London Neighbourhood Suggestions - Similar to Belsize Park / Primrose Hill

[wildflow]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking at buying a flat in London with my partner. We’ve been living in Belsize Park (towards Englands Lane/Primrose Hill) for the last 3.5 years and absolutely love it here, but of course you don’t get much for your money!

We are still very much looking around this area as our first option, but want to widen the search a little bit in case we can’t find anything suitable here.

It would just be me and my partner, we don’t have kids yet (yes I know this is Mumsnet, don't shoot me!). We’d probably plan to stay in the flat for 5-8 years, and would be willing to move if we do start a family and want more outdoor space, a larger property, good schools etc.

We are not too fussed about living in an “up and coming area” where house prices are likely to rise a lot. Of course we don't want to lose a lot of money, but our priority is finding somewhere we would be happy living rather than treating it just as an investment.

What we’re looking for:

• 2 bedrooms, 1-2 bathrooms


• Some form of outside space - balcony, rooftop, communal garden. Nothing massive, just somewhere you can sit with a cup of coffee or read a book. This is what we are really struggling to find, lots of converted flats in the area have no outdoor space


• Not lower ground floor (unless anyone can convince me that damp/darkness isn’t something I should be so worried about?) and ideally not ground floor


• Prefer a period property rather than new build blocks


• Not too small. No set ideas on square footage but something that feels comfortable for two people, with bedrooms that you can actually move around in


• Happy to do some renovations if needed but no major structural changes that would delay us moving in


• Open to all suggestions but ideally would like to stay north of the river and zone 2-3


• Budget of around £1m


• It’s central but not too busy. I can get into central London in 30 mins and could even walk in if I could be bothered, but it still feels quiet here


• The parks! I can walk to Primrose Hill, Regent’s Park and Hampstead Heath easily. Especially love being fairly near to the heath


• Nice pubs, cafes, shops, Everyman cinema. Slightly further out for us but I can walk to the Waitrose on Finchley Road if I need a bigger supermarket


• Transport links. Jubilee and Northern line are both very close, can also walk to the Overground or Metropolitan line if I ever need to. I commute to Canary Wharf so Jubilee line is really helpful, although not the end of the world if I end up somewhere I have to change. Wouldn’t want a commute longer than an hour (and ideally 45 mins)


• To be honest, I like how posh it is. Especially that it’s posh without being flashy, like you’d get in Mayfair, South Ken etc.


• It feels very safe here. I quite often work late or am out for dinner with clients, and I've never felt unsafe walking back from the tube at 11:30pm


• The mix of people. I don’t want to move somewhere that’s too “yummy mummy” or full of retired people

Apologies for the very long post. Any thoughts are massively appreciated!

Highgate? West Hampstead? Muswell hill? Crouch end?

St John's Wood, Swiss cottage, Queen's Park, parts of Highgate...

Following with interest as DH and I are planning something similar when the last dc leaves home. Have you looked at mansion blocks in St John's Wood and Maida Vale?

Agree with all the suggestions above. West Hampstead, Highgate etc.
You should be able to get what you’re looking for for your budget. My friend sold her flat in Belsize Park last year - 1 bathroom, master bedroom and mezzanine second bedroom/study and a beautiful roof terrace for just under your budget. I think the problem is that there’s just not much coming on the market now.
If you’re struggling to find the ‘right’ kind of area it can be helpful to search on Google maps for the type of cafes & shops you like - e.g. Gails, Everyman cinema, pilates studios etc and see which areas have a heavy concentration.

Thank you all! Some great suggestions - think we will be spending the next few weekends wandering around these areas to get a feel for them.

I agree that our budget isn't necessarily the problem, rather that there just isn't much on the market right now that is what we want. Belsize Park itself really isn't that big. I think we'd find it easier if we weren't so set on having a balcony/garden but I think I'd go a bit crazy without.

Searching by proximity to Gail's is actually a great idea 😂

Another vote for Crouch End or Muswell Hill.

Maida Vale. You’ll get what you want for 1million. Mansion flats are absolutely gorgeous with access to gardens.

Ground floor/basement flats are great. I've been in one for the last 5 years. We have plenty of light, direct access to a private garden, and the flat stays lovely and cool all summer. No issues with damp - one wall had been treated before we moved in, and we've had someone round to check the levels recently, but there was nothing to worry about. If outside space is such an important factor for you, I think you're much more likely to get it if you don't rule out the ground floor.

Do you get much noise from people walking about overhead? I’m a bit put off anything not top floor, based on a flat I had years ago.

Queen’s Park or West Hampstead, I’ve lived all over the areas you mention and much preferred these to Belsize Park and Hampstead.

Maida Vale/Little Venice, Highgate, Hampstead, Crouch End/Muswell Hill (a bit less smart but your money will go further), nice bits of Islington. You could also look further in- Pimlico, Fitzrovia, Bloomsbury?

Pimlico or Westminster - your budget would get you an upper floor flat with a roof terrace in a garden square or a lower floor flat with private garden space.

I'm in West Hampstead and it is honestly one of the best-connected areas of London I've ever lived in. we have Thameslink to the city (& gatwick & luton & brighton) and jubilee line and overground for east-west connections. There is a pretty big selection of flats here and lots more being built.

What about slightly East? Have you considered Victoria park village? Right next to Victoria park, lots happening, locals shops, feels upmarket compared to some nearby areas and a lovely vibe.

I don't blame you for liking it OP- my son rents with his friend in a 2 bed, 2 bath conversion in Belsize village. They got it at a great price as it was during covid.

I honestly would concentrate on Belsize, Swiss Cottage, Hampstead - highgate, St. John's Wood- , Dartmouth park, gospel oak at that budget you will get something nice . Only other area I can think of with maybe similar feel is notting hill or Clapham Common ! - andi think that feels less safe. We also lived in crouch end which was ok , but not convenient for metro . Lived in Richmond too- which is nice --that might suit but it's on the flight path and further out.

I’d be very way of lower ground flats. Check out the footage of flooding of basement flats in Maida Vale from a year ago. Many residents still haven’t sorted their properties as the damage was so extensive.

Thank you all so much, lots of places listed that weren't on my radar at all.

I've booked some viewings at a variety of properties - nothing is exactly what we want but I'm hoping they will at least help us figure out what we'd be willing to compromise on!

It seems mad you'll have to compromise with a budget like yours when you're only looking for 2 bedrooms. Do let us know how you get on with your search, please.

Yes I agree with your budget you should be able to get what you want in those areas, the key will be to wait for the right place to come on the market.

Hi everyone,

I thought I would come back on here to let you know we have recently moved into our new home in Belsize Park! After spending what felt like forever (although in reality was only a couple of months) without seeing anything suitable listed, somewhere great came up and we managed to get it. Inevitably we had to make a few compromises on what we ideally wanted, but we are really glad to have found somewhere in the area.

We did look at some of the other areas suggested on this thread. I could definitely see us living happily in a lot of those places - Maida Vale, Highgate and Muswell Hill were places we liked in particular. In the end, we were lucky to find somewhere in Belsize and decided to stick to what we know (and love!).

Thank you all for the advice, we really appreciate it.

Not that it really matters now but it bothers me nonetheless, the second half of my OP should be "what we love about Belsize" rather than what we were looking for. I messed up the formatting on the list!

Ha! I was just about to comment on this thread to say "why don't you just stay in Belsize Park?" when I saw your update. Glad you found somewhere you're happy.