Moving to Lodon - where to live?

[lily3]

With a budget of £2-3 million and 2 toddlers in tow, what area of London would you live in? Looking for an area with parks and space, but close enough to venture into the city daily. We'd rather go out a bit farther to get more square footage as opposed to a tiny flat in Chelsea, for example. Thanks in advance!

[[http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-39779069.html I want this one]

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Just ten years ago you could buy one of these houses for £1m. Someone I know did exactly that .

LINK FAIL, sorry.

FFS, giving up. Sorry. .

I want this one

There you go kensingtonkat

Thank you Quint!

In case of doubt, I do not want Granny's old furniture too.

Though actually that Georgian dining table is vair nice and better suited to the architecture than the Alvaat Alto, darlings .

I would pick Islington. St John's Wood has a very transient community and silly shops - never felt like much of a community to me.

Or Bloomsbury. Not sure what that budget would get you tho.

It is actually sad to see how little you get for your money in London.

These are nice homes. Un-affordable for most people.

You really need a LOT of money to get a decent standard of living.

It always strikes me what fab homes we can buy in Norway, for a fraction of the cost.

Which is probably why we own 2 smallish homes.

Our London abode is half the size of our property in Norway! Guess which is the most expensive one! And guess which ones offers the best standard of living.

Yet here we are!

Oh yes, Bloomsbury would be great. I'm not sure how family-oriented it is though.

I wonder if we can persuade the OP to appear on Location Location Location and watch her face turn to thunder as Kirsty tries to persuade her that she will just have to learn to compromise and thanks to her expertise she's in a prime position to offer her two mill on a two-up, two-down in Canning Town/Cricklewood/Catford...

Hey Lala, are you still of the opinion that New Cross is on the up? I still have itchy feet but want to stay in SE London ... what makes you think New Cross is a good place to go, if you don't mind? etc.

New Cross ticks a lot of boxes because it has a lot of period houses, it has great transport links, it has a fantastic and very oversubscribed secondary school, it's close to a posher area (Greenwich) and it also has a student population (which in the very long term, often translates to a sort of alternative-cafe culture/quirky shops etc - it already has some). Believe it or not, Deptford next door has a very high population of artists (as I suspect does NC) which is also a marker of potential gentrification. Yes, the A2 through it is horrendous and usually gridlocked and there are quite a lot of low-rent shops but the conservation areas such as around Telegraph Hill are really nice. I think the school is the deal-clincher though.

If you've got 2-3 million, I'd direct you elsewhere .

Hmm, yes, agreed on all points, although the students and the school have been there for years and years. What I really want to do is move to somewhere like ED was 15 years ago.

If I had op's budget I would live in Bloomsbury, Fitzrovia, De Beauvoir, Canonbury or Highgate or possibly even dear old Herne Hill .

Brook Green, Brackenbury Village or around there. West London, near multiple tube lines, close to the river and several parks. Right near Westfield (which you said you like). Near sone of the best private primary school in the city (and also good state primaries). Loads of young families and activities, groups etc for young families.

You could get a nice house for your money.

Apart from proximity to Westfield, Brook Green is very different from NH and Holland Park, which OP liked though RTchoke. I suspect that the thread may now be getting more confusing for OP than helpful!

OP, what is timing for your move? Is a decent advance visit possible to check out different areas?

I lived in South Kensington in a desirable garden square. It was fine till I gave up work after DS2 born. Everyone with kids in my square was a banker, and 80% French. Most of the people I met at play groups, in Holland Park, Hyde Park were nannies. I used to go to playgroups in Fulham to find some sanity.
Be very wary of central London if you are looking to make friends.

We are definitely going to look into a relocation expert. It's still great, though, to get ideas from "real" people and Londoners.

legalalien To answer some of your question, I am a stay at home mom and my DH is an investment banker (he will be working in Mayfair). Our group of friends in LA are in similar set-ups (stay at home moms and working husbands). It would be nice to be in an area where I can meet other non-working moms - lunch, push the buggies around, baby activities and so on. We won't have live-in care, since we won't have the space for a live-in nanny, but we do plan to get part-time help and yes - we do like to go out to dinner sans kids, so will be using a sitter. Spending on holidays - well, we have a home in the Caribbean so that will be our vacation spot, not including family trips to LA. Ok I'm ready now - stereotype me! : )

I think Richmond might be a bit far for us, although it does look like a lovely area. I'm afraid if we lived there we wouldn't venture into the city that much - it seems like a pretty self-contained area?

If you are in Richmond, or East Sheen, it is very self contained. You have all the shops you need around. Waitrose for your groceries, TK Max at Kew Retail park for your 75% discount designer clothing and homewares, along with M&S for more groceries, Gap, Mothercare and Next Clothes shops, Kew Village for nice boutiques, restaurants and a seriously nice wine shop or two, East Sheen and Barnes for nice wine bars, restaurants, Richmond (village) proper for boutiques, high street chain shops, pubs, restaurants, designer clothing, views of the river, and Putney for something more resembling a "city" with some less upmarket shops, but a Benetton, a Jigsaw, a mall, lots of other shops, pubs and clubs, but most importanly:

Plenty of stay at home moms with career husbands, and plenty of places to take your children: From pushing buggies in the many parks, play groups, music groups, baby football, sports and ballet classes, etc. It is a true haven for a non-working mum.

Dededum - That is really interesting, so not many stay at home moms around those areas?

Sleepwhenidie - Yes we are definitely going to visit before we move! This is why this thread is so helpful, I'm making a list of everyone's suggestions then DH and I will go through them, narrow them down and visit the areas. It's really great seeing everyone's opinions.

lalalonglegs - I'm not sure of that show but I think we have an American equivalent here called "House Hunters" where you watch people go house-hunting and finally pick a home. Very entertaining!

Love Wimbledon. My DP used to live there. Wish we could afford it now. Good luck x

NotQuintAtAllOhNo How long would it take to get from Richmond to Mayfair (where my DH will be working). Do people commute from there or do most work locally?

Well there were SAHM's but they were French. I felt isolated but to be honest I am not a social butterfly! You might have a different experience.

But S Ken is beautiful. The Science Musuem, which has a whole floor for kids, was my place to goto when they were toddlers. You can walk to Holland Park, Hyde Park, Kings Road, lovely restaurants, vibrant cafe culture (because of the French), interesting quirky shops. I would go and look, there are loads of garden squares some with properties that back onto the gardens. Mostly flats in grand mansion blocks, sometimes with porters. Look in SW7 and SW5 (upto the Earls Court Road). A stones throw to Mayfair.

Hmm I don't know if I would fit in well with French women - would be nice to be in an area with either Brits or Americans.

What is the main difference between Richmond & Barnes? I see that Barnes is a bit closer to the city, but there is no tube there? So would you say Richmond is better access? The area really looks beautiful. Might be a bit farther than what we originally were looking for, but could also be worth it...

Hi Lily, Mayfair, where your dh is going to be based for work is also known as "hedge fund alley", that's where lots of US hedge funds and private equity houses tend to have their European base. Historically, they tended to live and work in Mayfair, but I would probably say that they have been priced out of living in Mayfair. Typically, those who work in mayfair, have moved out to Notting Hill with (i.e. still work in Mayfair but typically live in Notting Hill) so you would definitely find people that you would have lots in common with. I think that's your best bet, otherwise Chelsea but than can be a bit hit and miss or South Ken.