Best places to live in London: Winchmore Hill and Palmers Green

This is my first instalment of Best place to live in London. Over time we will write about established and upcoming areas of London which are catching attention as a great place to live. This time I want to talk about two little known areas of North London, Palmers Green and Winchmore Hill.

Most people haven’t heard of either, yet Winchmore hill and Palmers Green are thriving. Sorry for the cliché but this area is one of the property hotspots right now. Offering less pollution, lower crime, trendy restaurant and bars, lots of green space and park land its a fantastic place to live. Those of you worried about work; well it is only 25 minutes to Moorgate or 15 minutes to Finsbury Park. All at the price of a 1-4 travel pass and travel in a slightly better environment than the tube. That is because these towns are serviced by frequent fast trains to central London rather than the much loved tube.

Winchmore Hill

It is easy to see why the area is on the up. Actually Winchmore Hill has for a long time been one of the better areas of London. In my opinion Winchmore Hill very similar to parts of Hampstead but much cheaper and less crowded. The heart of Winchmore hill is Winchmore Hill Green or the Village Green which is surrounded by small shops and restaurants. Winchmore Hill also boasts the gorgeous Grovelands Park which used to be a grand private estate which was later sold to the council.

The main problem with Winchmore hill only affects you if you don’t have a car. That is there is one supermarket in Winchmore hill and unless you live with 10 minutes of it then you are going to have problems. However if you are web savvy this problem is easily solved by ordering online. There is a 24 hour convenience shop on the village Green.

Palmers Green

Palmers green is like a younger messier quirkier younger brother of Winchmore Hill. Still with low crime and a fantastic park but with a vibrant culture and lively restaurants and shops too. The high street offers an array of shops including M&S food and a new Starbucks. It is an imprecise tool but you can pretty much conclusively say when Starbucks moves in the areas on the up. The High street was even used in the Harry Potter movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in the knight bus scene. Ok that doesn’t prove anything. However Palmers green is a diluted form of London. You have the entire buzz nearby, but not too near.

The market

The rental market is very immature in both Winchmore Hill and Palmers Green which means you can grab a bargain. Currently you can pick up a fantastically decorated 2 bed flat in either town for around £250 per week (£1100 per calendar month) and a 4 bed house if your sharing or a family at around £500 per week (£2200 per calendar month). House prices are relatively lower than elsewhere of similar standard of loving.

Summary

All in all both are fantastic places to live which are definitely on the up. Perfect if you work in the city and need to commute in. Winchmore Hill is the absolute essential place to live for young families with good schools and parks on the doorstep. Palmers Green is excellent for students, sharers, and arty types.