Where to live in London on the DLR line

moove2london on 06 Jul 2012

We’re continuing our posts based around the theme of ‘where to live in London’ on a particular tube line – today we’re describing 5 residential areas that each have a station on the DLR line. The DLR stands for ‘Docklands Light Railway’ and serves 45 stations in and around the developed Docklands area. There are various different branches on the DLR, the services run as follows: Bank to Woolwich Arsenal, Bank to Lewisham, Stratford to Lewisham, Tower Gateway to Beckton, Stratford International to Woolwich Arsenal and Stratford International to Beckton.
If you happen to work in Canary Wharf or even the City (using Bank or Tower Hill as your station) then you could really benefit from living in an area that has a station on the DLR line.

Limehouse
This area is a mix of old and new. The old is represented by the historic part of the East End bordering Stepney Green and Bow. The new features the swanky riverside apartments and trendy bars down in Canary Wharf. The prettiest part of Limehouse can be found on Narrow Street which has a handful of pubs on the river as well as converted warehouse apartments. To find out more about living in Limehouse please read our full area guide.

Greenwich
The DLR station in Greenwich can be found at North Greenwich. Central Greenwich (the bit by the river) is one of the more attractive parts of London and is like a magnet to tourists, particularly during the summer months. It has a number of sightseeing options including the Cutty Sark, the National Maritime Museum and the Royal Observatory (which sits high above the popular Greenwich Park). For those of you who don’t know and are afraid to ask, Greenwich Meantime Time (GMT) used to refer to a time system used at the Observatory to measure ‘mean solar time’. Greenwich has some lovely riverside pubs and restaurants, great independent shops, a thriving market and magnificent views over the Thames. To find out more about living in Greenwich please read our full Greenwich area guide.

Bow
Bow is served by various stations in it’s area (including Bow Road and Mile End), but Bow Church is the station that can be found on the DLR line.
Bow is located in E3 in the East End of London. It’s popularity in recent years is undoubtedly due to it’s proximity to both Canary Wharf and the City of London. Properties are a little more attractive than in neighbouring Poplar and Stepney/Whitechapel also. On the northern borders of the area you can find Victoria Park, which is a beautiful green space in the midst of East London. In recent years a few gastropubs have popped up in Bow, but the area is still dominated by ‘old man’ pubs and lacks a decent supply of restaurants – but none of this is a problem, as you’re a short bus ride/walk away from more quality options. To find out more about living in Bow, please read our Bow area guide.

Stratford
Stratford has changed beyond recognition in recent years – as you’ll all know it’s home to London 2012 this year, but has also recently seen Westfield Stratford shopping centre open up since late 2011. It is currently the 3rd largest shopping centre in the UK (based on retail space) and includes a Waitrose supermarket, John Lewis and M&S department stores and a 17-screen VUE cinema. You can also find no less than 70 restaurants on site. To find out more about living in Stratford, please view our Stratford area guide.

West Ham
West Ham is located in E13, which is in East London in Transport Zone 3. Property prices are much more affordable here than any of the other areas on the DLR that we’ve mentioned above. But this doesn’t mean that West Ham has nothing going for it. Perhaps the biggest draw to living in West Ham/Plaistow (same postcode) is the fact that the area has great transport links into better places such as Central London, Canary Wharf and Stratford. All are very accessible and offer more in terms of amenities than West Ham itself has. So if you would like to live in a large, affordable property but hang out in trendy areas within 20 minutes, then West Ham should not be overlooked. To find out more about living in West Ham, please view our Plaistow and West Ham area guide.