Where to live in London?

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baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
3underscore said:
The problem for me is that the Victoria line goes everywhere North of the River I would never need to go.

The Northern Line is busy? Well, it goes through Tottenham Court Road, Bank, London Bridge, Charing Cross, Waterloo - A few people work in those places, so it really is hardly surprising. I mean to say that a tube line always will be busier the more convenient - sensible logic. Personally, I always try to get the overland - all about your preferences.

I wish kpunk were about right now to find me a flat to rent as I have to move, and it is proving a nightmare. Problem is my requirement of locality is on several things, so I can only live some areas. Also, house share visits can be such a pain.
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Fair enough.

Re Northern Line - completely agree. I was simply trying to make the same point to those who complained (ridiculously) about the Victoria line being 'hellish'. If that's their idea of hell, then....

Best houseshare option is moveflat.com. Lets you know a lot about the people you'd be moving in with, saving valuable time and stress. If you're prepared to live with others, then that's yer best bet, imo.
 
O

owen

Well-known member
nothing beats the sheer terror (and alarming regularity) of being on a district/hammersmith & city line train and it inexpilcably either a) suddenly stopping or b) the lights going out. or both.

i think the northern line's ok, really...never quite understood the bad press
 
B

bassnation

the abyss
owen said:
i think the northern line's ok, really...never quite understood the bad press
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i catch it every day - most of the time its ok, but i've seen some near punch-ups in bank recently because they don't stop the bloody train long enough for people to get in and out. as soon as it pulls in there i can feel my blood pressure rising. but 90% of the time its ok.
 
S

stelfox

Beast of Burden
i live in hackney, on a good bus/overland train route in a 2 bed place less than 10 foosteps from the river and the lea valley walk for £700.
 
C

captain easychord

Guest
stelfox said:
i live in hackney, on a good bus/overland train route in a 2 bed place less than 10 foosteps from the river and the lea valley walk for £700.
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considering moving to hackney in the spring, my gf works on mare street so it'd be nice and close for her. what's the vibe like?
 
O

owen

Well-known member
i lived in peckham for a year in 2000-1. it's on the apocalyptic side, really. small boys being knifed, huge piles of festering rubbish, vast and terrifying estates, hundreds of £1 shops, that sort of thing.

nice library tho.
 
M

Melmoth

Bruxist
owen said:
i lived in peckham for a year in 2000-1. it's on the apocalyptic side, really. small boys being knifed, huge piles of festering rubbish, vast and terrifying estates, hundreds of £1 shops, that sort of thing.

nice library tho.
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Well this is a bit glib. I lived in in Peckham for years and am thinking of moving back. Parts of it are really nice, though stay south of Queens Road. Some of the streets off Peckham Rye, the park that is, are lovely, and around Bellenden Road its completely gentrified. There are some nice restaurants too and the market is dead good.
 
O

Omaar

Guest
I've been living in peckham for the last 6 months now, and generally have been really liking it. someone was murdered at my bus stop a few monthst ago though.

melmoth: Which market were you were refering to the farmers' market? that is quite good, as is the Library. the south west corner towards east dulwich is thoroughly gentrified now.

There's a lot of good carribean and african food to be had there too.

Anyway, I've had to move out now, and am looking for somewhere new to live. Any more recommendations?

Also, if anyone knows of anyone who needs a flatmate, please PM me!
 
IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich
I live in Dalston/Hackney. Personally I really like it. For better or worse (better I think) it's become greatly gentrified recently - an organic health food shop on Dalston lane for example - which I guess is inevitable due to it's positioning which leads to overspill from Stoke Newington, Angel and Old Street. Hackney in particular towards Bethnal Green has lots of green spaces and I think it's lovely in summer. Also, loads of good food places, both take-away and eat-in, within a short distance.
On the downside, my friend got mugged on Kingsland Road and I've had two attempted break-ins since I lived here but nothing for a couple of years now (fingers crossed). I guess that's the same anywhere really. Still not on the tube, but I prefer going on the bus anyway so who cares?
 
