cheap - and commutable to central London - possible?

mrstilton

I like Richmond too. I've never seen any tower blocks there. Whereabouts are they? Are they private?

mouche

Richmond is lovely but obviously nowhere near the budget of the OP. The trouble is the really nice places may be too expensive and the cheaper ones have some drawbacks. I guess areas with drawbacks (like SE London) have nicer streets/areas and worse ones and only people who actually live there in those streets know what they are really like. That's the beauty of a site like this - there are so many people willing to give honest feedback on the street they live on.

hethmar

Am I getting confused with Roehampton ?

Actually I googled to see if I were and found a recent article about some tower blocks proposed for Richmond, which is a coincidence.

GDB2222

mouche wrote: »

Richmond is lovely but obviously nowhere near the budget of the OP. The trouble is the really nice places may be too expensive and the cheaper ones have some drawbacks. I guess areas with drawbacks (like SE London) have nicer streets/areas and worse ones and only people who actually live there in those streets know what they are really like. That's the beauty of a site like this - there are so many people willing to give honest feedback on the street they live on.

Without huge price falls, the OP is not going to get a big enough house within her budget in a very nice part of London. In any case, commuting on the Underground from the outskirts of London will probably take as long as using the Overground from further out, although the fares may be different. Personally, I would much rather live somewhere nice in the back of beyond than somewhere nasty in London.

Having said that, Rightmove lists nearly 200 4-bed properties in the London area at under say £220k, and some of those are going to be in liveable-in areas.

somabc

The trouble is if all of SE London were like, Richmond / Greenwich etc then it would just be another rich persons playground as most of the centre of London is already. You need 'rougher' areas like Lewisham, Bermondsey, etc so that people on a average wages or just starting out their career can afford to live in the city.

kunekune

Not even 'average' or 'starting'. In my field, it can take a good 10 years to reach a salary in the mid-40s, and it took me longer. It is only in the last couple of years that I have earned enough that, if need be, we could afford a family-sized house on my income. Which is just as well, now, because that's what we're going to have to do. This isn't an unskilled or even a badly paid line of work, though it is in the public sector. I don't know, tbh, how people do it. Or rather, I do, but if I had to do that, I'd stay in Yorkshire.

Though, ruminating, if you want a garden, it's not as much cheaper up here as you might expect!

Gingernutmeg

hethmar wrote: »

Surely there are huge tower blocks in Richmond?

I think you were getting mixed up with Roehampton lol - the Alton estate is where all of the big tower blocks are, I can't think of any offhand in Richmond. They're (or some of the buildings there) are listed as they were designed by Le Corbusier(?) and are apparently a great modernist statement. For all of their problems (they're a bit crumbly round the edges now) you do get fabulous views over Richmond park. Actually, although it's considered to be a rough-ish area, I lived there for a couple of years and it's not bad at all. The only other big 'tower-block' area round there is the Cambridge estate in Kingston.

lostinrates

If a special school is required, and potentially a good consultant for your DH then, considring that you won't be daily commuting, I'd loook at where in the home counties these needs can be best met. and work that way round. Its gettable into from most areas aroun the edge, but the hospital/school might not be as gettable if towards a different direction from wher you choose to base yourself.

neverdespairgirl

mrandmrswilliams wrote: »

Richmond Park with its deer is delighful, and the whole of Richmond is refined and genteel. It's a fabulous place and full of beautiful rsidences, and lovely shops and upmarket restaurants. It's also very habdy fro Heathrow, There are no nasty parts like there are in Blackheath or Greenwich. Most of the south east of London is very poor and rough.

Greenwich Park has deer too, but fortunately isn't "refined and genteel". Those words make me think of Hyacinth Bucket more than anything!

lostinrates

I used to love Richmond, but like many lovely places its suffered greatly from High Street Globalisation.

Kunekune, depsit my loving Richmond from the sounds of it it wouldn't really meet you needs best, and certainly not most economically.

A good idea might be to print out the south east trains map and look at that for guaging your comfort zone with cummute lengths. FWIW I'm over a hundred miles from London, and my DH and dad both live in London all week, but there are people even here who COMMUTE DAILY to London. Madness, IMO. I'm fairly confident you could find somewhere within your price more commutably.