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Topic: Any opinions of the Maida Vale/Swiss Cottage/St Johns Wood/Little Venice areas?  (Read 2068 times)

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I am looking for nice neighborhoods on the Jubilee or Bakerloo lines.  Does anyone have any experience in these areas?  thanks!


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Hello! I live in Kilburn, so am along the Bakerloo and Jubilee, but a few stops further out. I think all areas you mentioned are great. There are a lot of Americans in the St Johns Wood area, and it's very residential and green. As with all areas in London, it does vary from street to street, so you'd have to base it on the property location itself, but on the whole I'd say all these areas are nice.

If you do move a little further out, like Kilburn, West Hampstead or Queens Park, you will get a little more for your money in terms of property, with just a few minutes extra commute.

If you have any particular questions about the area, just let me know. I've not been in NW London terribly long, but have become familiar and fond of it rather quickly!
I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.' Kurt Vonnegut


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Thanks for the reply!  I hadnt looked further North on Jubilee Line but these areas look promising, and I like the idea of getting a bit more flat for the pound (I like the sound of that).  Is the Kilburn area offer nice mix of shops, pubs, greenspace?


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Many years ago I lived in the Swiss Cottage/Frognal/Belsize Park neighborhood and it was nice, but not any nicer than other neighborhoods.  Now, however, the prices have shot up considerably and its still just fine, more or less.  St Johns Wood has always been pricy, but its a nice, nice area (heavily Jewish though - not sure if that matters to you or not, but there are a lot of temples and Jewish-focused schools and the like).

We are moving shortly to a place in West Hampstead and that area has changed quite a bit in 15 years.  Much nicer - the West End Lane is a cute little area tucked back behind some very imposing (and expensive) mansion blocks.  Also, that area is extremely well connected either via Overground to get to the East End, by bus/Tube to get into central London/West London, or Thameslink to get into the City quite quickly.  Finally, they built a giant, hideous mall structure by Finchley Rd tube around 2000 that does have its uses for a really large Sainsburys, Waterstones, movie theatre, etc.

Maida Vale and Little Venice are also very pricey - the closer you get to Regent's Park or, god help you, Primrose Hill, the higher the prices go and the more famous your neighbors.

I don't know Kilburn or Queens Park very well - I think if you are on the border with some of the areas above you will be ok, but I have heard that parts of Kilburn can be questionable.  There is also South Hampstead to check out too, though that is pretty stylistically similar to West Hampstead :)
« Last Edit: December 23, 2014, 12:32:26 PM by BertineC »


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Wow, great response, thank you so much.  I will add West End Lane area to my searching!  Very excited as the big move approaches.


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Concerning Kilburn, I can see how some areas might be a little less nice than others. I'm fairly close to the high road, which isn't a lovely place, but it has everything I could need. Kilburn Kitself sits between West Hampstead and Queens Park, which are both great areas. So while the high road itself isn't somewhere I would recommend living, it does divide two very nice areas, with some decent places to live in between. Kilburn might not be as charming as its surrounding neighbourhoods, but there are definitely some gems here and it has been one of my favourite places to live in London so far.

I'm about a 10 minute walk to Queens Park (main road is Salusbury Road) which has a lot of restaurants, cafes and the park itself is very nice. If you look at the area between Kilburn High Road and Queens Park, the closer you get to Queens Park the nicer it is. Same in respect to West Hampstead. It's  a little livelier than Queens Park and there isn't as much green space, but there are a few more cafes and restaurants, and more transport links.

If you have the time to visit the areas and walk around, I'd recommend it so you can get a feel for if it suits you. There are a lot of young professionals around here as well as young families, which I feel always bodes well for an area of London if you want to be able to go out places, but also want the quiet sometimes.

 
I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.' Kurt Vonnegut


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