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Original poster

Relocating to London

29 replies

wellsie · 22/05/2004 08:02

DH has been offered a job in London so this will mean moving (not helping my PND!)
Obviously can't afford to live in London, can anyone recommend anywhere nice to live on the commuter belt west of London, needs to be a commute no longer than an hour, access to train station, doctors & vets!!!
As much info as poss would be welcomed, move could be within 6 weeks - how am I going to do this? Feeling very scared.
Thanks

OP posts:
foxinsocks · 22/05/2004 08:12

it will depend on your budget

lots of nice friendly places around London!

fisil · 22/05/2004 08:32

We faced this a few years back (well, we were already in London, but we wanted an area where we could afford a family home!).

We went to dp's work and got on the train. We then got off at each stop and looked at estate agents until we found an area which had big enough houses that we could afford. We tried two other branches before we found a suitable area that was close enough for his comute to be less than an hour.

When thinking of the comute remember all the other bits as well as the train journey (getting to the station, waiting for trains, getting to work at the other end). We are less than 20 minutes from Waterloo by train, but it takes dp nearly an hour.

We are in Raynes Park where there is an abundance of 3 bedroom houses in quiet streets. Loads and loads of open space (by London standards) and plenty of vets and doctors. What there isn't is interesting shops and cafes - you have to go to Wimbledon or Kingston for that.

Have you used Upmystreet.co.uk?

foxinsocks · 22/05/2004 08:36

or findaproperty.co.uk. We looked at Raynes Park and loved it! Another factor is how many trains an hour you get - because even if its a quick journey, if there are only 2 trains then it becomes a nightmare if one is cancelled or you just miss one.

eddm · 22/05/2004 09:01

Try places on the Chiltern trains line that goes from Gerrards Cross to Paddington ? good, reliable trains and nice places to live. Gerrards X very expensive but other places on the line less so ? West Ruislip, Princes Risborough, Denham...
Also try Thameslink, very fast trains and lots of nice places to live either side of London ? still South East prices but cheaper than the capital. Harpenden and St Albans are lovely if you want to be north of London.
In south London, East Dulwich is nice place with overground trains that don't take too long. Anywhere on the tube and vaguely central (Zone 2 or 3) is expensive, even grotty areas.

CountessDracula · 22/05/2004 14:57

wellsie what is you budget, what size of house/flat do you need and where in London is he working?

Original poster
wellsie · 22/05/2004 15:23

We're looking to rent, preferably a 3 bedroom house max budget £1500.00 per month. DH job will be near Vauxhall Cross tube station.
Cheers

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CountessDracula · 22/05/2004 16:06

wellsie you can get a 3 bed house around where I live (which is lovely, good primary schools, near Richmond Park and river, about `15 mins on train to Vauxhall) for that

eg
this one

or this one (near v g primary)

or this one

CountessDracula · 22/05/2004 16:07

(oh and according to a recent survey East Sheen is the happiest place to live in London! Is between Richmond and Barnes and Putney, very nice area)

Original poster
wellsie · 22/05/2004 18:16

Thank you so much CountessDracula (good name!) Houses look good and its good to have some info about the area. Will chase up those letting agents on Monday.

Would still welcome more info.

Many thanks

OP posts:
eddm · 22/05/2004 18:54

Your dh doesn't do highly-sensitive work for the Government, does he? I used to live not far from Vauxhall Cross and there's a not-very-discreet big MI5 building there...

Original poster
wellsie · 22/05/2004 20:03

His name is Bond, James Bond, licence to THRILL! No seriously, I don't know what he does - admin I think!?
Anyway, back to the relocation info please.

Thanks

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hunney · 22/05/2004 20:17

Sorry, don't have any info on areas but how do you feel about this move? Will you be very far from where you live now and what about family/friends, will you have support in London?
I know it's important to find somwhere to live but don't forget about yourself, especially as you mention PND. How old are child/ren? Sorry to fire questions at you.
Have you spoken to you DH bout all things? Kmow how you must feel scared, but it will work out.

