Living in the City of London

[wlawla]

DP and I both work in the City. Our jobs have mandated a 5 day office attendance.

We moved to Clapham for more space, but the forty minute commute at rush hour is gruelling and stressful.

We are seriously thinking about moving to live in the City, potentially in the Barbican Estate.

Has anyone got recent experience of living in the City? Is it worth the extra cost / restriction on space?

I don't usually comment on things financially but in this instance I feel I must. I know a person who bought a place in the barbican. A one bedroom apartment. The services charges in 1999 were for her 7 thousand per year. . My only advice. Do your homework. Good luck

We lived in the Shoreditch triangle for 15 years, about 10 mins walk to Liverpool St Station. Very easy walk to the City, and very lively at weekends. Lots of places were walkable but we used public transport a lot as we liked to explore the whole range of the city, so we didn't just socialise in the local area.
Our apartment was a decent size and in a modern block, with moderate service charges - no concierge or residents facilities like gym. We loved visiting the Barbican but I am not sure I'd want to live there, mainly because of the service charges and general restrictions.

We have moved now but still within easy walking distance of our offices - I think it makes life much less stressful to not be dependent on public transport or traffic at all, especially now we have children and can get back easily for school events and early pickups. Personally if I could afford it I'd never move further than a 35 min walk from work and I wouldn't recommend relying on buses for a commute as the traffic is so awful and buses unreliable.

I have always hankered after living in the City. I love the history, the communities , the sense of purpose and the convenience. In your shoes I would do it. DN has just moved to the south Islington area and has so much time in the day , not to mention being able to walk to work.

I was reading about the barbican yesterday after going to the theatre there this week. Service charge is £12.5k for a tower flat. Looks great tho.

@Nitgel always the problem with big blocks of flats - the service charges are often crazy, like paying another rent

Parking permit £1.5k too

I used to live in Bermondsey and it was super quick from the tube to the City. Anywhere along the river from Tower Bridge to Bermondsey Tube

My brother has just moved in and his monthly service fee is more than the mortgage payment on our 4 bed house up north!

I lived for years in various flats in Old Street and Clerkenwell. You can walk everywhere and I loved it. I liked the quiet at the weekends and I'd also love to live in Barbican. Aldgate is another area to consider.

mainhen · Today 01:04

We lived in the Shoreditch triangle for 15 years

Envious. Love Shoreditch. Couldn’t afford to live there though.
A brilliant example of social cohesion, I’ve always thought (many visits). So many different racial, class and religious groups seemingly rubbing along together happily. Jewish people laughing at something with their Muslim neighbours on the street after Friday prayers. City workers waving to street trading friends on their way to work.

i just wish more communities could be that way.

@IDontHateRainbows thank you. For me that seems loads! My mate used to live in Shakespeare tower. The view was amazing. Another mate lived in one of the lower blocks but the angle meant the whole side of the flat was directly facing the permanently fluoro lit stairwell of another block. Also their pet rabbits didn't like living on a balcony! We got a very crazy view of an IRA bomb going off once. Like a massive mushroom cloud. The views are great, obviously not looking at bombs but you know what I mean.
It's totally iconic but I'd say there's other places better value a few minutes north or east.

I've never understood the Barbican love. To me, it's an ugly carbuncle. It's like a 1970s car park.

I work as a community mental health nurse and Barbican is on my "patch" so yes I've visited a couple of properties there...I've not changed my mind!!!!

I totally get that @Spidey66 - I love the Barbican and think it's iconic as 20th century architecture goes, but it's definitely not to everybody's taste

They sell a fantastic print of an old OS map redrawn to show what was there in 1940 before it was built and where the streets were (mine is on there). I'm saving up for one.

shop.barbican.org.uk/products/barbican-before-the-blitz-print-by-russell-bell

I used to live in Clapham and work in City. The Northern Line was so hideous that I used to cycle in. Quicker, cheaper, easier and a million times less stressful. There's a cycle path all the way and cycling in rush hour means you're going quicker than the cars. I know that's not what you're asking but if you could make your commute less stressful then maybe you'd be able to stay where you are?

@wlawla
DC2 lived in EC2Y, pre pandemic and we happened to revisit a few weeks ago and I thought it had lost some of its appeal. It hasn’t fully come back IMHO as so many coffee shops, businesses etc never reopened. So the weekends are a bigger contrast.
Barbican Estate is niche/ iconic/ exclusive. If you can afford it without having palpitations at the service charge then it’s definitely a contender.
But my recollection (from only visiting someone once) is that the room sizes weren’t remarkable. You have found out that distance matters. But space quite
clearly does, too. You haven’t indicated what life stage you are at, so would this be your forever home?
DC2 has also been in Shoreditch, Wapping and now Canonbury. Shoreditch is chaotic. Wapping is v quiet but not that well connected, although the evening walks are v special.
Could you afford a full townhouse near Angel or Canonbury?
Nothing beats walking the streets though and so i think the Airbnb suggestion is a great one @luxuryproblemtohave

My DD's just moved into a place between Aldgate and Spitalfields Market. It's a lot nicer around there than I remember it from the 90s. With Spitalfields, Brick Lane and Petticoat Lane all close by it's a bustling area at the weekends.