Where to live in London?

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
If I want to live somewhere that is no more than 20/25 minutes by public transport from Canning Town, where should I live?


PS This is not a riddle.
 

faustus

Well-known member
my girlfriend and my mate's girlfriend have just got jobs teaching in NW and SW respectively, meaning we're looking at sharing a flat somewhere in west london - which is an area i know fuck all about

any comments on the following areas?

  • harlesden
  • willesden junction (not green)
  • acton

or anywhere else around that area. nowhere too expensive/ posh.
 

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
I lived in Acton for a while, think it's unfairly maligned. Not the most exciting place in the world and I felt less like I was living in London than I did when living in north or south, but I liked it just fine, used to go to Ealing a fair bit.

NW London has a similar 'not quite in London' vibe to me too. Not that that's a negative thing necessarily. More spacious on the good side, more suburban on the (possibly) bad. Visited some nice areas near Willesden Green recently (my g/f grew up there, a nostalgia trip), not posh exactly, but possibly expensive to rent somewhere from the look of the houses - couldn't be sure.
 
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faustus

Well-known member
thanks baboon

i'm a little sceptical of acton and willesden green and the NW in general cos, as you said, it all seems quite suburban. But then I'm not exactly sure why this would be a problem - I don't go out much, don't care about there being any particular scene.

But I really don't want an area with no shops but supermarkets. Lots of the 'guide to area X' pages say stuff like "easy access to Tesco and Lidl" - as a positive.
 

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Pretty sure there were lots of shops in Acton, lots of Middle Eastern/Iranian ones in West Ealing for sure, and we lived next to a proper Japanese supermarket (there's a Japanese school nearby as i recall). kilburn high road and cricklewood are full of shops too, NW-wise.
 

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
barter with the estate agent - true - it works, offer em £100 less per month and they'll knock off £50, they can't be bothered turning up again and again to show more people around...

from 2005 - does anyone else have experience of this? sounds like it might be worth a go, at least, though I'm sceptical it'd work....

Has anyone ever lived in the area north-west of Turnpike Lane - Alex Palace, Bounds Green etc?
 

comelately

Wild Horses
Ealing is definitely a suburb, Acton is borderline but still a lot more Inner London than Ealing. You can get buses into Central London in Acton, you definitely don't get those in Ealing. Acton has London Overground too.

Ealing has posh food, but Acton definitely better ethnic food. Westfield has kind of messed Ealing up, whereas Acton was already messy and proud of it.
 

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
West Ealing has great Iranian food. I quite liked living in Acton - west London is way out, but transport links to central are fine, as said
 
I've just got maself a job, working beside Holborn station but have been looking into Brixton for flatsharing.. anyone here lived there? any info appreciated
 

luka

Well-known member
baboon should obviously live stratford/forest gate/leytonstone/ plaistow/west ham is cheaper but not as fun. bow is more expensive and not as fun.
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Bow was cheap when I was living there, but I think we had a pretty good deal on that house.

Why Bow should be an expensive area to live is a complete mystery to me, but you could say that about a lot of parts of London.
 

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
I've just got maself a job, working beside Holborn station but have been looking into Brixton for flatsharing.. anyone here lived there? any info appreciated

Not sure it's a great idea... the place is not what it used to be, and seems poised to be the new clapham. i moved out of there two years ago, and I think I got the timing right (by accident, albeit). I hear prices have gone up too, whereas there used to be v cheap (by London standards) flatshares

Luka - i'm confused - you mean for the quality of the food, or in reference to an earlier comment?
 

Bangpuss

Well-known member
Tottenham has a lot of warehouses that haven't yet been colonised by the folks who set up live/work studios and all that yarbles in Hackney Wick. Not that I've ever lived there myself, but it seems to be pretty vibing whenever I've been there.
 
Not sure it's a great idea... the place is not what it used to be, and seems poised to be the new clapham. i moved out of there two years ago, and I think I got the timing right (by accident, albeit). I hear prices have gone up too, whereas there used to be v cheap (by London standards) flatshares

Luka - i'm confused - you mean for the quality of the food, or in reference to an earlier comment?

Not sure it's a great idea... the place is not what it used to be, and seems poised to be the new clapham. i moved out of there two years ago, and I think I got the timing right (by accident, albeit). I hear prices have gone up too, whereas there used to be v cheap (by London standards) flatshares

Luka - i'm confused - you mean for the quality of the food, or in reference to an earlier comment?

can you elaborate a bit baboon? i'm assuming you mean it's lost some of its community feel? things change so quickly it's hard to keep track. someone back there saying there's a good buzz about tottenham yet i've a mate from west belfast who scoffed at the idea of even going there. it can be confusing for someone who hasn't lived there before. Obviously i want somewhere accessible til late and cheap (around 400pm would be nice), good mix of people, a good range of cheap places to eat would be great and nice pubs..i'm not put off by "dodgy" areas. what about Stepney Green, Brockley, Forest Hill?
 

luka

Well-known member
i was in tooting today. that's somewhere i felt i could live. was in balham too but that was very chichi. i have to move house soon so will be thinking about this stuff myself.
 

Slothrop

Tight but Polite
I'd be worried living anywhere within walking distance of Clapham. You might go there by mistake while drunk or something.
 
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