Is Central London a nice place to live?

[rumpoodle]

My dd and her girlfriend are looking at buying a one or two bed flat in central London. Dd was left a deposit by a grandparent, and both have high paying jobs.

I’m trying to suggest, that if I were her, I would get somewhere in Hampstead or some where leafier.

Does Central London still have a nice ‘ vibe ‘
to it?

I lived in Victoria once and hated it

I’d look at somewhere like St John’s Wood, a bit more residential however still central.

If I had a spare few million I'd buy a place in Chelsea. For a bit less I'd buy in Parsons Green, though I don't think that would be considered central (though I wouldn't consider Hampstead central either). Notting Hill? I've obviously got a southwest preference.

Where in Central London are they looking? I know it's not a huge area but it's still too varied to comment on, I think.

It varies so much by area - somewhere like Borough would be lovely!

I like some of the areas adjoining Canary Wharf in Zone 2. Very family orientated and during weekends the vibe is really villagey

Pimlico or Bermondsey would be great

If you can afford it, absolutely yes! Rented in various parts of central London as a student and the vibes were amazing, very different to the commuter zones. Favourite was Great Portland Street area (Fitzrovia/Mayfair) which gives you walking distance to Ox Circus. Kensington & Chelsea is a close second if you want more quietness, parks and beautiful neighbourhoods to stroll around in.

Areas that weren't so great were Paddington (chaotic and touristy) and Kings Cross/Bloomsbury (similar to Paddington, not a huge amount of good shops or restaurants but just as expensive as better areas of zone 1). Pimlico is also a bit too far off the grid (for zone 1) without great shopping or food amenities. You'll need to go to Victoria for most things, which is also busy and chaotic.

Central London has an awesome. Define 'nice'?!

Covent Garden, Marylebone, Bloombsbury, Borough, Shoreditch, Chelsea would all be great places to live in different ways.

What are they looking for, and what kind of budget?

I would love to live in Bloomsbury or clerkenwell. Little flat on lamb's conduit Street please, thanks.

I lived in Victoria and detested it but I am from the country. Found Hampstead and Richmond much better but prefer not being in London much more.

Depends where. I know people living in Pimlico - lovely quiet streets, local community, great shops and cafes but not loud or grubby. Yet they are 3 mins walk from the Thames, 10 mins walk from Houses of Parliament and not too far from lovely St James Park.

What vibe do they like? If they are quite arty or hipster, they might like Borough or Shoreditch/Bethnal Green best. If they are city types, Docklands might be good.

I saw some surprisingly affordable nicely done up flats in Soho the other day but have been told it is horribly noisy from all the clubbers, so that wouldonly work if they really love the noise and buzz of nightlife.

I lived in Victoria once and hated it
Just noticed this comment after posting my reply and completely agree. Victoria is awful, and the whole area doesn't feel like it's designed for pedestrians. They did build some new shopping & food centres which might be convenient but they still look and feel quite soulless.

The biggest perk of living in central London is being able to reach places by foot. Exactly what depends on the person, whether it's the West End, a certain park, Soho etc. Some areas of central London have their own "centres" like Notting Hill or Chelsea so it might be suitable if you love the vibe.

Other places I'd steer clear from are the Central Line stations between Marble Arch and Queensway. It looks small on the map but it's actually a huge area running north of Hyde Park with virtually nothing exciting to see or do. Again, this is all in relation to other parts of central London which all cost the same.

I loved living in shoreditch and wapping when younger and child free

Angel in Islington! Fab place with lots to do, walkable to the City, Highbury Fields is lovely. So much on Upper Street and then about 20 mins into Covent Garden on the bus.

I agree that Victoria is awful. My parents live centrally though - on the Southbank - and it's brilliant.

Need a lot more detail to be answered properly, as to what they like, what they can afford to spend.

