Best places to live in London 2024 – the Sunday Times

London’s Clerkenwell, EC1 has been named the best place to live in London by the Sunday Times judges.

The guide is created to celebrate towns, cities and villages all over the UK, as Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor says: “This guide is a celebration of towns, cities and villages that are each a fantastic place to live in 2024, from Dunkeld to Knutsford, Falmouth to Leeds. Wherever you are on the property ladder, there will be somewhere to suit you.  

“These are all places where you can feel grounded as well as upwardly mobile: they have a mature sense of community, lively, supportive high streets and an eye to the future, whether that is eco-friendly measures, transport and regeneration, or imaginative inclusion of new housing.” 

@lookuplondon The story behind Clerkenwell! #londonhistory #londonplaces #clerkenwell #historiclondon #londonfacts #londonguide #londontourguide #londonwalks ♬ original sound – Look Up London (Katie)

All the locations were chosen based on several factors, from schools to transport, broadband speeds to culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street. 

Last year saw Crouch End, N8, named London’s best place to live, but now the Sunday Times judges have passed the title over to the popular spot of Clerkenwell.

You can see the full list of winners via The Sunday Times website.

The Sunday Times names the best places to live in London

The full list of the best places to live in London is as follows:

  • Winner- Clerkenwell, EC1
  • Crouch End, N8 
  • Forest Hill, SE23 
  • Highams Park, E4 
  • Little Venice, W2 
  • London Fields, E8 
  • Wimbledon Village, SW19 

Judges described Clerkenwell as embodying “all that’s best about life in London, from a rich past of riot and ribaldry to its current status at the heart of the capital’s culinary and creative scenes.”

Adding: “Culture is covered by the Barbican and Sadler’s Wells, there are cosy pubs, cool cafes, lively bars and some of the city’s best restaurants in a warren of streets and alleys full of fascinating history.”

Crouch End, N8 was praised for its “astonishing number of shops, cafes and restaurants into its compact centre, all surrounded by parks, sports grounds and handsome Victorian and Edwardian houses.”


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Judges also described the area as “a mini cultural powerhouse”, noting its art centre, a literary festival and two independent cinemas.

Also named on the list was Highams Park, E4, which gained a spot on the Sunday Times list thanks to its “plentiful supply of houses with good-sized gardens, making Highams Park a bucolic and more affordable alternative to overdone Walthamstow, Wanstead or Leytonstone.”

As judges added: “This is a friendly neighbourhood where people greet each other in the street and residents are keen to support their independent shops and community events.”

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