Help me decide - Wimbledon or Greenwich to live with family

[PinkPoniez]

Hello,

I recently posted a thread asking for advice on a location to live in London with my DH and DSC and received many helpful comments. We looked at a lot of the areas mentioned and picked Wimbledon but then went to Greenwich and loved it too so now we are torn!

In Wimbledon I liked the shops (lol) and that it has everything within easy access. Also liked the many parks and green leafy streets. In Greenwich I really liked the vibe, the river, access to touristy things (we are moving from Cheshire so are still tourists in London!) and the parks. I didn’t get a chance to have a good look around the residential streets in either place though so need some advice. My main concern with Greenwich is the flood potential given the state of the world right now and increase in 1 in 100 year events. If anyone has any insight into this aspect, would love to hear your thoughts.

For reference, we are looking for a family friendly area (myself, DH, DS (aged 7)) that is safe, green, good schools (prefer non religious and state but could stretch to private for secondary), access to amenities (gyms, pool, park, playground, movies, things for kids to do). I need to commute 3x per week for work (currently LB but soon to be Liverpool St, DH works from home). Also need to consider accessibility to other parts of London (mostly tourist sites, west end, airports). We would prefer a walkable area as we don’t have a car (obvs very happy to take public transport but would prefer not to for day to day activities - groceries, gym, school etc).

Budget is up to £2,500pm for rent (looking at an apartment or terraced housing). Would likely rent for a year then look to buy so not too worried about getting a rental close to a good secondary at this stage but would prefer to stay in the same general area (give or take). Would also look to buy a (freehold) terraced house if that makes any difference.

Thanks for your help!

Should have mentioned, in Wimbledon I need the district line to get to work so need to be within walking distance (preferably 15 mins or less) of South Wimbledon Station. In Greenwich I would need the DLR or SE train so would prefer to be closer to Greenwich station to have option of both. I might be missing something though so please share if so. Thanks!

Bump

I grew up in Wimbledon and lived in Greenwich as a young adult. With a family, I would choose Wimbledon - Greenwich is gorgeous but does get v v v v v busy and clogged up with traffic, tourists etc. Also SW London is easier to travel to the rest of the uk from than SE London, is closer to airports, etc.

you need Wimbledon station (not South Wimbledon) for the district line. But unless your work is west of Victoria you’re probably going to want to take the train from Wimbledon to Waterloo and jump on the tube from there.

both are lovely though! No wrong choices IMO

South Wimbledon is on the Northern Line. District Line trains go to Wimbledon and Wimbledon Park

Sorry! Yes, it’s the northern line I need from South Wimbledon! Thanks.

2 bed apartments in both areas seem to be going for roughly your budget.

@Stillundertheduvet thank you for your comment. I definitely had my tourist blinkers on in Greenwich (which is why I liked it so much) but yes, I imagine it would get annoying doing day to day things trying to contend with throngs of tourists!

Wimbledon. Nice place to live. Convenient for getting into London or out onto the A3.