# Requesting feedback on some areas to live with a Young Family in Greater London



## Moving2UK (Oct 24, 2011)

Hello!

My spouse and I are thinking of accepting a job offer in Central London and moving to the UK with our 3-year-old and baby (will be born in UK). This is my first post, and I'm excited to get some feedback about some areas we've narrowed our home search to---specifically which are safest and best for a young family. And I apologize upfront for the long post. It includes a lot of info to give a good idea what we're looking for in a place to live. 

We'll have a budget in the range of 700-800 GBP/week for a 3+ bedroom house. The location must be very safe, near a good park for the little ones, and within 0.8km (1/2 mile) of a tube station with a 45 minute or less commute Paddington Station (the shorter the better). 

Extras we're hoping for--if we can afford them--are a garden, off-street parking, a walkable neighborhood with lots of young families--including some Americans, a good hospital nearby (to deliver the baby on private insurance), and a good state school within walking distance for my 3-year-old (I hear some places that offer free early learning/nursery/preschool for ages 3 and 4, which I'm interested in)

If you have personal experience with any of these areas, I would very much appreciate some general info as well as feedback on how well they fit the above criteria:

- Maida Vale
- Hampstead 
- St John's Wood
- Putney / Fulham
- Wimbledon
- Kew / Richmond

What do you know about these areas? Which are best or worst for my situation? If you know of any other particularly safe, family-friendly areas that meet my criteria, please suggest them, too, as I may have overlooked them. 

Thank you so much!


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

I don't know much about Putney, but other than that all the places you've listed are some of the nicer areas of London and I would consider them all safe. Wimbledon, Kew and Richmond are the leafiest but also the farthest away from Central London so 45 minutes to Paddington could be a bit of a challenge and you will have to change trains at Earl's Court from Richmond. These areas are also more suberby so you will probably have the easiest time finding a place with a garden and since they are out Central London you might get a little more for your money.

St. Johns Wood and its neighbor, Maida Vale are the closest to Paddington as the crow flies but there also isn't a direct train to Paddington from St. Johns Wood. Being in Central London, you will get the least for your money in these 2 areas. St. Johns Wood has a lot of apartment blocks so while they do exist, places with a garden are going to be harder to find. The American School is in St. Johns Wood so as you would imagine there are a LOT of Americans there.

Hampstead is also leafy and green and family friendly helped by its proximity to Hampstead Heath but also not a direct or easy commute to Paddington compounded by being on the Northern Line which is the line plagued with the most problems. 

You can get from Fulham to Paddington easily in less than 45 minutes and probably in 15 or 20 when things are running smoothly. Fulham is probably the most bustling of the places you've mentioned (although as I said, I'm not familiar with Putney). 

As far as checking out schools, upmystreet which I referred to in another thread has school info as well as neighborhood info. Also check the local council websites. This site might help, as well:

Ofsted | Home page


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## Moving2UK (Oct 24, 2011)

nyclon,

Thank you for the informative response! It's so good to get some feedback from someone who has been in these areas and knows the tube lines, neighborhoods, etc. And thanks for being the first to respond to my post, I hope there are many more helpful responses.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

Your welcome. I would also suggest getting a map of London and a tube map so you get a better lay of the land. This will help you get an idea about distances, parks and commuting as well.


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## modernfamilyinlondon (Jun 20, 2012)

Hello there. I know this is an old thread, but I have some of the same questions, and I am wondering how everything worked out. Please do update us if you have a chance.


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## modernfamilyinlondon (Jun 20, 2012)

Hi Moving2UK -

Welcome to the Expat Forum, and to London! I found this forum very useful as I was making plans for our family's move, and I hope you do as well.

We settled on Kew, and love it here. We were looking for much the same as you - family-friendly, safe, lots for little ones to do, good schools . . . We found all that here in Kew. We are in a development called Kew Riverside, which is a good mix of apartments, freestanding houses, and townhouses. Many of our neighbors have toddler children, and the neighborhood is a mix of people from all over the world. Our oldest (who is 3) is in preschool here, and we have arranged for a place for our younger toddlers there, too. 

Please let me know if you have any specific questions, either about Kew, or about the moving process. I am far from an expert, but there's a lot I have learned the hard way, and I'd be glad to pass along anything I know.

Charles


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## Jeka (Nov 8, 2012)

Hi modern family!

I currently live in Honduras, my husband is a UK citizen and therefore so are my 2 children. We are seriously thinking about moving to london, my younger son (3yrs old) has undiagnosed disabilities and here in my country doctors already gave up. So we are thinking of selling everything, quitting our jobs and taking our savings and children on this adventure (quite scary to tell you the truth since we have no prior working experience abroad). I studied and work as an architect in Honduras, but probably will need to study and pass exams (plus all the visas issues) before I can expect to work over there. 

