and why is Earls Court on the list / what does she need from an area?

Not a peaceful area surrounded by very busy roads. Very much a tourist area as it is quick to get into town and relatively cheap when staying there. Nearest green space is Holland Park apart from Brompton Cemetery. I grew up near there and personally would never choose to live there.

They are expensive properties the closer to Kensington you go. All depends on the relative's budget too.

They are currently looking at Child’s Place which is just off Earl’s Court Road.
Culture wise loves classical music, museums, theatre and art.

Then I'd go to Clerkenwell - Barbican nearby and 15-20 mins on the 19/38 bus to Soho and Piccadilly

Child's Place looks like it's a quiet cul de sac so should be fine. It's a good location for the museums and from Earls Court Station Piccadilly line takes you straight to the west End for theatres. Can't really say how safe the area is but it's as good a place as any.

@Blackcats7

That's near the junction with Cromwell Road and the Cromwell Hospital.

The main roads will be busy but Child's Place itself might be quiet, as it's not a through road to anywhere.

Where will they be working, roughly?

She is early retired so work is not an issue. Have looked on street view on google and the cul de sac itself looks nice but was just concerned about the safety of the area.
The prices look enormous to me but I have no idea of london property values and wasn’t sure if high price necessarily equals a safe area anyway.

Curious why your relative is asking you (who doesn't know London) where to live there? Not being nasty, just wondering!
Child's Place being off the main track as it were should be as safe as anywhere in London and generally speaking an expensive area will be safer.

I think a house in Child’s Place would be lovely, and presumably your friend can afford it. Only thing I’d counter is for your friend to consider, realistically, how often she expects to be going to the galleries, museums and theatre in that part of town versus anywhere else. I can think of several areas of London I’d prefer to live in on that budget which are better connected to other parts of the city and have more of a community feel rather than being tourist town.

I think that a retired person with an interest in culture and a fair bit of money would probably be well-advised to look around for other suitable areas before making any decisions. Earl's Court just isn't somewhere which would spring to mind, to be honest.

Do you know how much money she would like to spend? I'm assuming that she is buying an apartment, rather than a house.

PS Marylebone is springing to mind as a possibility.

My relative is currently living in France and not really much of an internet user so I suggested I would ask here. Nothing any more interesting than that!
I am not sure of exact budget but given she is looking at houses I think it is substantial.
She lived in London growing up but that was fifty years ago so was interested on opinions on this area.

It’s just off the high street which is a popular haunt of dealers, addicts and prostitutes 24/7 but particularly at night. With a budget for Earl’s Court, I’d be looking many other places elsewhere first. I often see dealing in broad daylight. It feels unsafe at night even early.

What areas would you recommend? I'm also contemplating a move to London in a couple of years, and have pretty similar requirements to the OP's relative but would prefer somewhere not too touristy or traffic clogged. Another poster suggested Clerkenwell, what are people's thoughts? Or Marylebone. Would somewhere like Putney have more of a local neighborhood feel?

Apologies for all the questions, it's just London is so massive and as someone who has never lived there the possibilities are a bit overwhelming...

Honestly, if she’s returning from France and hasn’t lived in London since the 1970s, I’d advise your relative to rent initially, somewhere like Bloomsbury or Fitzrovia or Marylebone - central but placid, a lot of foot traffic, well-policed, good amenities - and then use that as a base for exploring the rest of the city to see if she wants to live long term centrally or in a suburb and either way, in the more “traditional” affluent neighbourhoods of the West or the areas which have centuries in recent years. The London of her youth is very different to present day London, and many areas which back then would have been no-go zones are nowadays incredibly desirable, and many areas previously considered desirable now have a completely different demographic of residents. If she’s looking at small houses in EC side streets like Earl’s Court then I’m assuming a budget of at least £1.5 million, so she has plenty to play with, and it’s a lot to make the wrong decision with.

I like Clerkenwell, although it can be a bit of a nothing-land, especially at weekends when it gets quiet; though it’s easily walkable from more happening areas. Marylebone is also lovely - but a medium-sized house with a decent garden would be getting into the £3 million sort of territory, and I’m not sure I like it that much! Personally if I had to pick any part of London to live in and expense wasn’t an option, I’d go for Wapping or Barbican - but those are very individual choices which would also have downsides for many people.

If you’re looking for the traditional affluent neighbourhood-y feel then established suburbs like the Dulwiches, Richmond, Balham, Highgate Village and surrounds all offer that, albeit in different ways.

Chiswick- near Chiswick house and gardens. It’s beautiful.
Earl’s Court is exhausting and weird!! Always has been.

Gosh, I read that as the Earth's Crust at first. I need my glasses, I think!

Barons Court one stop along is much nicer. More residential, walking distance to Kensington high street, lovely Gail's cafe by the tube and a nice feel.

Very urban very busy quite expensive. Used to be full of temporary housing and bedsits but I'd say very upmarket now, though as with any area some bits safer than others. Walking distance from a lot of places and of course good transport links.

I live in Putney and it definitely has the neighbourhood vibe. Excellent transport links, near the Thames and also Richmond Park. Not as expensive as Barnes or Richmond and has the lowest council tax. High street not that good for shopping but we do have a Waitrose and a Gail's, as well as cheaper alternatives.

Bust noisy loud and full of Australian backpackers- not that there's anything up with that but not somewhere I'd want to retire to!

I'd go for somewhere like West Hampstead personally. It has a tube station and can be central in 10 or so minutes, but the place itself has lots of independent shops and a 'villagey' feel. I always felt safe there, but admittedly this was a few years ago now, if I won the lottery and wanted a London house though I'd definitely go for that area!