London Living Areas (Working in Canary Wharf)

Following on from the recent thread about moving to NYC as an analyst I wanted to ask about living in London (just started as an analyst at a Canary Wharf BB). Living with parents at the moment, but planning to move to London in October (when starting at the desk – we’ve been told we’ll probably be in the office by then (at least occasionally).

I've looked through similar threads to this, but most are from a few years ago and don't have very specific details - regardless, apologies for the boring topic.

From what I’ve read it sounds like places south of the river (e.g London Bridge / Bermondsey) are good options in terms of reasonably priced, decent vibe, not too far from the office (and on the Jubilee).
Wondering if anyone can comment on / compare these?

Would rather not go too far from the office for the sake of evening taxi journeys, but equally don't want to be living right by Canary Wharf. Cheers

 
Most Helpful

OK - let me help you out. I know the city v. well and have worked in CW:

London Bridge and Bermondsey are both very decent ideas for the reasons you gave (except price, since they are not cheap). I would likely go for London Bridge over Bermondsey (nicer area) but either could work depending on your taste and both are ultimately 15 mins walking from one another.

Other ideas based on spec you gave: * South of the river - Stratford, Balham, Tooting and Woolwich Arsenal are all places that I wouldn't want to live personally but many people who move to London and work in CW do. They are all connected to CW in various ways but are not too close to CW as you mentioned (e.g. Limehouse, etc.). However, they come with a health warning - and really and truly be careful because if you're not from London these areas (and other areas like Elephant and Castle) are known to really "surprise" newcomers to the city * East London connected to CW by overground - Shoreditch and others - cooler, more expensive, etc. but also have a vibe that can get rough so within this I'd keep it close to Shoreditch/the Boxpark/Liverpool St./Old Street side for you rather than Bethnal Green/Cambridge Heath side * North of the river: I would be looking at places which get you either on the Jubilee straight away or close to northern line so you can switch at London Bridge to Jubilee, e.g.: Chalk Farm or Camden (North London), Angel.

My personal preference would be towards this last category and specifically I would consider Baker Street/St John's Wood/Swiss Cottage. For me, these are good options as they are walking distance into central London, to Regent's Park and are generally nice areas. Depending on how well you know London, these areas would be a gentler place to get acquainted to living in London vs. south or east London (lower crime, more affluent areas). I also think London Bridge is a good idea, so if you want to be more central I'd go for London Bridge but if you like a bit more space and scenery then I'd go for the above nearer Regent's Park.

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