Family areas in inner London if you could choose anywhere?

[LiverpoolFan83]

Moved to Blackheath in SE London last year. 1DC another on the way. Reason for moving there was mainly green space and primary schools. We are fortunate enough to be able to afford a 3 bed flat there, and hoping to buy a house in next few years. However, as lovely as it is, it feels a bit different to me and I can't put my finger on why.

Previously we lived in north London Tufnell Park / Kentish Town which I loved. It's really expensive up there though and even more so that SE London. I keep thinking that Blackheath feels really posh and if we could afford a house there I'd feel out of place. Definitely don't want DC to go to grammar school or private secondary which a lot round Blackheath do. I also am not interested in the suburbs or moving out as I've been a city girl my whole life and DH feels the same, so would only consider zones 1-3 and happy living in a flat rather than a house if there is still green space nearby.

I guess I'm struggling to find my tribe in London now that I'm thinking as a family and not just as a child free couple. No family ties anywhere so no real pull in that sense. Some areas I used to like feel a bit too trendy now, and some not right for families. We are very fortunate to be able to consider living centrally but a lot of places feel very posh which we are definitely not! Wondering if anywhere has the vibe we are after.

So, just a bit of dreaming, but if money was no object which area in London would you live in? Asking those who enjoy city living and not surburbia fans.

Little Venice, Marylebone, Primrose Hill, Bloomsbury.

*Southwark, Lambeth, Wandsworth and Lewisham are all inner London.

I disagree*

Me too. Southwark at a push but not Lewisham. I'd agree with the Zone 1 definition of inner London as the London boroughs take you out a long way if you're talking about central/inner London.

@druto outer SE, a grey spot school wise. There are some OK average comps but I'd need to move to get in them, these typically admit 1-1.5 mile.

Yes private is what we are now reluctantly considering. Grammar too but zero guarantee and doesn't feel like right option for older DS.

I'm also considering going North of river like Fortismere or APS but that's moving into a smaller house for 1.5m...

Ok, so, am prepared to get jumped on, but we’re in Streatham and I genuinely wouldn’t move if we won the lottery. It’s very mixed/normal - definitely not yummy mummy but not (despite what I’m sure some people will say!) grotty. The primary schools are particularly good, and Dunraven is an outstanding mixed comp. Streatham common/the rookery is fab, and you’re close to tooting common in the other direction.

@ArticHare I'm not great on schools in SE but presume are you near Bromley? What about Kent grammars? I know nothing about the other side of the river! 😆

Streatham has some lovely housing stock & used to be very posh, it had the first Waitrose. But the high street is so congested & then if you're near Streatham Common the transport links & high street aren't as good imo.

@ArticHare we are moving further out in SW, we will have access to grammars then (like you unsure it's the right choice) but we are also catholic & will have private in the pocket due to cheaper house move. Hopefully I'm covering my bases! It's so stressful though.

If you don't mind Grammars or you're Catholic or Jewish then it's a whole lot easier. If you're after non-denominational mixed state then there really are only a few.

@druto yep could go for Kent (means moving out but only want to do so if get in, chicken and egg thing) or Bexley grammars which aren't that good and just not keen on living that way. Bromley has St Olave's which is very selective and too hot housey for DS

What do you know about North London? I have lived in west hampstead but know nothing about schools there.

Do you mean SW England rather than London? I'd love to move out of London entirely (not to a commuter town) but simply not on the cards until I retire.

Notting hill. Live there now and love it. Unfortunately priced out! Looking to move to persons green or Fulham instead

No religion. Kids go to CoE primary which i dont mind as it's not religious school (otherwise we wouldn't go)

If you can afford it, borough (SE1), as close as you can get to Charles Dickens Primary School, which is just behind borough tube. I moved here back in 2013 rather randomly as found a shared ownership flat we liked (couldn't afford to buy out right). To be honest took me a while to feel at home but now I love it. Charles Dickens is a brilliant school and others nearby are pretty good too. The community around the school as a lovely vibe, people of all backgrounds friendly with each other and not too hipster at all. It's super central so easy to get anywhere in london, but down side is that it's a bit relentlessly urban - I do crave green space quite a lot. However if don't think I want to move to get it - I love how friendly my little are of SE1 is. If money were no object at all I'd buy a whole house here with a garden (there are a few - mainly ferocious tall Georgian ones - but they cost an absolute fortune of course).

I reckon that the problem is that there is truly no such thing as a fantastic family area in central London for under £5m which ticks all the boxes.

My previous house in Holland Park was gorgeous but there was no sense of community. I also lived in Warwick Avenue which is getting better these days but fairly soulless nonetheless and many of the grand house had a dozen flats inside them.

Even if you buy a house on a garden square then you will still get the air pollution. There is a small pocket of Chelsea which fits the bill (around Cheyne Walk) which feels almost rural and I have family connections there as my mum lived there for years. However, I would not want a mews house with little/no garden space as I am big on kerb appeal.

That's really not true - you really don't need £5m to live a nice life in London. Plenty of people manage to live in much cheaper houses than that, that aren't even in Cheyne Walk!

OP, what's your budget? You'll have 2 kids - I think you need to stick with North London, but decide whether you'll be happy with a flat in your favourite area (Tufnell Park) (or maybe you can afford a house?) or move a bit further out, (or in, Chalk Farm is cheaper....) and get more for your money.

"you really don't need £5m to live a nice life in London."

You do not for "nice" but you do for foolproof "fantastic".

Certainly for central London you’d need 5 million for a nice family house with garden. In Notting Hill, Holland Park it would be nearer 10. I’d be happy with a house on Swan Walk overlooking Chelsea Physic Garden, but I’d need 6 million+

But why do you need a garden in central London?

I live in millbank a 3 bed flat here if £900,000. Surrounded by parks and gardens, 5 minutes walk from Westminster abbey and 25 from Covent Garden

Because I do. Can’t bear flats and houses without gardens.

I expect it's the first place you bump into people you know because you have a child. I live on the other side of London and bump into people everywhere I go, but that's because having a baby in a place plugs you into the community like nothing else.

Somehow areas like Notting Hill, Holland Park and Chelsea are being discussed when the OP said they find Blackheath too posh..! 😂

Ah but the OP also asked where in London you'd live if money was no object

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@Forinara There are plenty of wonderful properties for far less than £5m. What planet are you on?

@FloweryCurtainTwitcher you are confusing "inner London" with "central London".

Southwark, Lambeth etc are very much part of inner London. www.londonhut.com/p/london-boroughs

That is CENTRAL London. Do you live in London?

Southwark, Lewisham, Lambeth etc are definitely inner London - they're considered it for government stat purposes anyway. And most of those boroughs fall within Zone 1 and 2 (except Lewisham which is Zone 2).