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Original poster

OK, so if you have to commute to Canary Wharf, where could you live?

49 replies

chocolatequeen · 11/05/2007 21:27

Don´t want to live in Central London box with the littlies, want a decent sized house with garden so I can stand at kitchen window in pinny and wave gaily at DH as he potters off for a hard day in The City.

Can anyone point me in the general direction of the burbs....

OP posts:
ChippyMinton · 11/05/2007 21:58

No good for the City where I am (going into Waterloo for the city is a PITA according to DH) but bumping for you.

escape · 11/05/2007 21:59

Hiya,
pals DH works there and they live in Chislehurst with kids 5 and 8 - been there ayear now, very happy and settled.

MimieD · 11/05/2007 22:01

I live in Bromley area and commute to Canary Wharf, takes just under an hour door to door.

escape · 11/05/2007 22:01

have to add, I don't know exactly what his commute is, but I am assuming its not a problem. Your Dh doesn't work for the worlds local bank does he?

FrannyandZooey · 11/05/2007 22:06

Dp works in Canary Wharf and we live near the Liverpool St - Clacton / Harwich train line which works out very well indeed for commuting, and has some nice Essex towns and villages on it

The map showing the stops on that line is here

look to the east of London going out towards Harwich

Original poster
chocolatequeen · 17/05/2007 13:17

Thanks all, this is such a minefield, not sure where to start - nice area, good schools or easy commute?

Relocation is a bitch.....

No, escape, not the worlds local bank, but a bank nonetheless!

OP posts:
manitz · 17/05/2007 13:23

I used to live further into town than CW on the A13. You would have to be picky about state secondary schools but primaries are lovely, really enjoyed it, have just moved to burbs and there is less for really little kids (preschoolers) much worse resourcing.

However if you want a bit greener might think of lewisham or blackheath (depending on budget) or crystal palace. Further out I'd look at essex - personally I would be by the sea and make dh commute on the limhouse line! but that might be an hour or so...

justaphase · 17/05/2007 13:24

Greenwich/Blackheath is lovely but very expensive and schools are crap.

My comute is and 20mins door to door.

manitz · 17/05/2007 15:25

lewisham schools are nice though the lewisham website shows their strategy to education and that in sixth form they have a connect strategy where you can choose to study loads of subjects as the schools link up. I was really impressed with it and was considering moving there but needed to go closer to family rather than further away . would have loved to live there.

I guess it depends what sort of life you want and how you define a good school.

Taylormama · 17/05/2007 15:26

ya wanna be an essex girl!!!! Central line into stratford and a hop, skip and a jump on the DLR and you are in CW ... sure there are aso mainline trains too

Lolly68 · 17/05/2007 15:27

Kent or SE london the best bet. I use to live Gravesend and get the coach into London - it use to go straight into Canary Wharf.

twelveyeargap · 17/05/2007 15:34

Can't remember where I saw it recently, but there was an article about families living in the Canary Wharf area itself. It's not a dead zone on weekends and evenings any more, apparently. There's a new primary school just opened or about to open. Lots of families deciding to live and work in the same area.

bossykate · 17/05/2007 15:34

i work at canary wharf and i live in brixton. we chose the area as it offered a good compromise between affordability and centrality. there are two excellent primary schools 5 mins away from our house. secondary schools in the borough are generally abysmal though. there is a fantastic park a few minutes away, although tbh we range through battersea, clapham and dulwich routinely. we also have easy access to greenwich, kew, and all of central london.

i'd bet brixton is not what you had in mind though

tbh you can commute to cw pretty easily from most parts of london and surrounding commuter belt - i'd avoid the western reaches of the central or district lines though.

hth and good luck.

bran · 17/05/2007 15:46

Twelveyeargap, I live on the Isle of Dogs, walking distance to Canary Wharf. I love it here, it's fab for pre-schoolers and some of the primary schools are reasonable, but not great. But as ChocolateQueen wants a fairly large house I don't think this is the place for her. What about towards Epping Forest, eg Buckhurst Hill, Woodford Green? There are some good independent schools out that way. It would be a reasonably easy commute as well, Central line to Stratford, then either Jubilee or DLR to CW.

KezzaG · 17/05/2007 15:52

Taylormama you are so right. nothing wrong with being an Essex girl and somewhere on the central line is good for Canary Wharf. dh used to do it door to door in an hour from epping.

Taylormama · 17/05/2007 16:03

kezza - i love being in essex. Near to London, but beautiful countryside as well. DH used to work in CW and used to do the journey in 45 mins or so - no hassle!

45daysincaptivity · 17/05/2007 19:44

yes yes towards epping way (but not that far as if the train packs up you're stuffed unless you can drive to mainline station.)This includes Snaresbrook, So woodfood, Woodford/Woodford Green, Buckhurst Hill, Loughton. Highams Park/Chingford on mainline station into Liverpool Street - but maybe not as good for you. Chiggers, but tube stops running after 8.... Excellent schools, a Waitrose, reasonable pubs/restaurants for a night out, decent shopping in Loughton and Epping Forest is really nice for walks.

Alternatively, so of the river you could do Charlton, nr Blackheath. Friends just moved there.

jura · 17/05/2007 19:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NotQuiteCockney · 17/05/2007 19:52

We live in Mile End and DH works at CW. People have houses and gardens and all that (albeit at silly prices). There's a good independent primary, and some reasonable state primaries.

From here to CW it's 15 minutes on the bus or about 30 minutes walking.

If you want to be further out, maybe there are options on the Jubilee line? That goes straight to CW. (I do think that any commuting journey with two legs is twice as likely to go wrong ...)

RanToTheHills · 18/05/2007 12:18

Blackheath bordering on Lewisahm so short walk down hill to DLR. Primary schs in Blackheaht are good, also the private ones.

alison222 · 18/05/2007 13:15

It depends on how foar a commute your DH can bear.
We live in Ealing which is West London. and were already here when DH got relocated to canary wharf. It used to take 1 hr 15 mins door to door going and for some unfathomable reason about 5 mins less on the way home.

Original poster
chocolatequeen · 19/05/2007 01:27

You stars - thank you all so much, this is all so helpful.

Just in from night out, will do more research tomorrow if head can take it!

x

OP posts:
Kaloo20 · 19/05/2007 01:35

blackheath or greenwich
lots of green, v family orientated

mozhe · 19/05/2007 02:33

How about Cambridge ? only an hour door to door for city workers...it's a lovely place to live,my sister and her DH decamped there last year with their x4 DCs..they both work in the city.

TheBlonde · 04/06/2007 18:30

bumping as also interested in this
but looking for a commute of 45 mins or less