Anyone lived very centrally- eg Soho, Covent Garden, Fitzrovia, Marylebone

[Amabelle]

DH and I are considering this and looking for a flat (with lift) 4+ floors up (for noise). I just wondered if anyone had done this and what your thoughts are on the pros and cons- is there anything we should know that we might not have considered? We are empty nesters and love city life, art and theatre etc. Obviously we'll compromise on space to be so central, which we are happy to do.

Thanks for any thoughts.

Consider the noise from late evening rubbish collection, early morning delivery trucks with annoying reversing/turning messages which carry. It's infuriating.

Thank you- this is just the sort of info I'm looking for.

I did - shopping is a pain, it can be a long trip to a decent sized supermarket and delivery drivers will constantly be pissed off at you. Other purchases also a pain eg. DIY etc.

I did in my 20,s and loved it. There were older people in our block. I had a bedroom at the back and noise didn't bother me and I am an awful sleeper. I think it's about finding the right place. If I was you I would look at Bloomsbury or even consider renting first. I do also know people who love Pimlico or even Southwark area as close but not too loud

I lived in Covent Garden btw and would consider it as an empty nester it was wonderful to walk everywhere and tbh as a couple do you need big shops we coped on the Tescos there

An ex boyfriend of mine lived in Soho and it was wonderful. The area was so quiet on weekend mornings and you could pop down for a croissant and coffee as the city was waking up.

Bin collections and deliveries to shops and restaurants was annoying. There wasn’t the same sense of “community” in terms of residents, but it was easy to get to know shop keepers etc and feel known.

I’d also look at some of the pollution maps that are available to check how bad it is in the streets you’re looking at.

I think it’s a wonderful idea for retirement - galleries and theatre on your doorstep.

Another con is that you may suddenly find yourself very popular with out of town guests who would “love to come to see you” and avoid paying for a central London hotel.

You could try Pimlico?

I loved it tbh in many ways.

Downsides - a lot of central London areas have an early rubbish collection EVERY day of the week (I presume due to hotels etc). Can be noisy. Bus stops also create noise.

Less sense of community as fewer people live there and there are a lot of expensive empty properties/rentals esp students etc. might not be many neighbours or local shops, activities etc.

Upsides are obvious though and you’ll be very popular with visitors!!

I love central London but I wouldnt buy a flat four floors up. I think it would make more sense to get something on the ground floor in case either of you become less mobile. But other than that, a great place to live, plus depending on where you pick you'd either be close to to Mary's, UCL or st Thomas' hospitals always handy when older. Dont worry about the shops, most things are online. Having Oxford st as you local high street aint bad.

The impact of many of your neighbours being short term lets/Air bnb. So they're on holiday when you're living your normal life. They're clattering about, not caring about noise, rubbish etc - gets old very quickly!

I am envious. I know a couple of people who have done this in Bermondsey and another couple in Islington. I realise it's a bit further out but in all cases longish walk/ short cab ride.
I adore Marylebone/ Bloomsbury and certainly the latter is quiet at weekends.

We found living anywhere slightly near nightlife jarring, it's fine during (cooler) evenings, until closing time and people are having loud drunken conversations on the road below for 20 mins or more. On warm evenings we couldn't even watch TV in our upstairs flat due to the din below. Would have to ask people to move off our front doorstep with their drinks so we could enter the hallway etc.

I have a relative who lives near Marchmont street in Bloomsbury. It is v peaceful as it is off the tourist trail. Shops and the huge Waitrose in the Brunswick Centre. 5 mins walk to Kings Cross St Pancras and Russell Sq tubes. Same for Lambs Conduit Street. 20 mins walk or 5 mins tube to Theatre land.

Pros: London is wonderful to walk around and being central gives you so many options for entertainment, dining, travel (hop on the Eurostar etc)

Cons; lack of inside space, outside space and parking space, noise from the revellers in the evening and the bin men/commuters/workmen in the morning.

Flats are inevitably leasehold/freehold which comes with it's own set of issues. If the cladding/water tank/ roof needs sorting this can come with hefty price tags and months of meetings to sort. AirBnB flats below/above/beside you are often there to party and are loud & disrespectful. Renters often leave their furniture in the hallways/lift/stairwell if they need to vacate and don't want to take it with them.

