I loved living at Canary Wharf - I really miss living there - shops, architecture, statues, gardens, parks, marinas, restaurants, riverside walks, cycling to Tower Bridge or taking bike on the ferry across the river to cycle to Surrey Quays, taking the boat into central London.....so much on your doorstep.
I really like Blackheath, which you can access easily from central London, either via the Jubilee line at North Greenwich, or overground. (My best friend lives there, so I know it quite well, and like it more each time I visit.)
Blackheath village is like a bustling small town - with a fantastic variety of shops and restaurants - in its centre, but it has the added benefit of the wide open space of the heath close by.
The town's architecture is primarily late Georgian or Victorian, and it is a really bustling place to be, as well as home to a lively and artistic community. It doesn't feel like so much a suburb of London, as a funky small town in its own right - one that just happens to be close to all the attractions of the UK's capital city!
The overground train station is located right in the village and can get you into central London really quickly - but, as soon as you begin to walk away from the town centre, you also benefit from the tranquillity of the heath, which is gorgeous on a sunny day.
Blackheath's even pretty in the snow, though - as you can see from the photo below!
Looking at it, the Jubilee line actually has some really diverse stops.
I worked near Swiss Cottage and that was a reasonably nice neighbourhood, although the picturesque cottage that shares its name with the area is actually a very mediocre pub.
West Hampstead is another nice area accessed via the Jubilee Line.
St Johns Wood and Baker Street are also nearby, but the house prices might put you off anywhere in zone 1.
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