North London; where to move?
December 7, 2009 2:51 PM Subscribe
Movingfilter/NorthLondon : Me and my Bf are thinking of moving to Edgeware/Burnt Oak area of Brent in London. Is this a good idea? Do you have a better one?
Hello North London Mefitties. Here are some things me and the boy would like in an area; Close to london, but not too expensive. Equidistant or close enough to drive to our workplaces; Watford and Welwyn Garden City. Good/Fast connection to central London and on the night bus route home. Interesting, lively, multicultural, not too middle class but not deprived. Were looking at paying about £900 rent per month between us.
There are a couple of places that fit the bill; Harrow (I live here and know it well), Edgeware (never been, gonna go suss it out soon), do you know of any more or have any anecdotal evidence about living in these areas?
Thanks
Hello North London Mefitties. Here are some things me and the boy would like in an area; Close to london, but not too expensive. Equidistant or close enough to drive to our workplaces; Watford and Welwyn Garden City. Good/Fast connection to central London and on the night bus route home. Interesting, lively, multicultural, not too middle class but not deprived. Were looking at paying about £900 rent per month between us.
There are a couple of places that fit the bill; Harrow (I live here and know it well), Edgeware (never been, gonna go suss it out soon), do you know of any more or have any anecdotal evidence about living in these areas?
Thanks
I live in Archway and pay approximately £850pm for a very nice, large, one bedroom flat with a garden. A friend around the corner pays about £600pm, but this is unusually low. I very much enjoy living here.
The transport links are excellent - Holloway Rd seems to be a major bus interchange and there's the tube). It only takes 20mins or so to get into the centre, it's about 20-30mins to walk to the heart of Islington, and about the same time to get across to London Bridge. Parking permits cost about £50 for the year and finding a space is not a problem. Access to the A1 is very easy.
It's multicultural (my corner store is Persian!) and there are loads of shops (large and small) so getting food/other supplies is pretty convenient. Hampstead Heath and Queens Wood (ancient woodland!) are nearby too if you get a hankering for some nature. There are also quite a few nice pubs and restaurants in the area.
Other places to consider are Highgate and Muswell Hill, but these seem to be significantly more expensive (and might be a bit too "middle class" for your tastes), and the transport links are not so good (nice views though).
Feel free to MefiMail me if you want more info.
posted by jonesor at 4:37 AM on December 8, 2009
The transport links are excellent - Holloway Rd seems to be a major bus interchange and there's the tube). It only takes 20mins or so to get into the centre, it's about 20-30mins to walk to the heart of Islington, and about the same time to get across to London Bridge. Parking permits cost about £50 for the year and finding a space is not a problem. Access to the A1 is very easy.
It's multicultural (my corner store is Persian!) and there are loads of shops (large and small) so getting food/other supplies is pretty convenient. Hampstead Heath and Queens Wood (ancient woodland!) are nearby too if you get a hankering for some nature. There are also quite a few nice pubs and restaurants in the area.
Other places to consider are Highgate and Muswell Hill, but these seem to be significantly more expensive (and might be a bit too "middle class" for your tastes), and the transport links are not so good (nice views though).
Feel free to MefiMail me if you want more info.
posted by jonesor at 4:37 AM on December 8, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
Four years on, we're reasonably happy with our choice. If we had to choose again I think we'd look for places further into town (Archway, Tufnell Park) or slightly further east (Hornsey, Crouch End) where there's a slightly grittier urban feel; more 'London' and less suburban. If you're driving to work in Watford and Welwyn every day, then Edgware makes a lot of sense, but you could maybe widen your search a bit and look for places closer to Central London.
I've nothing against Edgware, but I wouldn't say it fits your description of 'interesting, lively, multicultural'; the area around the tube station is pretty solidly middle class, and it's always struck me as (dare I say it) a rather featureless sort of place. I don't remember the shops along the high street as being particularly interesting.
Happy to continue the conversation by e-mail if you think I can help further.
posted by verstegan at 12:10 AM on December 8, 2009