Help! MIL 'retiring' to central London...ideas for a nice place to buy a flat for her!

[bowbluebell]

Hello there,

As the rather long title suggests, my MIL is planning on reorganising her finances including selling up a large house in St John's Wood and er, retiring, to Central London (where she lives already and will continue to work,so it's not really retiring!). She doesn't really like SJW, loves Marylebone and Bloomsbury and is an artist so likes to be near museums/galleries/cutsey craft shops.

Any thoughts on where would be a good place for her to buy a flat to, um, see out her days (which I suspect will be many!)? Suggestions of areas great, ideally particular roads/squares!!

Budget is about 500k. Preferably zones 1 or 2. She loves character and period properties, I think she will need 2/3 bedrooms, a garden flat would be lovely and she has no car so needs good transport links. So, not too fussy then (!?)

I'm and Eastender and East Anglian, so don't really know anywhere west of Stepney, although am secretly quite jealous and think I may be living vicariously!

Oooh, very envious of your mother-in-law. I would suggest Barbican centre which has, of course, great transport links, lots of lifts (so access easy) and shared grounds but it might be a bit far east. Failing that, have always really lusted after a flat in the Brunswick Centre near Russell Square (no gardens but some have balconies, I think). There are lots of flats around Bloomsbury but, in my mind's eye, many of them are slightly ramshackle conversions in narrow buildings without much light - I think she would be much better off in something modern and purpose-built but still characterful such as those two complexes.

We have recently been looking for a 3 bed garden flat in central London (we just sold up in Marylebone so I know the area well). Our budget was £650,000 and we really struggled to find anything. I think for £500,000 she is priced well out of MArylebone, St Johns Wood, Swiss Cottage, South Hampstead, even places like Queens Park. If she could forgo the garden, then she would be ok at that price. We are now in the process of buying a place for a little over £500,000 in Mapesbury Conservation area which is lovely and all the flats have 100 ft gardens. But it is edge of zone 2 (jubilee line either Kilburn of Willesden Green stations).

I only know the areas in the NW parts of London as mentioned above, but if she is anything like my mum (who also lives in that area), she will want to stay with the areas she knows. There may well be places more affordable in other parts of London, but would she be happy with that?

I forgot to add, we also have no car and have only been looking at places near tube stations and bus lines. Again, along with the garden, this makes it more expensive.

Thanks for those ideas. Shame that Marylebone is soooo expensive. DH was looking on Rightmove yesterday and was shocked! I think that she may well consider that area and spending more than she planned (I think we are realistically looking at 750K?) as she has been so happy there in the past and this is a big move for her, so really needs to be the right place.

BArbican's not an option as it's where she first lived when she moved to London-- lots of bad memories I'm afraid (although grandchildren would love it there)

But I love the idea of the Brunswick Centre! It is so central, has lovely shops and the design is great. DH and I talked about moving there once, then babies came along....

Thanks ladies!