Getting a plumber/electrician/carpet fitter out to central London can be a nightmare (& pricey) as they can't park/have to pay congestion charges etc.

Getting furniture in and out of London flats again is a nightmare - large pieces of furniture simply won't fit in the loft/stairwell and you can't necessarily park anywhere close so end up carrying it past people drinking/dining on the pavement.

Homeless people/drunks/drugged up people often sleep /piss / puke in your doorway, plus if people don't check the communal door is shut behind them they also get into the building and sleep/shag/deficate in the halls.

Deliveries go missing (unless you have a concierge) as they've been "delivered" to the communal entrance hall.

People buzz you at 2am as they've hit the wrong doorbell/fancy pressing the buttons for a laugh.

Communal smoke alarms go off in the middle of the night as someone has decided to smoke in their flat/burnt their pizza/not cleaned their oven in years and you can't turn them off.

I mean it's great, but there are definitely downsides!

Beware the service charges on some of those seemingly relatively affordable central London mansion blocks.

I did and loved it, would have to find the right property to consider it now that I'm older. I always made sure I was never to close to pubs and nightlife and never minded the general city din of traffic and bin collections.
The only issue I ever had was neighbours. In one flat we had an elderly gentleman above us who had his tv on really loud nearly all the time. (I have always found noise from neighbours more difficult than outside noises). In another flat we had a madam and her young girls move into the flat below. I was young at the time and it didn't bother me, but would find that difficult now. I have friends who are still central and a few have had issues with air bnbs. I do still miss those few hours in the early morning when it feels like you've got the city to yourself.

Air pollution - when I worked near Marylebone Road my fingernails were constantly grimy

I'd choose Charter House in Covent Garden.

I lived just off Bloomsbury for a time and it was brilliant. Like a little village in the middle of it all. The main issue was noise from other flats. It was so old the soundproofing was non-existent. I do agree about the pollution. Every time I blew my nose there would be a grey/black tinge in the tissue. I live a few zones out now and don't have that anymore.

I'd love to live in Clerkenwell. A friend has an enormous loft there and it's SO QUIET on the weekends. It doesn't get much tourist attention.

This is the dream. I sometimes watch retired people in the Barbican pop down to the cafe for their (discounted) lunch, then off to see a film or an exhibition or just sit with a glass of wine. Theatres, galleries, hospitals all within minutes.

A friend’s parents moved from a big house in suburban Hertfordshire to a flat in Marylebone and love their life- they’re in their 80s now, being close to hospitals makes them feel safe, they go out a lot and the noise doesn’t bother them as they’re almost deaf now 😂

I will absolutely be doing this if it’s at all possible once the kids have left.

Try renting first to get a feel of the place. Avoid nightlife, it's a nightmare with closing time and all the noise. You just can't sleep.

Maybe a bit further out say just off Upper St in Islington so you get the lovely high street on your doorstep but lots of options away from the noise. West End is just down the road and buses 24/7 and run every few mins.

Newer flats will be warmer in winter so lower energy bills and better sound proofing. A converted building or older one risks the possibility you hear too much from neighbours. Not sure what the new build options are that way. It is a lovely idea OP, good luck and hope you find the right place for you.

I lived in SW1A and fml it was noisy. Was b happy to move to Kennington after that. Felt almost rural.

Thank you, everyone. Some really helpful
posts. I hadn’t thought about Airbnb neighbours so will definitely look into that.

I’m only 50 so hoping proximity to hospitals isn’t going to be a factor for a while 😭 but that’s definitely a pro of central London.

Just an FYI, Westminster has a 90 day limit for air b n b rentals.

We live in a mews. Nice and quiet plus a sense of community too. Maybe that's an option?

Yes, I lived in Soho and then off of Carnaby Street. We lived by a lot of restaurants and night clubs in Soho and it would get annoying walking past people who had too much to drink and it was loud on the weekends if we had our windows open (couldn't hear any noise from the bedroom though). But we loved the close proximity to restaurants and the buzz of being in the city. Our flat off Carnaby Street was actually really lovely. It wasn't busy once the shops shut, I don't remember hearing noise at night and we had a great view over the city. The downside was the lack of community and it is very touristy.