J

John Doe

Well-known member
IdleRich said:
I live in Dalston/Hackney. Personally I really like it. For better or worse (better I think) it's become greatly gentrified recently - an organic health food shop on Dalston lane for example - which I guess is inevitable due to it's positioning which leads to overspill from Stoke Newington, Angel and Old Street. Hackney in particular towards Bethnal Green has lots of green spaces and I think it's lovely in summer. Also, loads of good food places, both take-away and eat-in, within a short distance.
On the downside, my friend got mugged on Kingsland Road and I've had two attempted break-ins since I lived here but nothing for a couple of years now (fingers crossed). I guess that's the same anywhere really. Still not on the tube, but I prefer going on the bus anyway so who cares?
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Gentrification's a mixed blessing. I used to work around Exmouth Market in Clerkenwell about 8 years back and I had this weird experience of seeing the place get gentrified, week by week, before my very eyes. One by one the old shops closed to replaced by galleries selling hand crafted jewellery, smart bars, designer clothes shops, delis etc. While it was great it I fanced an organic tofu bake for lunch, it also lost much of its personality. I must be getting old because I can remeber Notting Hill before it became the nightmare it is today - and it's a shame really when the rough edges get polished off to be replaced by bland, polite (but 'safe') outposts for the urban middle class.
 
IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich
"Gentrification's a mixed blessing"
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Of course, that was what I meant by saying "for better or worse". Personally, in Hackney so far I think that the good outweighs the bad but I'm well aware that that balance could change and that other people may very well think differently. You wouldn't exactly have to be a radical to disagree with some of what has happened at Broadway Market or think that there are too many luxury flats being built, nor to feel slightly uncomfortable about the way pubs such as the Spurstowe Arms have shut down and then re-opened with pints costing a pound more than they used to and a very different clientele being courted.
 
J

John Doe

Well-known member
IdleRich said:
Of course, that was what I meant by saying "for better or worse". Personally, in Hackney so far I think that the good outweighs the bad but I'm well aware that that balance could change and that other people may very well think differently. You wouldn't exactly have to be a radical to disagree with some of what has happened at Broadway Market or think that there are too many luxury flats being built, nor to feel slightly uncomfortable about the way pubs such as the Spurstowe Arms have shut down and then re-opened with pints costing a pound more than they used to and a very different clientele being courted.
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Yeah, know what you mean. I used to think 'gastro-pubs' were a Good Thing. I now realize I was deluded beyond belief and that they are in fact an epidemic infecting the social body of London. Sure, you can enjoy a good glass of pinot with your pot roast pigeon (or whatever) but what's happened to the days when you could get a bag a chips from the next door chippy and sit inside and watch Gaelic football of a Sat afternoon whilst sipping a sticky pint of warm lager...

No seriously, they used to be quite good, but as you say now every second rate boozer seems to be closing, ripping out its sticky carpet, polishing the floorboards, and charging over £3 for a pint of pissy lager. IT MUST STOP!
 
B

bassnation

the abyss
John Doe said:
you say now every second rate boozer seems to be closing, ripping out its sticky carpet, polishing the floorboards, and charging over £3 for a pint of pissy lager. IT MUST STOP!
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apparently elephant is next on the gentrification list, although having worked there for many years, i have difficulty visualising such a scenario. having said that, if its going on hackney i suppose anythings possible.

the one thing i don't understand about this process is where people go who can no longer afford to live there. when you think about it, its shit really but you can't stop the movement of people, rich or poor.
 
M

mistersloane

heavy heavy monster sound
I highyl recommend Kilburn. It's relatively cheap, zone two, anonymous and not much happens, except for drinking in pubs that haven't been gentrified yet. Fab.
 
B

boomnoise

♫
Gentrification. Say it a couple of times; it sounds nice.

Just wondering if anyone has any idea about the best areas for renting spacious 4 bed places up to 1700 a month.
 
M

mms

sometimes
finsbury park is good, it's on the cusp of being gentrified but has never quite got there, the one or two wine bars don't quite work and the popular places are the pizza restaurants and cafs.
its not like stoke newington that got gentrified in parts enormously quickly. Saying that the council tax is incredibly high here, but they do seem to be putting work into stuff like the tube, parks ,there is a new library and there is some kinda bike lock up, so its stuff you can see happening.
 
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