Best Places to live in London on the River

As part of our Best Places to Live in London series, today we’re looking at 5 of the best places to live next to the River Thames that cuts London in two to form North of the River and South of the River.
The areas mentioned below are not the only places to live in London on the river, but in our opinion they are well worth considering. Interestingly, given their proximity to the waterfront, they’re not all as expensive as you’d imagine either.

Limehouse
In the East End, Limehouse can be found in the postcode area of E14. It’s a lovely area on the River Thames that is sandwiched between Canary Wharf/the Isle of Dogs and Stepney Green. Due to it’s close proximity to both the financial worlds of Canary Wharf and the City, Limehouse is filled with young professionals from the banking world. But don’t hold that against it. There are beautiful riverside pubs available on Narrow Street including Gordon Ramsay’s ‘The Narrow’, ‘The Grapes’ and ‘Booty’s Riverside Bar’. Property-wise, you’re looking at conversion style flats, the odd warehouse conversion or new-build apartment blocks. You can stroll down to West India Quay and Canary Wharf within minutes for further entertainment options including restaurants, the cinema and more bars. You can be in Central London in less than 15 minutes thanks to the DLR and Jubilee lines.

Greenwich
An attractive part of town, Greenwich doesn’t have much in the way of nightlife, but that is it’s only downside. Greenwich is filled with independent shops, a fantastic market, the leisurely Greenwich Park, cultural options such as the Cutty Sark, National Maritime Museum and the Observatory and you can also enjoy a pint or two on the river at places like the Trafalgar Tavern. The thing about Greenwich though, is that if you don’t live in Central Greenwich, you can easily find yourself living in a less desirable area next to it (Deptford, New Cross, Charlton), which really isn’t the same experience at all, but is much cheaper. If you want to live close to the park in a Georgian or Victorian conversion, you’ll pay a premium compared to East Greenwich. Although this article is about best places on the river, we can’t help but think that one of the nicest streets in Greenwich is actually Royal Hill, so if you find yourself in the area, make sure you visit!

Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe was once the maritime capital of London and was home to the Mayflower Ship, which the oldest pub on the Thames is named after. Rotherhithe also featured in the Dicken’s book of ‘Oliver Twist’ which depicted it with the serious lack of glamour that it possessed at the time.
Rotherhithe is located in the postcode district of SE16 which actually also includes South Bermondsey (nearer London Bridge) and Surrey Quays – home to a shopping centre and cinema. Rotherhithe is quiet compared to it’s neighbours and has some lovely open spaces in the form of Southwark Park, the Russia Dock Woodlands and the Stave Hill Ecology Park. The most popular part of the area is Rotherhithe Village which is quite picturesque – think old Wharf buildings, cobbled streets and great views of Tower Bridge and the City. Property in the area is less expensive than it’s neighbours and usually comes in the form of warehouse conversion flats or new-builds.

Battersea
Battersea has come on leaps and bounds in the last 25 years – it was formerly quite a mess of a place, both industrial and working class. And yet, by looking at a map of London it seems as though it was always inevitable that the area situated directly across the river from Chelsea would become the gentrified location that it is now. Although the hubbub of Battersea can be found down at Clapham Junction and the Northcote Road, the area next to the river is certainly of interest to many too. The beautiful Battersea Park with it’s boating lakes, bandstand, children’s zoo and gardens can be found here as can many riverside apartments with their penthouse views over the Thames. These of course come with a tremendous price tag, much like the the flats in mansion blocks on the luxurious Prince of Wales Drive. Other flats come in the form of ex-council housing on one of the 4 huge council estates in Battersea – these are unglamorous but functional. In summary, Battersea is a large and varied area, but it is a fantastic place to live and it’s closeness to the river makes it well worth a look at.

Putney
First of all let’s talk pubs – what is better than sitting out looking over the river holding a cold glass of wine, or pint in your hand? You can do this at both the Boathouse Putney and the Duke’s Head (a Grade II listed building which is over 150 years old). Putney is a pretty and popular part of town particularly with the Australian and sporting communities (rowing, rugby and cricket). Housing near the river, as you would imagine, is pricey, but if you live nearer the vast Putney Heath which is attached to Wimbledon Common, you’ll find it much more affordable. Putney Pier is home to the start of the Oxford and Cambridge boat race and has the best of Putney’s bars and restaurants. It also has private moorings available if booked in advance.

Where do graduates live in London?

