Where to live in London if you work in Canary Wharf

[frankiefaye]

Hi all, hope you are having a good week!
Just a message to ask for advice on where to live in London if you need to be in Canary Wharf for 6:45 each morning? My partner's job is based there and starts very early (I work as a consultant so can be based anywhere) and we are currently living in a flat in Bermondsey but looking for a house where we can start a family. As he has to be in so early, we need to be within about 30 mins commuting distance to Canary Wharf.
Looking for somewhere with a nice high street, nice community and village feel I have heard St. John's Wood and greenwich are good options?
Let me know thoughts!
Frankie xxxx

Greenwich is a safe bet (and easy commute)! St JW is great but very expensive - what sort of budget are you looking at? If you can afford St JW, I’d instead go for Cannonbury as it’s just beautiful with the parks and independent shops, quite chi-chi but in the nicest way :)

Or I’d do De Beauvoir Town - really beautiful area and feels like a little village, and he could get the overground from Haggerston to Canada Water and change on the Jubilee. Or Stoke Newington (also villagey) and similar commute.

Canonbury and DBT look very like the nicest houses you see on telly - eg on Catastrophe - here is the most fancy-pants sort of one, but a lot come up that are modern flats (with lifts) or maisonettes just under £1m.

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/49004944

Two friends have just moved to Brockley - which seems to be a smaller version of Canonbury and half the price. It’s 20 mins to CW and 10 to London Bridge, they say it’s great for new mums and has great schools:

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/50592315 3 bed maisonette with garden for 600k. I’ve actually been to this park! Telegraph Hill is really gorgeous - was beautiful and would highly recommend going at the weekends to get a sense of the place, it’s all tailored to kids and there was a great cafe by the park. (the park is in two parts, one for dogs and one without, with tennis courts and play areas for kids of different ages)

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/50651923?search_identifier=857ff12407d90a28ab34b2d75507eacc House for 800k :)

Brockley is lovely. My concern with St John’s Wood would be that you’re a long way from Canary Wharf and if the Jubilee line’s not running, your partner would be stuck.

The more I think about Brockley the more I might move there! They mentioned there being handy supermarkets (and there is a big Sainsbury’s at New Cross end), and wanting to be close to siblings who live in trendy Peckham and it is near there too - they do have a car though - and there being independent shops and coffee shops (and one of those houses is opposite a brewing company!)

Wanstead has some nice places

I know Brockley and Telegraph Hill very well. You’ve not said your budget, but logistically and for value(ish) I’d go for the St Johns side of Brockley - cheaper, close to a DLR for Canary wharf, good housing stock.

there is a big Sainsbury’s at New Cross end

There is. And Tesco / Asda / Lidl / Aldi are close by on the Old Kent Road.

I think the OP is going to be best off in south-east London from a commuting viewpoint.

SJW is lovely but definitely more than 30 mins (and there aren't many houses unless you want to pay in the millions). I used to leave about 45-60 mins to commute from there to CW. I agree south east is your best bet.

Thank you so much for your replies, super useful! Budget can be flexible, needs to be below 3m (obviously the lower the better!!) yes south east looks like the best bet- Brockley and Telegraph Hill look lovely, Greenwich still looks best commute-wise which I think is the priority (he has to be in so early I would feel v bad if he was having to commute a lot). Good to know that it can be 45 mins from SJW- on city mapper it says 20 mins which I think is misleading.
Thank you again xxx

The very nice 5ish bed semis/detached in the Brockley conservation area will be £1.6-1.8m, likewise the best streets in Telegraph Hill (which isn’t good for the CW commute). Greenwich will see you use more of your budget .

My DH works in Canary Wharf and we live in Brockley.I have lived in various parts of SE London including Greenwich all my life and I would definitely recommend Brockley (or Telegraph Hill ). The transport to CW is better than Greenwich as you have the overground as well as DLR. The primary and secondary schools are also better. Greenwich obviously has a lot of attractions but it’s walking distance from Brockley and you can spend time in the park on the river and in the restaurants at weekends rather than living there. Don’t move to SJW it’s far too expensive and not even convenient for Canary Wharf!

Greenwich obviously has a lot of attractions but it’s walking distance from Brockley

And a lovely walk it is too. Along the Thames.