Absence Makes The Heart Forget
That London is the most amazing place in the UK. I've not been down for a good few years, possibly 5yrs or so. If any city felt like It was a living organism, then it would be London. If you listen carefully, I swear you can hear it's heart beat made from the energy of every living soul.
Everything about the place fascinates and excites me, in one degree or another. The vast size of it's scale in relation to all the cities I've visited. The world class architecture of the enormous Victoria. Imperial period, blende into the tiny villages that once, made London. From walking past some. Granite and stone neo classical edifice, tagged onto or build around a mews house, seemingly blown wizard of oz style from the Cotswold into the centre of one of the worlds most vibrant cities! That blows my Devon, farmboy mind. I am awed by walking down streets vaulted on both sides so that you cannot see the sky unless you vertically look up!
Did I mention the people? I love walking past men dressed up in dinner jackets at 5pm! The women, who can on occasion look like models, dressed in sometimes garishly, but always, always as individuals. An this is what I love too, you can be whomsoever you wish to be, there are far too many people for you to be judged if you dress differently, people accept the freaks and weirdos and they become normal, or a little more normal. Anonymity is a wonderful thing for confidence at times. And London is a confident city, in spades.
It's also one of extremes, sadly. It is areas classes as the wealthiest in the world, where only the richest 1% can afford property and it contains the poorest housing in the country. Stats?
Was at a housing conference today.
Average deposit amount required for FTB to get on the property ladder
£60-70,000 (this is the deposit, there are houses worth less in the town I live)
Want to know the required average annual household income required to secure a mortgage to enter the property?
Try, £80,000 a year.
Average London income for an individual? £26,000.
Do the maths. Wonder why London is in the grips of a massive affordable housing crisis?
But, it is so alive.
Everything about the place fascinates and excites me, in one degree or another. The vast size of it's scale in relation to all the cities I've visited. The world class architecture of the enormous Victoria. Imperial period, blende into the tiny villages that once, made London. From walking past some. Granite and stone neo classical edifice, tagged onto or build around a mews house, seemingly blown wizard of oz style from the Cotswold into the centre of one of the worlds most vibrant cities! That blows my Devon, farmboy mind. I am awed by walking down streets vaulted on both sides so that you cannot see the sky unless you vertically look up!
Did I mention the people? I love walking past men dressed up in dinner jackets at 5pm! The women, who can on occasion look like models, dressed in sometimes garishly, but always, always as individuals. An this is what I love too, you can be whomsoever you wish to be, there are far too many people for you to be judged if you dress differently, people accept the freaks and weirdos and they become normal, or a little more normal. Anonymity is a wonderful thing for confidence at times. And London is a confident city, in spades.
It's also one of extremes, sadly. It is areas classes as the wealthiest in the world, where only the richest 1% can afford property and it contains the poorest housing in the country. Stats?
Was at a housing conference today.
Average deposit amount required for FTB to get on the property ladder
£60-70,000 (this is the deposit, there are houses worth less in the town I live)
Want to know the required average annual household income required to secure a mortgage to enter the property?
Try, £80,000 a year.
Average London income for an individual? £26,000.
Do the maths. Wonder why London is in the grips of a massive affordable housing crisis?
But, it is so alive.
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