...to move from a big house in the 'burbs to a small flt in the city?

[CockneySparra]

Has anyone else ever made this 'back to front' type of move?

I grew up in small flats in inner London, but we made the move to a 4 bed semi in the suburbs some years ago.

I miss living more centrally, though. DH does too. Would we be crazy to sell up - which would mean losing an extra bedroom, probably the garden, definitely a lot of the space in the house and the driveway etc - to move back 'into London'?

Anyone else done this.

We currently live in way up on the London/Herts borders, btw, but are thinking of moving to Kensal Rise/Queens Park or even Maida Vale if we can find something we can afford.

living in london generally means shorter commute, lots of parks and museums etc. wide choice of activities and hobbies with facilities to get involved with, fantastic transport links to get out to various countryside / seaside.

i grew up in an oxfordshire village. i had a friend who was murdered, various others involved in petty and more serious crime, loads of drug taking (it was v boring), one boy went permanently psycho after taking too many drugs, lots of teenage sex etc etc.

i think city is preferable myself. obviously it depends quite a lot on individual areas and peer groups.

66% of central london is green

I totally agree re there being more to do. My mum lives in a very very beautiful part of England but if the weather is bad you are f*ed. NOthing free, nothing within walking distance.

I have no intention of ever moving out of London with DCs, but will have to live in a cheaper/further out area than I would like

Cities are better then the countryside. Both are better than the 'burbs.

This is scientific fact.

figcake - I'm in Clapham (so zone 2 - not right in the thick of things; my dream is to live in either the Barbican or around Exmouth Market).

My parents actually moved from the countryside to London last year (they're retired and wanted to move close to their only grandchild ). Their social life has grown enormously. They love it in London and have never been busier. They find it less isolating living in London with all its endless activities - very important as they are in their 60s and 70s.

Luckily 'each to their own' otherwise we'd all be squeezed together in the same area!

Having said that there are some very friendly areas with good schools etc nearish to London. Sunbury and Shepperton are a good compromise. Walton has more restaurents and a quick train commute to London. All have green spaces and the river.

If your budget would stretch to it you'd almost certainly love Richmond, Twickenham, St Margarets, Kew!

I find it odd on MN that you either live in London or another big city or you live in the "countryside"

I don't live in a city or the countryside and it's a bit of a simplistic view tbh.

I don't live in a city yet manage to see people everyday walking outside etc and can pretty much describe it like brightlightsandpromises did. Just i don't live in London it doesn't mean i don't see anyone or live in a ghost town or have no social life. What an odd view from some people

Towns and Villages count as countryside.

Says who, MN?

Me.

I live in Notting Hill and for the moment I wouldn't swap it for the world. However when th DC reach secondary age it will be another matter altogether..

Oh that's ok then.

I have lived in a town by the sea my whole life and it has never been classed as the countryside. Surely to be classed as the countyside, you have to actually live in the countryside iyswim. It is quite a drive to get to the new forest from where i live, which is the nearest area of countryside to me.

The idea that you should just sacrifice everything you enjoy and sit in a house in the suburbs because you are parent is just bizarre. What's the point of having children and then just subjecting them to a life you personally find tedious and uninspiring, did your parents do all that for you just for you to 'sacrifice' it again for the next generation? When does anyone get to actually enjoy their life?

Some people love big cities, my husband does, he loves the culture (art, music, v big fan of classical music in particular), the lifestyle, the noise, the people, he personally grew up in a two bed flat without a garden in a central European city and would choose that in a heartbeat.

You do not get that living in a small town like we do now, or even in lots of suburbs. Where we live, it's a cultural vacuum, you might get a decent orchestra visit once every six months or year. It's just not the same as a big city lkike London, and whilst I feel the space and countryside makes up for it, others might not.

As for children preferring the suburbs, really? Once they are older they might find it a complete pain to be not near nightlife/things to do, and you may end up letting them travel into London lots anyway.

I think making decisions about where you live has to be a rounded one, involving all the needs of the family, including the parents. All this 'sacrificing' talk is quite misguided in my opinion.

I was born in london, grew up in the suburbs and moved to the south coast 13 years ago.
I would rather chew off my own arm than live in a london flat but each to their own.

I think London is wonderful and has tons of great things for kids as they are growing up BUT I also think its crazy to move from a large house with loads of space and a garden to a small flat just to be able to be in London!

Its ok if you've always lived in aflat, but if you've been in a huge house for a while then it will be a real shock to go back!

We moved from tiny place in London to big house further out. Have been here a few years now and got used to all the space etc. We still own the tiny London place and rent it out. Between tenants we stayed there for a summer with the kids to be in London and to catch up with old friends, plus to tidy it up for the next tenants. It was a real shock being back in the tiny place with the kids. Theres NO WAY I could go back permamently even though I'd LOVE to be in London.

I moved into South London 6 years ago.I'm currently planning my escape to the counrty. Once DS1 finishes his A-levels; we're off to the Sussex coast.

London is changing IMO,and will continue to change for the worse. The City Farms are closing. The museums are starting to charge admission. The parks don't have enough money for maintenance. Crime is rising, as are transport costs (Doubled under Boris).

Education Provision is shit as well (eleven-plus and other selective entry schemes in a lot of boroughs). SN provision is dire.Special schools are closing everywhere.

And it's going to get a fuck of a lot worse under the Tory austerity program. I remember London in the '80s/90s...not a place I'd want to bring up children in.

We own a 3 bed house and garden in Zone 5 and a two bed flat in Zone 2. We are currently living in the flat with 2 kids under 8. There are some advantages to being in the centre but I think they are outweighed by the lack of space and the lack of a garden. I find living in a flat with boistrous children quite a challenge because you are always telling them to stop jumping around etc.

However, Zone 5 was a bit too suburban for us even though there was a tube line nearby.
I think we are going to compromise on a house in Zone 3 which will cost £100K more than our comparable house in Zone 5 but we will be able to walk to the supermarket etc and still get to Oxford Street in 15-20 mins.

eleven-plus and other selective entry schemes in a lot of boroughs - really? As far as I know there are only 3 grammar schools in London.

Public Transport is also still cheaper than in most other places in the UK.

Onetoomanycornettos I grew up in the suburbs and my mum took us on the train every school holidays to 'do London'.I like to visit London for a bit of culture but feel like I can only breathe properly again once I see green spaces out of the train window!

And there's plenty of nightlife for the kids as they grow up - there are nightclubs and pubs outside London too

High five Zone 3, chaz!

2old, I agree the suburbs have things going for it, just as central London does, but all the people I know who lived in the suburbs in their teens did go into London a lot.

I do know other places have night-life (!), but where I am from, there was one night-club a half hour drive away that stayed open til 1pm. That was it. Let's just say we had to make our own entertainment.

oh so the suburbs are really real then That does make a difference, i'd not want to live there either!

I hadn't noticed public transport fares doubling in the past three years nor do the major museums in London or the couple of local ones I visit charge (although this may of course change as cuts take hold). I haven't been to any of the city farms in my area since the summer but, have just googled them, and they seem to be open and there's nothing on their websites about last-ditch attempts to stay afloat.

Very few grammar schools too. Are you sure we are talking about the same London?