To consider a seating area in my East London front garden

[Skittle22]

Just back from a few days up north, where a bench or small table and chairs seems to be pretty common in the front garden. Think more Edwardian country garden than shameless - most looked lovely.
Not sure if they do it because no back garden or to get the sun, or just because. Also not sure if it’s common in other areas (i was in Lancashire).

When I lived in the North West my house was in a conservation area. There were some workers cottages and houses had benches and small tables in their front gardens. They also do it in Derbyshire where the front gardens are much more attractive than the back yard. It's sociable and you have a nice community feeling. I like it but I'm common and have no aspiration to be MC.....

We have a bench at the front of the house and often sit on it. I never thought about it being stolen. We are in the North West.

Other people do sit on our bench. I've been known to make them a cuppa.

The Ikea canopy is genius, Ioght steal the idea to protect my brew from pigeon and parakeet pooh.

I wouldn't in East london. What are you thinking? Even in one of the more gentrified areas the stuff will end up getting stolen (although at least you are less likely to end up with acid in your face).

I’ve just put a bench in my front garden because we face on to a field and my kids are always out there playing so now I have somewhere to sit and watch them

Def not in East London unless you’ve got a tallish wall separating you and the street. We had an old table and chairs taken from our construction pile, so a nice set would be cat nip!

I live in a less than salubrious part of NE London and frankly the less contact I have with the locals the better. I interrupted a few having a blazing argument on my front fence at 6am on Saturday morning. We are having a pyracantha hedge installed shortly to dissuade them as it’s not the first time the local teens have used our front fence to argue/have a loud phone conversation/etc at an unsociable hour.

Where I come from the houses have wrap around verandahs and it’s normal to sit on the porch on a hot night and wave hi to neighbours as they pass. London is not a place where this works at all.

You get to chat to neighbours and passersby

That just seems so needy and Billy no mates. Sitting in your front garden in the hope that random people passing by will talk to you. It honestly makes me shudder with the sheer cringefest of it.

I guess if youre desperate, yes, sit there and hope random passers by will talk to you, but, yikes, it is cringey.

I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but wow! Some of these comments! I don’t know about a bench being stolen because I don’t know where you live, but it makes me sad that anyone can pass judgment on something so innocent as sitting in part of your own property and minding your own business.

Goodness, after watering my front garden today I sat on my step to take a minute. I guess I devalued the street. Is £1 devaluation for every minute I say out enough?

We live in a cul de sac so all the kids play out in the road. Some of the houses have benches in the front gardens to make it easier to watch the kids whilst they're out playing. It's fun and sociable and we're all sociable and helpful towards each other.

Instead of a table / chair set that will probably get stolen, nail down a bench. Can get some lovely wrought iron ones.

I live in Lancashire on a cobbled terrace street and the back gardens are tiny yards where as the front gardens whilst not massive, are more open. Quite a few of my neighbours have benches in their front garden where they may sit for a drink and say hello when you walk past. Do it!

It's hilarious that people are so weird about this. If you want to sit in your front garden, then do! It's your garden.

I would hate to walk down a street and have multiple people sitting in front gardens “saying hello as I walked past”, tbh.

In East London, there's someone who has planted a scented herb garden in the tiny front patch of a small mid-terrace and has a notice up inviting you to go in and enjoy the plants. iirc, there a couple of seats crammed in there as well.

Also in Lancashire and quite common in our village!

We've just moved house to a more run down area, and find it funny how many of our neighbours spend their entire day sat in their front garden on broken plastic garden chairs or old filthy (wet and manky from the rain) sofas in their grubby dressing gowns and slippers.

I don't see a problem with a nice table and chairs or bench in a well maintained garden though.

“Only chavs sit out front imo” is just my frame for this but also to the OP, I live in Chelsea and walking home from work lots of the big houses don’t have gardens in the back but little front gardens, so have a table and chairs etc. out there and use them as back gardens. Go for it, unless it’s going to make you uncomfortable due to a main road or similar.

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Why, greyhound? Why would you hate to see people enjoying their outdoor space and greeting you or (more likely) ignoring you an djust chatting to each other, sipping their tea and wine and enjoying their lives. I don;t even mind when I see PVC sofas and TVs hauled out onto grass in front of council blocks to watch England 'bring it home'. At least people are getting fresh air and creating a community. Is that so chavvy? I think it's nice.

I once accidentally walked down a street that's usually gated (gate was unlocked). Sunny evening. All the neighbours out on deckchairs, chatting across the street with each other, kids playing on scooters and bikes, a couple of picnic BBQ sets smoking. I was envious. It looked so happy and friendly.

My garden which is at the back of my apartment is also technically a front garden. Confusing I know, but the fence is on the pavement of a road so is like you're sitting at the front
Most people here sit out on their driveway (dead end road) rather than in the back garden and the kids play there too

Ignoring me and chatting to each other I’d have no problem with, Mina?
One single person sitting in their garden accosting all who passed by would make me cringe.

Yes, that would be annoying greyhound. But people like that don't need a front garden to do it in. They do it anyway. Accosters and bores accost and bore whenever they can, 'chavvy' seating area or no.