I just moved here. It's nice, but I want to leave (Southwark in general)

Name: oxjdc

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Product:	Southwark in general
Date:	19/08/05 (44 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheaper than surrounding areas, central, good amenities

Disadvantages: Crowded, polluted...

Southwark seems vast, because London is so close together. I moved here in May from a town in the Midlands, and altough I already had friends here, I've learnt a lot more by living here. I live at the Eastern end of the Borough of Southwark, close to Surrey Quays tube station and the shopping centre next to Canada Water - Southwark goes West almost to the River (Lambeth is very thin) and South nearly as far as Crystal Palace.

The first thing to say is that it saves you money to live in Southwark. I work in Zone 1 and I can get to work even from this end of the Borough in about half an hour - ten minutes' walk at each end and ten minutes on the tube to get to Westminster. For this I have a nice one-bed flat above a shop for the relative bargain of £650 a month. It sounds like a lot to a provincial boy, but when I look at the rest of inner London, it's a bargain.

Within Southwark there are plenty of things to do. From Southwark Park near here to Burgess Park nearer Peckham there are a number of green spaces, and the river is nearby. My local municipal leisure centre is Seven Islands and at £40 for unlimited use of a gym and swimming pool I find that quite reasonable. Near me the Surrey Quays complex includes a number of restaurants and large cinema. Towards the West, Borough High Street has many good pubs and places to eat. I managed to get registered with a doctor just by going to the surgery, which is better than many places. I don't have children so I can't vouch for the schools etc.

The transport links from here are excellent, with the Jubilee line running through Southwark, the East London Line to hop across the river, and the Northern Line passing through London Bridge. London Bridge is also a mainline station that can take you anywhere from Bedford to Brighton. Buses run to Tottenham Court Road and Waterloo as well as south to Lewisham and Catford, and it's quite easy to get back at least as far as London Bridge on a night bus after an evening out.

There is a lot of fear of crime around, and the traffic certainly make a lot of noise, and there are gangs of kids around the place, but I don't feel any less safe than I have done in most other places, and at least if something happens there are usually people around. There is a giant Tesco just up the road, but also a high quality but reasonably priced small shop almost directly underneath my flat.

My only real complaint, apart from the giant beetle with whom I share my flat, is the level of pollution. When I first moved here it really affected me and I was waking up at night having problems breathing. I think this is because of being near the centre on low ground, so it would probably be a problem in most of inner London. Because of this I am looking to move further out to somewhere up a hill. My breathing is already difficult though - for people who don't find that a problem I'd recommend the area.

Maybe someone who's lived here longer could add more, but that's what I've discovered in four months.

Summary: If you can stand smog, it's a great value place to live.