What area of London?

[torto]

Can someone recommend an area in London that’s easily commutable to the city?

DD is looking to move further out to get more space, she’s late 20s. Wants a quick commute into Liverpool Street (say 40 mins?). Somewhere that isn’t just families. They want to get a dog so somewhere with decent outdoor space. She’s looking for somewhere that is pretty, old housing stock. Her worst nightmare would be a 1930s semi (she grew up in one!) in a boring commuter suburb. Their budget is around £2,500 a month, preferably a two bed or a one bed with a garden.

I have a friend that lives a few stops up in Teddington who commutes to the city and bad day now it can take her 1hr30. Thankfully she doesn’t do it daily

I'd love to live in Teddington but DH is in the city & I work in z3 & the drive is bad so we discounted it. London transport while far superior to other areas isn't always great particularly when crossing it.

What about SE London? e.g. Brockley or Peckham?

Mile End always feels rough and hostile to me, for a place that is expensive and nominally gentrified. I'm speaking as someone who previously lived in Whitechapel and now lives in Walthamstow so not fussy either.

@TropicalTrama Yep- it would seem so from what others have said- I'm out of touch!!

That sounds about right - my old boss did that journey and it wore her out. Very gruelling.

I was going to suggest Ruislip as has central line, Met and pic line as well as overground to Marylebone. However it is 1930s hell or heaven depending on your perspective but you do get a bit more for your money than in Ealing esp garden, parking and just general space.

43 mins on central line from S Ruislip to LS and 45 on Met line from Ruislip to LS.

Mile End is so much nicer and than it used to be, I definitely wouldn’t call it grim. It is however student central and I’d be worried about finding out I accidentally moved next door to a house of rugby lads regularly having noisy midweek drinking sessions!

Ealing? V well connected transport wise.

My husband can do Twickenham to St Paul’s in 50 mins but walks very fast (legs it up cheapside). Teddington is on a slower line though as no fast trains. SWT also slowed down all the train on these lines post Covid.

@torto how old is your DD. I loved Easy before I moved West and settled with kids. I worked in the city and lived in Stratford, Leytonstone and Walthamstow.

I really loved Walthamstow Village area, it was nice and such an easy commute. Hated Stratford (this was pre Olympics) and Leytonstone.

We have friends in Wanstead/ Snaresbrook now and it’s lovely there, great shops, cafes etc. Does your DD know this area, I can see it appealing to someone who likes West.

Have a look at Wandsworth Town

That's funny. I lived in the area and adored it for many years. ButWhitechapel feels a bit too hostile to me. I guess we get to know and trust our areas. I like Mile End mainly because it is so green - I love the park, Victoria Park, the canals and docklands walks. You can stroll for miles and barely go near a road, from Canary Wharf to Tottenham along the Lee navigation and through the beautiful East End parks. I find Whitechapel a bit too urban and not green enough.

@CalmDownBoris72 I can never work out what is wrong with Stratford. Loads of pretty Victorian streets, good transport connections. Now amazing parks. Film studios and story museum, Olympic park, good shopping. It even has a really high achieving secondary school which is rare for inner London. And yet... It just never ends up feeling like a welcoming place to live.

Apologies for derailing further as I suspect OP’s DD has ruled out St Margarets by now (!) but that route was still a full 30 mins 15 years ago. Only way of truncating it slightly would have been to connect in Richmond for a fast train but that still wouldn’t have made a routine 40-minute door-to-door commute to Liverpool St viable. Especially in the mornings considering the huge queues to get on the W&C first thing.

It’s worth pointing out that the train journey between Ealing Broadway and Liverpool Street is now 21 minutes on the Elizabeth Line. House prices may make East London preferable though!

Forest Gate has some very nice streets and is close to all of those things in Stratford plus also benefits from Wanstead flats (and is now on the Elizabeth line).

If the OP’s daughter likes west London though it might still be a step too far!

On another post you said you were in Walthamstow Village. Grosvenor Park Road or somewhere near there IIRC. Now you’re in Leyton 🤔

I own two houses, both inherited, i move between the two...i have family who spend a lot of time at the walthamstow property....i am currently doing some work at leyton house so based there for now...

Well for what it’s worth I disagree with your assessment. I live locally and have many friends all over Leyton. Yes there are large communities from central and Eastern Europe, Balkans etc. But it’s not a mafia
ffs.

i suggest you join the francis road fb group....appx 3 posts a day about the crack dealers and users....its all over....and everyone knows the high road cafes and barbers are money laundering fronts....all albanian mafia. most polish have moved out or gone home, not blaming them at all, same for the latvians and lithuanians....albanian mafia all over the area...ruthless...behind the crack dealing...all witnessed and reported over a year ago by loads of residents...ty they are the big people, they use the young somali lads to deal on the streets...read up about the mafia...control 95% of uk crack and coke now...need deporting...

Can’t believe the number of posters suggesting a “40 min” commute from West, SW London and outer suburbs… (I’m guessing these posters have never lived in east London.)

if your DD wants young and cool vibes and not suburbia with families then she should definitely stay East.
victoria park, homerton, Bethnal green, Mile End, Dalston, Stoke Newington etc are all areas near big parks with lovely old housing stock and trendy vibes.
all easy to reach Liverpool St.

walthamstow can be much more expensive and also more families (and further away.)

if she’s not ready to have a family yet then it makes zero sense to be moving to Ealing / Surbiton / Chingford or any other far away suburb.

nor does it make sense to be going to Clapham / Balham.

And if she doesn't want East London she could look at something like this cottage in Highgate - 2 mins walk to tube to Moorgate and 10 minutes walk into Highgate village.

I couldn't say if she wants that cool East London kind of feel as I don't know her- I wouldn't have- even in my 20s. OP will know what's more her vibe and if she's a graffiti and tats kind of gal or rugger bugger and labradors - !! Lol

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/137792246

victoria park, homerton, Bethnal green, Mile End, Dalston, Stoke Newington etc are all areas near big parks with lovely old housing stock and trendy vibes.
all easy to reach Liverpool St

walthamstow can be much more expensive and also more families (and further away.)

Walthamstow is not more expensive than most of the places named, cheaper in fact. But yes it is further out and more families.

This is adorable!

I suggested Brockley earlier, but I think the many posts about SW London and East London have drowned it out. Transport from SE London is massively better these days than it used to be, especially since the Elizabeth Line started up. Door to door from where we live to Liverpool Street would certainly not be more than 40 minutes. Quickest way into the City might be to go to St John's just off Lewisham Way and take a train to Cannon St, but there are many options. One of the huge benefits of living closer in is that when things go wrong on your usual way home there are other options to fall back on.

Maze Hill/Greenwich is lovely.