Richmond borough Teddington best place to live in London

Teddington was given the title by The Sunday Times’ Best Places to Live guide.

The leafy Richmond borough suburb features stunning homes, great public transport, glorious green spaces and rivers as well as quaint cafés and restaurants.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke to locals in Teddington to find out what life is really like there.

Beaming residents revealed they think it’s “got everything” and didn’t have many gripes – besides wanting more police and the high cost of living – with homes priced at around £2 million, according to Rightmove.

Claire Schneider Would Rather Teddington Be Controlled By Labour Not The Liberal Democrats - permission to use by all partners by James Mayer

Claire Schneider has lived in Teddington for 16 years.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “It’s very lovely in terms of the local area, it’s beautiful with loads of open spaces, lots of lovely shops to go to.

“But if you’re not fairly financially affluent, then living here is difficult because you’re surrounded by people who’ve got an awful lot which doesn’t necessarily generate the best community spirit.”

The 62-year-old added that what could be better about the suburb is that it “could be Labour controlled” – rather than it’s current Lib Dem-run council.

Silvia Andreou, 69, Would Like To See More Police On The Streets In Teddington - permission to use by all partners by James Mayer

Silvia Andreou, who has lived in Teddington most her life, said: “It’s so easy to live here, lovely river, lovely Bushy Park, we are very lucky around here.”

Her favourite part of Teddington is the “openness of it” and the green spaces.

The 69-year-old added: “We’ve got everything here, we’ve got all the travel routes, there are lovely restaurants, we’ve got cafés, we get nice people living here on all the roads.”

She said before the coronavirus lockdown, she got “a lot of drunken louts” walking past her home at night but that is no longer an issue post-lockdown.

Silvia would like to see more police on the streets to feel “a bit safer”.

Warren Weinstein, 49, Loves How Walkable Everything Is In Teddington - permission to use by all partners by James Mayer

Warren Weinstein, a resident who moved to Teddington five years ago with his wife said: “Everything’s very walkable, the High Street’s fantastic, good schools around here, good public transportation, easy to bike around and not too far to get into Central London.”

Growing up in New York, Warren wished the weather was better.

But the 49-year-old added: “There’s nothing I can think of that’s missing that I wish Teddington had.”

Speaking to The Local Democracy Reporting Service, Liberal Democrat councillor for Teddington, Martin Elengorn said: “This is a place with a whole range of independent shops and restaurants, it’s got good schools, it’s a prosperous area.

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“It has changed over the years, it’s become much more expensive to live in.”

The councillor of 39 years added: “It’s not the most exciting place in the world but it’s a very pleasant place to live.”