Where would you spend a million in London?

[hiphophippity]

I have NCed for this. Would love some ideas/MN wisdom. if you have a budget of a million or thereabouts and wanted to buy a family house in London for a young family of 2 young girls where would you look? Can budget for independent school. Have been looking West but wanted some new ideas thrown out. Happy to go pretty urban... Too suburban would probably put us off.

But more I would love to here where YOU would go (or already are) and why. Need reasonable access to town for daily commute (West End/City). We have lived all over (but not with children, and now moving back from abroad)

How about living very close to Central London - Islington?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-47220481.html

A lot of the areas mentioned are quite far out.

I would go for Barnes, Wimbledon Village or East Dulwich, Crouch End if I was a North London type.

You'd probably need to be happy with a decent sized three/four bed, is that enough for you?

north! Tufnell park, kentish town, archway, highgate etc or further north, muscle hill and crouch end

muswell not muscle...

South East - Greenwich or Blackheath are beautiful

Also forest hill, dulwich hill and honor oak park all tick the boxes

Hither Green - yes!!!

Second West Hampstead, nice village feel with lots of cafes, restaurants and tons of kids. We rented there but bought in the less lovely (although I love it) and more affordable Cricklewood.

Wimbledon - outright winner for me! Schools, tubes, parks, theatre, shopping centre, village, loads of eating out/going out options.

Another vote for Herne Hill. Lovely, big park, nice village, good transport links.

I think if you want to be central, you're going to have to look at a flat rather than a house (I'm in zone 1, and not a particularly smart bit, and you wouldn't even get a 2 bed house here for under a million). Going a bit further out to zone 2/3, somewhere on the tube, you're looking at a small 3 bedroom house for that money. I would look in SE London, but pick carefully. There are some lovely (and expensive) houses in Peckham, but two minutes away, it's really quite grim and unsafe.

Merton Park, SW19:

Sorry! Link here

Hackney! Very urban, I love the diversity. Some really good schools in the area, but you'll pay for it through housing. £1m will not be enough for some houses, but for a family of four, you could find a house near a good school.

I'd get something like this (if link works!). Then you've got the common, the bustle and good transport links of Balham, and Streatham & Clapham school for the girls. Ideal!
Emmanuel Road, London, SW12
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-47725343.html

Well, you asked what we'd buy... so I'd buy this, like a shot, if I could get the price down a touch and was willing to work on it. In fact, I am dying a little bit that I can't. You're quite stuffed for transport though. But LOOK AT IT.

Selfridges.

www.rightmove.co.uk/new-homes-for-sale/property-49709264.html
This looks small but perfectly formed

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-46734499.html

or this?

I'd look seriously at The Barbican.

St Margarets or East Twickenham. Lots of lovely green space nearby (the river, Marble Hill Park and Richmond Park a bit further afield) and excellent schools albeit teeny catchments. St Margarets has lots of lovely independent shops/cafes and you are within easy reach of Richmond (and Kingston) for nice shopping and Twickenham for more pedestrian stuff. Commuting pretty easy from here there.

@ Paggy!

I live in the Crouch End side of Stroud Green and like it a lot. It's urban but green and better for transport than Crouch End proper. Muswell Hill is a bit suburban really and the OP wants to avoid that. Tufnell park is nice too.

Definitely Ealing, lovely area, good transport links, prices marginally less silly than Chiswick.

4 beds and 5 mins from the tube

Wierd but interesting new build

Bit further from the tube but a lovely road