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Original poster

Can’t afford a nice are of London, where shall we move?

82 replies

fantillie · 26/12/2023 23:20

As precious as this sounds, we’d rather move out of London than live somewhere not naice.

It is what it is, I like nice surroundings, and being in a run down area makes me unhappy. Dh and I both agree that location is far more important than the property.

We actually prefer flat living to house living (I grew up in a city where no one has a house).

We would like a 2-3 bedroom property. Our budget is around £700k and we only want to live somewhere which most mumsnetters would describe as “posh”. In London we like Primrose Hill and Notting Hill, Canonbury, Clapham Old Town.

We were thinking about moving to Bath? Jericho/Summertown in Oxford or Clifton in Bristol. We only need to be in London once a month or so. We had considered somewhere like Harrogate but didn’t click with it when we visited.

OP posts:
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14
theduchessofspork · 26/12/2023 23:37

If it’s literally once a month, how about Edinburgh?

theduchessofspork · 26/12/2023 23:38

.. Cambridge is very handy for London mind you.

BeyondTeddington · 26/12/2023 23:42

We used to live in Primrose Hill, now in Teddington for a number of years - it’s a very nice area, it was named the best place to live in London last year by The Times, and I guess you could call it ‘posh’. So you wouldn’t necessarily have to leave London especiallly if you are happy with a flat - although you could stretch to a house:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/143202881#/?channel=RES_BUY
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/141043730#/?channel=RES_BUY
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/141575744#/?channel=RES_BUY
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/142094180#/?channel=RES_BUY

Check out this 2 bedroom semi-detached house for sale on Rightmove

2 bedroom semi-detached house for sale in Gomer Gardens, Teddington, TW11 for £750,000. Marketed by Curchods Estate Agents, Teddington

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/142094180#/?channel=RES_BUY

brawnthesheep · 26/12/2023 23:48

there is a middle ground between run down & Primrose Hill. What are the main requirements? Clifton is nice but Im not sure 700k gets you naice. Find Bath & Oxford overrated & a bit small personally although great for a visit.

anothernamechangeagainsndagain · 27/12/2023 00:04

Clifton has loads of students and had people like us, not sure it will be posh enough for you. Bath has our friends, they definitely aren't posh and £700k won't get you the really posh bits of either city. We now live with a view of yachts, is that posh enough?

Whattheheckcarer · 27/12/2023 00:18

You sound great

Deathbyfluffy · 27/12/2023 00:22

I hear Skegness is lovely, I’d give that a go!

minipie · 27/12/2023 00:40

there’s also several nice two bed flats in Clapham Old Town in your budget

VestPantsandSocks · 27/12/2023 00:43

Bromley, Kingston, Wimbledon are nice areas.

Namechangedforthis25 · 27/12/2023 01:26

There are loads of naice family orientated places within Greater London though - and you can get a 2 bed for that price - so teddington, Kingston, surbiton, near Wimbledon potentially, outskirts of Blackheath

Ginmonkeyagain · 27/12/2023 06:50

Your post makes no sense. All the "naice" areas you mention, are, like all of London cheek by jowl with "run down" areas.

My aunt and uncle lived in Canonbury for decades (bought in the 60s when it most definitely wasn't naice). And it is all jumbled up with housing estates, busy main roads and general London-ness. Clapham is similar.

£700k is a hefty budget for a flat and will get you somewhere pretty decent outside these areas. However you will never escape the fact London is a fairly chaotic, mixed city. Nowhere is completely isolated from "run down ness".

How about a village? Sounds like city living is not for you.

Twiglets1 · 27/12/2023 07:27

Bath sounds like a good choice for you @fantillie

Though I think Teddington was also a good suggestion and it’s a lovely property that @BeyondTeddington has posted a link to.

ShipOfTheseus · 27/12/2023 07:46

You can afford Clapham Old Town definitely. I live there. But there are less salubrious areas in Clapham, just like everywhere in London. That’s the way London is. I wouldn’t swap living in London for living anywhere else.

LaurieFairyCake · 27/12/2023 07:57

Blackheath and Greenwich fit the bill as being VERY nice and posh

Here's 2 flats:

  1. Blackheath - 5 minutes walk (if that) from the station
  1. Next to Greenwich park in the poshest road possible - very cheap for location

I live between these 2 streets and it's the nicest area I've ever lived. Just for context I've moved 34 times and lived literally all over the UK.

Please check it out, you won't regret it.

Can’t afford a nice are of London, where shall we move?
Can’t afford a nice are of London, where shall we move?
KingsleyBorder · 27/12/2023 08:09

Do you have, or plan to have, children?

What else do you like about London- theatre, galleries, shops open 24 hours, restaurants, transport links?

Are you interested in having a garden?

Period flats only or would you consider modern/loft style?

Do you need parking?

What makes “nice” for you- clean streets, low traffic, beautifully maintained period exteriors, delis and cafes?

What was it about Harrogate that put you off?

Take a look at the period streets around central Crouch End. Lots of conversion flats there and short hop to Highgate, which is very posh.

Outside London I second Edinburgh, or maybe look at York. Bath is also good, I agree.

Ginandjuice57884 · 27/12/2023 08:11

Bath is not posh 😂

romatheroamer · 27/12/2023 09:54

I'm sure OP from her post knows that there are mixed areas in London and doesn't need a lecture on it. I've noticed before on MN that if an OP is quite open about wanting a nice safe area (er. like most people??) they get a few snide remarks.

Dibblydoodahdah · 27/12/2023 09:59

York or Cambridge.

PracticalPatricia · 27/12/2023 09:59

I used to live in Bath and parts of it are 'posh' but expensive.

If you don't need to live near London for work, I'd use the 700k and buy somewhere lovely in The Cotswolds maybe or in Somerset so you'd have access to Bath and Bristol but wouldn't live in the actual cities, both of which have extremely not posh bits (Bristol especially iirc).

Maybe York or you could look in Scotland even. Belfast has some beautiful fancy parts too

Ginmonkeyagain · 27/12/2023 10:00

Well the thing is large cities like London do not divide neatly in to safe and unsafe areas.

The OP's list was just a randomly chosen selection of places with some nice Victorian/Georgian housing stock. She sounded snobby. Canonbury isn't any more or less safe than most areas of inner London. It just has some nicer looking residential streets. God forbid the OP might have to look out at a 20th century block of flats.