I'd like to know, from your experience, how much should we expect to spend on a monthly basis (living on a tight budget)? Family of 4, my daughter is 7 yrs old.

Thank you.


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## modernfamilyinlondon (Jun 20, 2012)

*monthly budget*

Hi Jeka,

Thanks for your question! I wish you all the best as you think about this adventure.

I don't know too much about others' budgets in the London area, but I will tell you that we have found things very, very expensive here. All the places we looked at for rentals were over £5,000/month, and we ended up spending quite a bit more than that. This is much more expensive than we were used to paying at home in the US. On the other hand, we have a larger family, and we were looking for a 5 bedroom flat. I think that, if you aren't looking for as many bedrooms, you might be able to spend significantly less.

I'd like to invite others with more experience to chime in, too!



Jeka said:


> Hi modern family!
> 
> I currently live in Honduras, my husband is a UK citizen and therefore so are my 2 children. We are seriously thinking about moving to london, my younger son (3yrs old) has undiagnosed disabilities and here in my country doctors already gave up. So we are thinking of selling everything, quitting our jobs and taking our savings and children on this adventure (quite scary to tell you the truth since we have no prior working experience abroad). I studied and work as an architect in Honduras, but probably will need to study and pass exams (plus all the visas issues) before I can expect to work over there.
> 
> ...


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## Jeka (Nov 8, 2012)

Thank you so much for your answer, it gives me a ballpark figure.


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## modernfamilyinlondon (Jun 20, 2012)

Sure. Let us know how your planning goes!



Jeka said:


> Thank you so much for your answer, it gives me a ballpark figure.


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

Jeka said:


> Thank you so much for your answer, it gives me a ballpark figure.


Modernfamily's budget is very healthy and he is also in one of the most expensive and desirable areas of London so I wouldn't use that as a benchmark. 

London is about 659 square miles and in general the farther away you get from the center, the cheaper things get.


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## Mmmoving to london (Nov 25, 2013)

*Kew and schooling*

Dear modern family
I think we are following in similar footsteps to your family. We have three young children, 1,4 and 5 and are considering moving to kew or surrounds with my husband's work. Being australian the children love swimming so kew riverside was a possibility for renting. I was wondering if you or anyone could kindly give any feedback on the complex and the pool? Are there other good pools around the kids can access?
Also and of course top of the list of factors is schooling. We would be sending the children to an independent co ed school if possible so I was wondering if anyone has feedback on the unicorn school, kew green or kew college. Are they impossible to get into? We would probably try and start the children in Sept 14. Also any feedback on good nursery schools would be great. 
Sorry so many questions. So much to think about so any intelligence is gratefully appreciated.
Thanks
Mmm


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## modernfamilyinlondon (Jun 20, 2012)

Mmmoving to london said:


> Dear modern family
> I think we are following in similar footsteps to your family. We have three young children, 1,4 and 5 and are considering moving to kew or surrounds with my husband's work. Being australian the children love swimming so kew riverside was a possibility for renting. I was wondering if you or anyone could kindly give any feedback on the complex and the pool? Are there other good pools around the kids can access?
> Also and of course top of the list of factors is schooling. We would be sending the children to an independent co ed school if possible so I was wondering if anyone has feedback on the unicorn school, kew green or kew college. Are they impossible to get into? We would probably try and start the children in Sept 14. Also any feedback on good nursery schools would be great.
> Sorry so many questions. So much to think about so any intelligence is gratefully appreciated.
> ...


Hi there. I'm glad to give feedback based on our first 14 months here in Kew Riverside.

First, we love the complex. It's modern, clean, safe, convenient to Kew and the Tube, with loads of open space for children to play, and a real neighborhood feel. The gym/pool are very nice, too, and we use them almost daily. So we definitely recommend Kew Riverside.

Schooling is quite a challenge around here, as the independent schools tend to be oversubscribed. We registered when we came (and through the winter) for our daughter for reception for Fall 2014, and haven't heard any Yes responses yet. We're still hoping, though. However, the local state schools are said to be very good, and they seem like great places for children as well. 

Please feel free to PM me if you have any more questions - and do let us know if you move to the area!


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## Mmmoving to london (Nov 25, 2013)

Thank you so much for your prompt and positive reply, I suspect we will have lots of questions so would welcome the opportunity to pm you when we have more of an idea what we are doing.
Thanks again!


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