If you’re moving to London in 2012 having just finished your degree and are wondering where graduates live in London, then we’ve picked out 10 areas where you can live alongside people on a similar wavelength to you. These are certainly not the only areas of London that graduates live in (the options are limitless) but these are some of the most popular areas where you’ll find former bookworms living in. You might also be interested in reading our Where do young professionals live in London post as graduates and young professionals often go hand in hand.

Forest Hill
Forest Hill is located in South-East London and has a station on the London Overground line. If you’re a culture vulture, you’ll be a big fan of the Horniman Museum (includes African Worlds exhibition, aquarium and Musical Instruments gallery). Forest Hill is quite a small area, but includes some lovely independent coffee shops and tea rooms, basic high street necessities such as WH Smiths and Boots and popular pubs such as the Dartmouth Arms.

Muswell Hill
Muswell Hill is a fantastic village location situated in North London. Life centres around Muswell Hill Broadway which contains quality restaurants, pubs and shops. It’s got quite a yummy mummy feel to it, which even if that’s not your thing means that it comes across as a safe and reasonably wealthy suburban area.

Greenwich
There are few places in London as appealing as the part of Greenwich which is next to the river in South-East London. It’s worth knowing that the further you get away from the river, the more rundown the area gets, but on the whole Greenwich has heaps of positive points to it. In terms of culture and activities, you can spend your weekends visiting the Cutty Sark, the National Maritime Museum, the Greenwich theatre and the Observatory. The choice of good pubs to drink at is vast – you can choose from riverside supping or excellent ales at the pubs on Royal Hill – chocolate beer anyone?

Putney
Again, Putney is situated on the river, in a pretty part of town, but this time it’s down in South-West London. It is popular with fans of rowing and rugby, but in general it’s a fairly green and quiet part of town. There may not be enough night-life for some of you out there (the pubs are nice rather than crazy), although the Australian live music venue, the Redback Tavern keeps things going until about 3am. In general this is a lovely area to live in.

Shoreditch
Shoreditch is located minutes away from Liverpool Street and the City of London. It’s an achingly trendy area – think clothes that don’t appear to match and asymmetrical haircuts. It attracts fashion students, artists, musicians and many other people with undiscovered talents living in amazing warehouse conversions. There are a plethora of amazing bars and restaurants in the area. This is an extremely international part of town, even by London’s standards. If you love curry (who doesn’t?) then Brick Lane is a great night – finish off with a drink or two at 93 Feet East. Bowling is also available at American style alley – All Star Lanes.

Highbury
Highbury is located at the top of Upper Street, Islington. It’s an expensive area but the properties are phenomenal. Trendy pubs, organic food shops, coffee shops and restaurants dominate the small postcode area. If you’re vaguely sporty, then you’ll enjoy having the Highbury Swimming Pool on your doorstep. Highbury offers excellent access to Islington and to Central London as it’s on the Victoria line – you can also be in Shoreditch within minutes. For open spaces, you have the Highbury Fields which sits right next to the station.

Kennington
Kennington is located in South London, extremely near to the river. In terms of traffic, it is busy! At night-time, a small selection of good pubs and restaurants are scattered around the Kennington Cross area, but for day-time activities you might want to head to Kennington Park or pop down the road to the Imperial War Museum (free). Without a doubt, the best thing about Kennington is it’s amazing transport links and proximity to Central London at affordable prices.

Battersea
Battersea is located on the south bank of the river, straight across the bridge from Chelsea. It’s a large and varied area but most of it is desirable. You may choose to live near Battersea Park, which is next to the river, or further towards the sociable crowds that gather around Clapham Junction and the Northcote Road which is always buzzing.

Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe is a former maritime area of London – on the south bank of the river, just east of London Bridge and Bermondsey, the area offers excellent converted warehouse spaces at a fraction of the price compared to other river-facing postcodes. Pretty and historic pubs are located around the Rotherhithe village area and modern shopping facilities and a cinema can be found at nearby Surrey Quays.

Limehouse
Limehouse is located in the Docklands, within walking distance of the river and Canary Wharf. The area contains a very pretty street called Narrow Street which has a number of historic riverside pubs (with restaurants) overlooking the river. If you’re looking for shopping, a job in finance, a cinema or a supermarket, then all of these are available down at Canary Wharf. Limehouse offers trains into Tower Hill or Bank on the DLR in under 9 minutes so is perfectly located for both City and Canary Wharf workers.

