Experience of Living in Zone 1 Central London

[chari]

Has anyone lived in Central London and enjoyed it? I mean specifically areas like Marylebone, Fitzrovia, Bloomsbury, Mayfair etc. I don't mean areas on the edge of Zone 1 like Victoria or the City.

I've always fancied living in Manhattan for that super central vibe, but my job is in London. We currently rent in Chelsea and enjoy it. But for a little bit more per month we are looking at living slap bang in the centre. Our commutes to work will be walking or a shorter tube/direct.

I would happily live in Marylebone, it's lovely and has a brilliant high street and some green space.

Fitzrovia is fun particularly around Charlotte Street but does always feel kind of polluted with a lot of traffic.

Mayfair I know very well. Some lovely bits around Mount Street Gardens, particularly the mews streets. However I don't personally feel it has much community feel.

Belgravia very grand, kind of sterile. But I would love to live in one of the smaller streets like Kinnerton Street or maybe just off Elizabeth Street. A bit similar to Chelsea, possibly.

Bloomsbury I like. Lots of students, lots of garden squares. Coram's Field if you have kids.

Lots of these areas are super busy but there are smaller back streets and mews houses which are quiet.

I would also consider St John's Wood which is a little less central but only 2 stops to Bond Street or a walk through beautiful Regent's Park. Some streets in Covent Garden and also the South Bank which is very buzzy, well connected and has the river right there.

Chelsea is lovely but not well connected at all, lots of other options for you.

Have never lived myself in any of these but a Londoner all my life and have worked with residential properties in some of these locations.

Not sure why people are being unhelpful, why shouldn't you live somewhere great. The problem is with those who buy these homes and are barely ever there because it's just an investment and they have five others.

We lived in Bloomsbury, between Kings Cross and the Brunswick Centre, before Kings Cross gentrified. It was brilliant in lots of ways and I would go back in a heartbeat, but if you're looking for a warts and all picture, I'd say that if you're very near the big stations there's a certain sort of edge to the area that can be a bit challenging.

For example, I'd walk down a quiet side street on a Saturday morning and find a load of snatched handbags that had clearly been emptied out for cash and anything saleable, and various roadworks and redevelopments temporarily relocated the red light area that had been behind Kings Cross and I found that genuinely distressing to have nearby - so many women in such grim circumstances and literally nothing I could do about it.

But it's real life in a world city, and I think is probably closer to the Manhattan buzz than Chelsea can get you, if that's what you're looking for! We moved outwards to save money and have babies, and I don't regret that, but I will be back in Zone 1 as soon as they leave home in 15 years time!

You mean to say you don't have a staff to deliver the ponies to you?

You new money sorts disgust me.

Consider the South Bank - Bermondsey Street area is delightful.

I’ve lived in Fitzrovia for over 15 years. At the time we bought our property, we were living in Marylebone which I loved but it was less affordable. I love living centrally. We don’t have or need a car. We’re on a relatively quiet street, and don’t find noise or crowds to be problematic (I avoid Oxford Circus as much as possible!). My commute to work is short and sweet which was one of the reasons we chose to live here, and we’re less than 10 minutes from Regent’s Park. There may be not as much of a community vibe here as in some other neighbourhoods but we know our neighbours well enough to stop and say hi to when we see them on the street 😀

I work there - oh dear god the crowds!

"It's so busy - the crowds - I couldn't cope" - that's what my mother always says about living in London. She seems to imagine that I set up my sofa and TV on the concourse of Waterloo Station around about 5:30pm and sleep in Piccadilly Circus

I lived on the South Bank for a few years, then Pimlico - could walk to work from both (different employers!) which was a huge bonus (and the main reason) as that was in the first years of working in consulting when hours were long.

Unless you intend to live above Heals, I can't imagine it being fundamentally different to Chelsea. (I also used to live in Fulham). Parking might be your main issue - I didn't have a car for most of my time in Z1.

My poor sister is country mouse - adores being out in the wilds (is the one with the horsies) and can’t understand why I want to live alongside the population of the whole of Scotland… but the crowds around Southbank/Bankside are flipping awful at the moment.

I lived in Fitzrovia for a couple of years and loved it. It's actually very quiet if you're off the busier roads. Lots of local independent businesses and eateries, a nice community feel and transport links are pretty good if you know how to avoid the busy areas.

Yes I’ve lived in Fitzrovia. I loved it for a while. Would think about noise as that can really vary- certain streets are very noisy, others really quiet. Don’t forget the noise of rubbish collection and street sweeping at 4am. Anywhere people go out will have a certain amount of antisocial behaviour- occasionally found men weeing in my doorway after a night out 🤢

Deliveries were never a problem.

I find Mayfair a bit dead- too many very rich people who aren’t there all the time. Marylebone would be a great place to live but again it depends on the street.

Bloomsbury is lovely, plenty of green space. LOADS of students so make sure you view in term time.

Rude

Fitzrovia is beautiful, but locals have been victims of the government's 'social cleansing' programme, where non-wealthy families were evicted and rehoused on the Kent and Sussex coast.

Fitzrovia is amazing - I worked around there for years. If we didn't have kids we'd live in a flat over there instead of a house where we live in Zone 2. As people have said, it's not too noisy/busy off the main roads. You're walkable/accessible to so much of London. Soho for nightlife, Kings Cross, etc.