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Best Places to Live 2022
Smart, sociable suburbs that
blend big-city buzz with a welcome
breath of fresh air are simply capital
AVERAGE HOUSE PRICE
£560,000
Winner
CRYSTAL PALACE ✪
There’s a sense of rude health in these parts of south
London. A glow is coming back to this “village”-like location
with its parks, period mansions, cool cafés, indie shops,
strong schools (three outstanding primaries and three
outstanding secondaries) and panoramic city views. Trains
reach London Bridge (from 20 minutes) and London Victoria
(from 28 minutes), as well as Overground trains stopping at
assorted Hackney hotspots.
Bohemian types have found inspiration here since the
early 1870s, when the artist Camille Pissarro lived on Westow
Hill. Today, the three streets that make up the Westow
Triangle make a welcoming impression all of their own.
There’s an Everyman cinema, a fishmonger, a bookseller, and
more antique shops than you need to decorate one of the
roomy family-friendly Victorian terraced homes. Head to the
Cadence bike store for advice on a 3D analysis of your
pedalling technique; Affinity Brew Shop for kegs of draught
beer; pick up coffee and kombucha at Four Boroughs and
handcrafted truffles and flat whites at Blowing Dandelion.
The chocolate shop’s owners, Michaela Simova and^
her partner, Neil Le Bihan, love the residents’ determination
to keep things local: the council rejected plans for aThe sweet life
Michaela
Simova and Neil
Le Bihan (with
their daughter
Isla) own a
chocolate shop,
the Blowing
Dandelion,
right, in Crystal
Palace, top.
Left: HanwellHANWELL A
You don’t see many lemurs
in Zone 4, but they can
be spotted at Hanwell’s
community zoo, which is at
the heart of Brent Lodge Park.
Known to the locals as “Bunny
park”, it’s a star attraction in
this leafy west London
suburb, which will have direct
trains to Canary Wharf when
the western arm of the
far-too-long-awaited Elizabeth
Line is due to open this
autumn. Bring on the jubilee!
Hanwell is still up and
coming, says Lucy Do, who
opened the award-winning
Dodo micropub in 2017 and
loves the dog-friendly
meadows and the
independent feel. “It’s not too
polished or gentrified — and
that’s how we want it to be,”
she says. Too sleepy? Hanwell
turned rock music up to 11 in
the 1960s. Jim Marshall sold
his first guitar amplifier at his
shop on the high street in
1962, and the Who, Led
Zeppelin and Deep Purple
honed their tour sets in the
Hanwell Community Centre,
which now hosts monthly
gigs. Park life and hard-
rocking heritage are united
during the free Hanwell
Hootie (May 7), with live
bands, street food and oceans
of beer. “It’s like the Camden
Crawl, with a party vibe,” Do
says. There’s also plenty of
community spirit here: the
lottery-funded Hanwell Big
Local project offers
everything from craft
workshops to women’s
boxing, and in May 2020 a
residents’ group won an
eight-year battle to prevent
the redevelopment of Warren
Farm, home to barn owls, bats
and breeding skylarks.
Best place to live if... You’re
looking for breaking talent.
Best address Church^
Road, Maunder Road, or
the soon-to-be-opened
Hanwell Square development.
£587,000*VICKI COUCHMAN FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES/WILLIAM BARTON/ALAMY*Source: Halifax using Land Registry data
Continued on p45 ➤This is an edited version. For the complete guide visit thetimes.co.uk/best-places-to-liveLondon
April 10, 2022 43