Relocate to London in 2011

It’s the New Year and there’s nothing like a cold January morning to give you a kick up the backside and start making some plans for the blank canvas that is 2011. Now the festivities have well and truly subsided, it’s time to start thinking about your move to London.

Don’t be fooled into thinking this is a quiet time of year for people moving in and out of London, it’s actually quite busy. Australians and New Zealanders tend to move to London during their summer (which is now), so you’ll need to be on top of your game in order to get ahead of the competition and secure the best accommodation and temp jobs.

Accommodation

The first thing you need to decide is where you want to live in London. This will probably be determined by a number of factors, such as your budget, proximity to potential workplace and where your existing friends live.
If you’re not sure about residential areas of London, then please take a look at our North London, South London, East London and West London pages.

Next up, it’s really wise to place an ad for FREE with Easyroommate, who are an excellent flatmate finding service. You can request a room, or search for available rooms all over London.

Jobs

Totaljobs.com have stated that the first quarter of 2011 could be tough for jobseekers, due to ‘external influences like the VAT increase and continued instability in European markets’ meaning that recruiters may play it safe until they can see what is happening with our economy.

This may sound quite bleak, but what it actually means, is that there could well be a rise in temp work available in London. Please look at our Working in London page for information on how to approach working as a ‘temp’ in London.

In the meantime though, there’s nothing to stop you from looking for a permanent job. There may be less jobs available but companies are still hiring. For those of you who are ‘Apprentice’ fans, take a leaf out of runner-up Chris Bates’s book, who prior to appearing on the show managed to secure a job as an investment banker with JP Morgan after completing his degree at Nottingham University.

In order to get ahead of the game, make sure your C.V is totally and utterly polished and upload it for FREE to Monster. It’s a great service, where as well as searching for available vacancies, you can include your C.V in the pool which recruiters look at to hand pick the best of the best to invite to interviews for jobs which they don’t even bother advertising.
It’s a bit of a pain, but only approximately 1/3 of London jobs are officially advertised. The rest are filled by recruitment agencies, word of mouth and candidate selection sites such as Monster.

We’ve given you some starting points here for your move to London in 2011. Happy New Year from everyone here at Moove2London and we wish you the best of luck for your move.

Where do Australians, New Zealanders and South Africans live in London?

Those of you familiar with our Moving to London from Abroad page, will know that we already have heaps of information on arriving in London from overseas. For example we have advice on visas, finding temporary accommodation and flatshares, airport transfers, how to go about getting a NI number and much more.
What we’re going to be doing in the next couple of weeks though, is to launch pages for each of the following groups of expats moving to London:

• Australians moving to London
• New Zealanders moving to London
• South Africans moving to London
• Canadians moving to London
• Americans moving to London

Where do Australians live in London?
When most people think about Aussies living in London, they tend to think about Earls Court (known affectionately as Kangaroo Valley) and at one time they’d have been right as this area of West London was the first port of call for many Australians arriving in the UK.
But rental prices are quite high there, so people gradually drifted out to nearby Shepherd’s Bush instead. Nowadays though, it is Fulham and Clapham in South London where the largest population of Aussie expats are to be found. Balham, Streatham and Tooting also being good local (but often cheaper) options.
You can start searching for accommodation or people to share with, before you even leave Australia. Sign up with Easyroommate for FREE.

Where do New Zealanders live in London?
In general, many Aussies and Kiwis live in similar areas to each other. Although the two nations are extremely different and there is a decent amount of friendly rivalry between these two Southern Hemisphere countries, Australians and New Zealanders living in London tend to have a lot in common with each other in terms of being far away from home and having similar urges to see a lot of Europe whilst they’re over here. Therefore, you’ll also find a lot of Kiwis living in areas such as Clapham, Fulham, Ealing and specifically Acton (tends to be favoured more by Kiwis than by Aussies). Both Australians and New Zealanders can also be found in the north-western residential arc of London which includes areas such as Willesden, Queens Park and Kilburn.
Again, to start searching for accommodation before you’ve even stepped onto an aircraft, try signing up with Easyroommate , who are one of Moove2London’s favourite flat-finding sites, because they’re totally FREE to sign up with!!!

Where do South Africans live in London?
South Africans in London have in recent history previously formed a huge community living in Leytonstone (East London), although reportedly this community has decreased quite a bit in the last 18 months.
Other areas of London that South Africans tend to gravitate towards, include Southfields and Wimbledon in South London, Enfield in North London and also Clapham Junction alongside the Aussies and Kiwis.