Every reason why living south of the river is better than the north

Southwark, Lewisham, Camberwell, Elephant and Castle, Bermondsey and even Kennington. The south of the river has incredible areas, with amazing markets, great parks and cheaper restaurants.

Here are the top six reasons that living the South is infinitely better than living in the North.

Beautiful scenery

South London has some amazing parks. From Kennington Park to Burgess Park to Herne Hill, we’ve got some beaut scenery. Sure, Hyde Park has Winter Wonderland and the Serpentine, but we don’t have nearly as many tourists.

Market culture 

The markets in south London boast some of the best food, cheapest scarves and craziest people handing out flyers that praise their Lord. From Deptford, to East Street, to Brixton, to Southbank, any of the markets are perfect for an afternoon stroll, grocery shopping or some mulled wine in time for the holiday celebrations.

Better food  

Thai, Vietnamese, Egyptian, Japanese, Lebanese, Chinese, French, Italian, Brazilian; and these are just the restaurants near my house! The endless restaurants are all incredibly cheap as well; leaving plenty in the budget for more nights out.

Cheaper rent

Okay, so we’re not talking about Hoxton or zone six, but generally the south has cheaper rent. For a house with a backyard, open space and all rooms with double beds, one can easily have enough left over in the month to still pay for bills. Sure, north London may be classier and have nicer upkeep, but the houses in the south are so spacious and there is a vibrant student community. What can beat having all your closest friends within a fifteen-minute walking vicinity?

Direct links to Strand

To my friend that lives up in Primrose Hill, I am so sorry that you must take a twelve-minute walk to the bus station to catch a tube. Or, if you don’t want to spend an hour commuting via public transport, your only other option is to take a bus ride (don’t forget your helmet) Down south, you can be a direct fifteen-minute bus to the Strand campus.

Yeah, perhaps I just lucked out, but it seems a lot of people in the South are ‘lucky.’ We have about six buses coming every other minute running to and from Waterloo, London Bridge and Aldwych. And sure, there can be traffic for your Monday morning 9ams, but the route is straight, which leaves plenty of easy alternatives to get to school.

Cheaper stores  

Need some plastic storage boxes? How about a vacuum cleaner, broom, blender or plastic flower pots? Got a duvet? Don’t want to run all the way to IKEA or Primark Home? The south is filled with off-licenses that contain endless of items for your house; some that you did not even knew you needed until you saw them! Never again do you have to pay up for John Lewis or Zara Home; we got a ton of other ‘student-friendly’ alternatives that can replace the traditional stores.

The South of London has some of the best culture in London; as my course-mate who lives in New Cross says “it’s the only real part of London that’s left.”  In another twenty years it will probably be contemporary Camden, but at least we ‘cool-kids’ can say we lived in the South before it became what it will in the future.