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We all know that happiness is subjective, but there are some things that are pretty much guaranteed crowd-pleasers. Who doesn’t crack a smile when they visit sprawling green spaces, sample delicious food or experience vibrant culture? Then there’s other, more boring stuff that just makes life inarguably better (and easier), like good air quality, low crime, nearby health services, efficient public transport and high broadcast speeds.
Those are all things that the Guardian looked at when it set out to create a list of Britain’s happiest places to live. The newspaper gave extra weight to factors that it knew would be important to its readers, specifically culture and community. It measured those in terms of ‘proximity to cinemas, theatres and museums, pubs and libraries, using data from sources including the Food Standards Agency, and various industry reports and listings websites’. Places in England, Scotland and Wales were given scores for each category and only the top scorers made the final round-up.
Of those top-scorers, five neighbourhoods in the capital made the cut. Here’s a breakdown of all the London areas that are some of the happiest in Britain, according to the Guardian.
RECOMMENDED: Every London borough ranked from happiest to most miserable in 2024.
The Ridgeway, Enfield
First up in the paper’s pick of London’s happiest places is the Ridgeway in Enfield. Specifically, the neighbourhood around Chase Farm hospital. For food, the Guardian recommends a Sunday roast at the Robin Hood pub; for entertainment, it shouts out the Chickenshed theatre or live music nights at the Ridgeway pub and for some green space, it says to head to the 413 acre Trent Country Park.
Surbiton North
With the Thames on your doorstep and plenty of greenery, Surbiton North in Kingston-upon-Thames was next on the list. The Guardian said that it ‘still feels like a place for anyone looking to escape the urban bustle, but it’s also perfectly located for those who need quick and easy access to the Big Smoke’. Trains take just 15 minutes to get to Waterloo, to be exact.
Clapham Junction
Clapham Junction was the third pick for London’s happiest neighbourhoods. The paper wrote: ‘Estate agents always bang on about “good transport links, close to green spaces, a variety of amenities,” but in the case of the neighbourhood around Clapham Junction, it’s not hyperbole.’ Clapham Common and Wandsworth Common are both within walking distance, for culture there’s Clapham Grand or Battersea Arts Centre and when you’re hungry, the Guardian, says that The Eagle Ale House and Taverna Trastevere are both among locals’ favourites.
Bounds Green
Bounds Green in the north of the city also ticked all of the Guardian’s boxes. The paper was a fan of the area’s cafes like Hot Milk and the White Fig Bakery, the sports facilities at Oliver Tambo Recreation Ground, nearby Alexandra Park and pints and music at The Ranelagh pub. One-bed flats near the station here cost around £300,000 while semi-detached 1930s properties near Alexandra Park school sit around the £1.2m mark.
Bromley
Described as ‘part large town with plenty of green space, parks and a bustling shopping centre and part London with the transport and infrastructure typical of the capital’, the final happiest place to live in London, according to the Guardian is Bromley. Things that keep the dopamine levels up here include weekly Charter Market, Jubilee Country Park, the National Trust’s Petts Wood and fast rail links to central London and the Kent coast.
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