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

@arrangeyourface

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.

Same, I lived opposite Blackwall station in a high rise. The noise, ugh, and just mess and deprivation everywhere, even though it's across the road from Canary Wharf. Much happier in the suburbs, but obviously not as exciting if your childfree and want to get out lots

My mum always said - don’t but near a large train station or hospital. Our first house was next to St Mary’s and Paddington. It was rather lively!

@ThePlantsitter

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

I lived just off Lamb's Conduit Street for several years and loved loved LOVED it . Walked absolutely everywhere!

@KittenKong

I was talking about the immediate area where I work...which is not particularly near any of those parks.

@Antsinyourpanta

I work in Central London (zone 1) and I would be put off living in the immediate area by how little green space there is.

Isn't London one of the greenest cities in the world?

I live in WC1. Love it. Walk everywhere. Everything to hand. Plenty of public squares and small parks available if no outside space yourself. Sense of community where I am is very strong. Mixed, not monoculture.
The only thing I’d caution is keep an eye on student housing which is increasing into what once we’re private rented or owned flats and houses as the market changes. Some student neighbours lovely some can be full on !
Additionally some streets in central London are unbelievably quiet traffic wise I’m lucky to live in one makes a huge different.
If noise is a concern then they just need to keep eye out for police station, ambulance activity areas, pubs and restaurants many of which are majority outdoor now and have very early deliveries etc, zebra crossing beeps and school playgrounds, clubs etc. It’s all a balance but have friends who became tired of too many noisy things in their vicinity and moved out a bit.

I used to live in W1 then Bloomsbury. Had a fantastic time living there. But obviously that was pre children and all I did was work , socialise and shop.
What's her lifestyle like? If she is not about to start having babies it's fine

It depends on what they like doing. I grew up in London and I loathe it. My sister adores it. I moved to a smalla rural village and love it. My sister tried suburbs for a bit and fled back to central London in horror. Depends what’s more important to them, ‘buzz’ or clean air and quiet. But a flat in central London is probably a good investment with coty prices so low at the moment and likely to shoot up post-covid.

Pimlico is delightful. Which is why now a flat with a roof garden would cost you well over £1million.

What is their budget. I would go for Bloomsbury, anywhere within Fitzrovia. It depends of budget, travel, what they enjoy doing.

also where they are working too. I’d definitely rent first. Some councils are better than others for local facilities, bins etc.

[quote Antsinyourpanta]@KittenKong

I was talking about the immediate area where I work...which is not particularly near any of those parks.[/quote]
Ah - but you can choose where you live though. There are a couple of small green spaces near my office (off Oxford st).

I used to live in Bethnal Green, so not exactly central, but walking distance from the City. I absolutely loved it. Loads of green space - I used to walk for hours around beautiful Victoria Park or along the canals or feed animals in Hackney City farm, and stroll around Columbia Road Flower Market. I'd move back there in a heartbeat but DH likes the countryside.

I like Bloomsbury up to and including king's cross and the south bank up to and including Borough. Soho is lovely but a bit loud, however I did know someone who had a one bed council flat in soho which was amazingly quiet.

I wouldn't consider any of these zone 2 places discussed on the thread central london, central is surely zone 1 only?

I lived in Bloomsbury for one year and loved it. But then, I was a postgraduate student with a generous fellowship and was only socialising and researching/writing. When the year was over I was happy to move away though. I think I then loved living in Crouch End even more than living in Bloomsbury. But it may have been because I had 'met somebody' and we were happy. We also had a bigger place and garden, which made a difference.

Hampstead - when I was young it had an affluent leftie/lib dem vibe, then large groups of corporate type came in early 2000. Americans think it resembles their Brooklyn Heights. These days you also have the Europeans, Russians, Chinese, and Latinos.

There are some probate properties. Large houses go on for sale to pay for IHT. For those of you want to buy in the area I would say work with local EAs (they can be a little snobbish), be nice, build a rapport and quick to offer.

Where in Central London are you referring to? It spans several boroughs, some more salubrious than others. I’ve lived all over Central London, from a flat in Covent Gdn to a gorgeous apartment behind Selfridges house to a dreadful flat above a sex shop just off Leicester Sq. I would hate to live in some parts of Westminster (v high crime rates) but would have a pied-à-terre just off Sloane Sq if I had to (moved rurally a few years ago and would never go back!)

Lots of people mentioning places that aren’t in Central London!

I suppose it’s facilities too - as you get older you appreciate a Porter and shops, doctors, hospital within walking distance!

@ThePlantsitter

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

Yes me too. Where do I sign?

Too many tourists! We lived off Oxford street - constant crowds.

We also lived in a mews - tourists would wander up, peer through the windows and gasp ‘people live in here!!!’. Great when you were sitting in your PJs nursing a cup of coffee and a hangover.

We lived in Vauxhall, bloody loved it. But if money was no object I'd live in the Angel or Kennington. Mind you South Ken is nice too.

I live in zone two and love it, I like that I can shop and go out locally without going in to town, but it's easy to go in for shows and nicer dinners etc. I've lived around Clapham and Streatham too and enjoyed my time there also.

I always think If I had the budget I'd like to try living further in, around Borough/London Bridge. But I also think about how impractical some of the streets are for deliveries, and how annoyed I used to get by tourists when I worked near the globe.

Hope they find somewhere they love.

Is central London a defined area?

I’ve lived in Shoreditch, Wimbledon and Bloomsbury. All nice all very different.

Where are they considering?

Oh also lived in Angel and Stoke Newington.