eddm · 22/05/2004 20:37

Well, if he's working in Vauxhall you either want South London with overground lines into Waterloo (Vauxhall is the stop before Waterloo ? Raynes Park/East Sheen have already been mentioned, Kingston is nice too) or you want somewhere on the northern end of the Victoria line ? Walthamstow has some quite nice areas (the old part), fast tube line, used to be reasonably priced but not sure about schools (is very East End). OR just somewhere he can get into central London, to be honest Vauxhall isn't that hard to get to once you are in town. You need to weigh up the quality of life you get from living far out enough to be on the end of the tube line/rail line so that you get a decent house and dh gets a seat on the train (you cannot imagine how HELLISH London commuter trains are in rush hour) with the length of the commute. For example, St Albans is only 20 minutes from King's Cross, fast trains, he could get on Victoria line and be straight across to Vauxhall in another 20 minutes tops. When Victoria line is running well, no problem. But if there's a tiny hiccup then the platforms at Kings Cross are hugely overcrowded and you have to wait ages before you can even squeeze onto a train where you have the privilege of being squashed into someone's armpit. And by the time he's got from your house to the station, and then changed in central London, and then walked from the tube to the office, St Albans would easily mean an hour-long commute. Nice place to live though and at least if trains are horrid you aren't on either the overground or the tube long enough for it to be unbearable. Unless you get stuck in a tunnel, of course...
Have a look at upmystreet.com and then post about anywhere that looks good to you and we'll tell you whether it's nasty or nice. (Just as an example, St Albans' postcodes are AL1 etc. etc. etc.).

Original poster
wellsie · 22/05/2004 21:11

Many thanks eddm, lots of good info there - keep it coming you guys.
Thanks so much for your concern Hunney. I am feeling very anxious about this move, mainly worrying about the logistics of it all. I don't have any family around me at the moment so that won't be different, but I have made some wonderful friends through work and postnatal groups so will be very sad to say goodbye and start again. DS is 4.5months so very little, we also have a Choc Labrador and DH job will start job as soon as current one finshes so it's going to be up to me to sort everything out, I am quietly terrified!!
Has anyone else done this?

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CountessDracula · 23/05/2004 00:27

wellsie if you have a dog then you really must consider East Sheen/Mortlake as it has Richmond Park (the best dog walking in London) on the doorstep. I have a ridgeback and we actually moved here mainly for the access to the park!

Raynes Park is near Wimbledon Common which is also fantastic dog walking.

hunney · 24/05/2004 23:10

When I moved here when DD2 was 4Wks and didn't know a soul. I didn't actually move that far away from where I was before, about 1/2hr drive or so, but I still had to start again and make friend for the kids' sake. But when your DS is a bit older you can go to all the groups to meet people. I'm afraid it will mean being really really friendly and talk to everyone, which isn't always easy but also not that hard either.
When we bought our house here where we now live I had to sort out the mortgage, find the house and literally do everything. All DH did was supply the money
It is alot of work, and it is daunting, especially as your looking in an unfamiliar area, but maybe (I hope) that once you start, it won't be as bad as you think.
Have you/are you getting help for your PND?

Original poster
wellsie · 25/05/2004 13:08

Hi Hunney, thanks for message. I'm not getting any sort of professional support as of yet, but GP & HV are aware of how I'm feeling. Also, I've put a posting on Parenting section and getting lts of advice there.
Thanks

OP posts:
beachyhead · 25/05/2004 13:21

If he is working in Vauxhall, you should look at Blackheath or Greenwich as well. We are renting there at the moment and you would easily get a 3 bed house for 1500 a month. Rental is a lot cheaper than SW London. We moved here from Putney two years ago and I loooove the green spaces and the fact it is so close to central London. Means you can really take the kids up to galleries etc, something I never did from SW London because it realistically meant an hour on the tube/train.

Three cheers for SE London!!!!! and its closer to Bluewater (which has got to be a plus in my book!!!!)

CountessDracula · 25/05/2004 14:05

An hour? From Putney to Waterloo is about 14 mins!

Fio2 · 25/05/2004 14:07

Its just over an hour to london from here so I think putney would be muuuuuuch quicker

Batters · 26/05/2004 08:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

hana · 26/05/2004 08:59

what about Twickenham, Whitton, Hounslow, Isleworth....that part of West London? Cheaper than others that have been mentioned, and still prettty close to Bushy Park, Richmond Park and the river?

eddm · 26/05/2004 09:07

Batters, I think this is about rental, not buying. And rents are cheaper than mortgages at the moment.
Wellsie, you'd get nice places in St Albans for £1,500 a month. Walthamstow is more about buying than rental, for £1,500 a month you can live somewhere much more posh!
I moved when ds was 7 months, very sad leaving all the mummy friends I'd made at baby massage, NCT etc. Then I went back to work a week later so haven't made any friends round here (apart from the one who already lived here). It is hard. But is a lovely place for ds and in my new job I'll be working at home on Fridays so hopefully will be able to timeshift and take ds to mum and toddler group Friday morning. Guess it's just as Hunney says, you have to put the work in and (gulp) talk to people. NCT is good, they have monthly coffee mornings for new members.

binker · 26/05/2004 10:06

Wellsie - how about Brentford ? (incidentally my house is up for sale - 3 bedrooms,Victorian terrace,nr shops,buses,tube (piccadilly line),cute small garden,lovely neighbours,good primary school,vets,doctors,dentists !

Original poster
wellsie · 26/05/2004 12:47

How much Binker?

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