I am a longtime MN lurker and have many times appreciated the great pointers and input given by MNetters on forum posts.
My question is where should I consider living in SW/SE London? I am late 40s, married, no kids. We live in a small 2 bed Victorian house in Battersea where we have been for nearly 10 years. We want to move to somewhere bigger so that we both have a study for wfh (3 days a week) and are looking for the right area. Our budget is 1.1m max for a 3 bed house with garden.
I have always been disappointed by the lack of community feel in my neighbourhood (SW8). I have dreams of living somewhere where neighbours feed each others’ cats when one goes away or help out with dog sitting on the odd occasion but my neighbourhood couldn’t be further from that vibe. It feels like a an urban wasteland where it’s a bit “I’m alright, Jack”.
I used to live in Herne Hill and felt like I didn’t belong there because no kids. I realise there are lots of variables that go into finding one’s ideal neighbourhood. I have a dog and two cats so I’m looking for a place with a garden and also near green space, in an area that is more ‘villagey’ than suburban, with independent shops and a cinema and library, and of course with that elusive community vibe I’m longing for.
In my many weeks of cycling all over SW and SE exploring neighbourhoods I have narrowed the list down to Crystal Palace and Teddington. What do those in the know think of these options in light of my search criteria? Are there any other places I should consider?
Apologies for the long post and thank you for reading to the end. :-)