I would say you will struggle to find any nice 2 bed flats for under £1M in most of those central London areas mentioned. eg the only ones in the nicer areas will be ex council in ugly blocks (i'm not a total snob, I lived in an ugly ex council v near great portland st for five years, but I wouldn't have bought there)
Also lived in Borough, which i didnt' love but would be fab if they work in the city. Lots of new build flats going up in Nine Elms, but again nearing £1M for 2 beds (and a bit dead at ground level)

One thing to note - there's no longer any residents discount on congestion charge within Zone 1/2 (used to be 90%) Now you wouldn't need a car if you lived that centrally, but it does make it harder to get any tradesmen to come to you, dog walkers etc etc. Also see ULEZ.

I would look at maybe Islington - good compromise, near the East London nightlife but less grimy? Also walkable-ish to the city.

Love the West End but it's leaning more towards catering to tourist $$ with shops that locals don't want to shop in, and it gets overwhelmingly, annoyingly busy. Especially in Summer

i've lived in clerkenwell / pimlico / fitzrovia

pimlico is safe & sedate. lots of politicians (close to parliament) and pied-a-terres belonging to people who also have a house in the country

clerkenwell is full of hipsters / cocktail bars / young city types. good for nightlife and also arts

fitzrovia has lots of students & tourists, not sure if there is much sense of community, but I was a student when I was there.

I lived near Canary Wharf for a year and frankly hated it.

It was convenient if you do a lot of socialising and going out in town but it’s really fucking noisy. The party boats are loud, the street outside is loud (Westferry Road) and I was glad to move to herts.

Little flat on lamb's conduit Street please, thanks.

Be still, my beating heart!

I’ve lived everywhere in London, at one time or another, from the gross to the grand, and did at one stage long for a place in or near Lambs Conduit Street.

Now I feel the same about North Oxford. And Edinburgh.

Years ago I had a council sublet on Edgware road...was ok...traffic awful though....then later a flat on Monmouth st covent garden....basement...very dark...was very odd as so quiet in the evenings, no shops around then for groceries etc...weekends busy with tourists....all changed now tho....so may like it better...I love the little back streets around Holborn, St Pauls...chancery lane and roseberry avenue...would buy a flat in those areas if i had the cash...!!

Primrose Hill, Little Venice, St John’s Wood and Marylebone are all lovely villagy, leafy and pretty central with access to Regents Park…..nicer than more central Bloomsbury, Holborn, Bayswater etc.

Other places I'd steer clear from are the Central Line stations between Marble Arch and Queensway. It looks small on the map but it's actually a huge area running north of Hyde Park with virtually nothing exciting to see or do.

Lancaster Gate is the only station between Marble Arch and Queensway?!! I'm not sure you can say north of the park has nothing exciting to see and do when you are walking distance from the park, Oxford St, Soho, the South Ken museums, RAH, Notting Hill/Portobello, Marylebone HIgh St...

Central London is an amazing place to live. Hampstead is lovely but less interesting if you are young. Central London is quite changeable though. You can have beautiful garden squares near the tube and lovely local restaurants/cafes/shops off the tourist trail, then slightly dull dead patches where the tube is a bit too far to be convenient and the local pub is a bit rubbish, and a few streets you wouldn't want to walk down late at night or park your car all within the same neighbourhood.

Central London is a broad area. I live in Kensington at the moment and love it, but I don’t think I’d want to live any more central than this.

Victoria is hit and miss agree with PPs. You used to get two early 30s HF PE guys sharing Edwardian mansion flats as they can walk to st James Square, but do they still do that? It also takes a little while to understand the difference between front and back flats.

My London base is Hampstead so I am obviously biased, but don't think it massively appeals to girls in their 20s.

I think Marylebone Road is branché and very much central to everything. The area between the Conran Shop and Harley Street is even quiet on Sundays.

Yes, but its a broad area, we live on the Islington and Shoreditch border (Shoreditch side), you can get some really nice flats around here, some are new builds, many are high quality conversions of ex industrial buildings, rather than shoddy house conversions.

Theres loads to do here, but we also live in a really quiet area with parks etc close by.