UK-born Londoners, are your friends mostly British or mixed?

[Comfortable8520]

Random curiosity question for those who were born in the UK, and currently live in London.

How mixed are your friendship groups in terms of background or where people originally come from?

I've lived here for 17 years and recently noticed that many of my close friends are also from abroad. I'm wondering whether others find their social circles naturally end up quite international, or not really. Would be interesting to hear people's experiences.

By friendship I mean people you genuinely consider close friends, those you would meet outside work or structured settings, stay in touch with, invite to your home, rely on for support, etc., rather than just friendly colleagues or casual social contacts.

You are unreasonable = I'm British born and have plenty of close friends from all over the world.

You are NOT unreasonable= I'm British born and most of my close friends are from here.

It's mainly British but with a good range of other nationalities and cultures. My son is always embarrassed that we have no other 'roots' apart from British and Irish. Many of his friends are mixed culturally with parents from different parts of the world and speak different languages.

I was born in London and grew up here although my parents were immigrants and I am not white. All of my friends are very international and I have very few British born & raised friends. My friends have been made through creative interests, sports, and through dc's school. I live in central London and have lived around this area for decades, though I spent 10 years outside London. I am in my 40s and not in contact with any school or uni friends. School friends were mostly immigrants (I grew up in a diverse, deprived part of inner London). Uni friends were mostly middle-class white British. My friends as an adult tend to be from middle-class/wealthy backgrounds but generally not from the UK, and not usually from the same ethnic background as me.

I get what you are saying, but also look at how you make friends.

My view:
Schooling in SW London is very split by the private / state divide, especially at secondary. I'd say that divide is the most obvious - the money one. SW London is for the wealthy, and the poor. Not so much in the middle.

Then there is the parent group dynamic. In the UK the primary school parent community is quite strong. Secondary is much more arms length.

London has some particularly strong nationality groups, which makes sense due to a shared language, cultural references, values etc.

SW London has a growing wealthy Chinese (Hong Kong) community, but also the older nationality communities Korean (New Malden) Polish, and religion based ones with the Buddist temple and Mosque in Southfields, and of course the various Christian churches with the Catholic ones being more likely to have international attendees. Schools split by religion - so that would affect who you interact with.

Even social things like sports clubs or hobby groups tend to particular types of nationality, sex, wealth.

So the question is how do you meet people? Private sports club? Rowing club? Stables? At the non religions state primary gate? Kids sports club? Adult running club? Book club? Religious community group? Tinder? Brownies?

I'm in a mixed UK (non London, non religious) and international (Catholic) marriage with a mixture of Londoner, UK, International (especially but far from exclusively immigrant country of origin) friends. Made through a combination of work, NCT, Church, schools, sports clubs, kids clubs, neighbours. We have been in SW London for quite a few years though. It takes time.

I mean that there is no reason to feel there is any barrier to making friendships based on nationality and, in fact, I have very close friendships with London-born people who never considered my background.
You describe having difficulties forming them so our experiences are vastly different. Since I haven't felt or experienced what you have, I can only conclude that there is a way you feel or things you experience which are specific to you as a person.

Shooling in SW London is very split by the private / state divide, especially at secondary. I'd say that divide is the most obvious - the money one.

Agree and it will be the case in somewhere like Wimbledon.

I do think it’s hard to make real friends as you get older & I actually got quite sick of making friends with neighbours, NCT group and school mums and everyone would leave. Covid was ridiculous, I think nearly half of my dds class left. It’s easier to prioritise my old friendship group as I know the majority are settled & staying.