A Guide to Living in Tower Hamlets

Diverse, vibrant and with its finger well and truly on the pulse – that’s London’s Tower Hamlets. It’s what we like to call the Selfridges of the capital’s boroughs, in that it truly offers something for everyone. Art lover? Foodie? Or Fitness fanatic? Read on to discover developments that are rated the best places to live in Tower Hamlets. In addition, read reviews from residents who own or rent in Tower Hamlets.

4.43

Average Location Score

Excellent

54%

Very Good

36%

Average

Disappointing

Very Poor

Best places to live in Tower Hamlets

HomeViews Top Rated Development ranking takes into account the Star Rating and HomeViews Transparency Rating of every development in the area

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Regeneration in Tower Hamlets

This portion of the capitals seen much in the way of regeneration and innovation. In the past decade, this area of East London has been heavily invested in – from the celebrated Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to its slick property developments. And the highly anticipated arrival of Crossrail will revolutionise the area even further.

East End history

Tower Hamlets covers a large chunk of London’s historic East End, and so it’s easy to journey back in time here. Characterised by 19^th-century docks, Victorian townhouses and tales of Jack the Ripper. Walking tours that tell the story of the area’s heritage come highly recommended.

Modern pursuits

Perhaps the capital’s biggest oxymoron, Tower Hamlets offers just as many contemporary faces as it does traditional ones. In sought-after districts like Shoreditch, Bow and Stepney Green; modern galleries and work spaces share the roadsides with trendy cocktail bars, street food stalls and also pie and mash shops. These postcodes are hotspots for creative professionals, who frequent the artisan coffee shops by day, and enjoy the cutting-edge live music venues by night.

HomeViews reviewer says…
“Bow is a trendy neighbourhood with a good pub and café scene.”

Shopping in Tower Hamlets

The retail therapy scene is just as varied. Tower Hamlets offers everything from vintage clothes stores to treasure-trove antique dens. And residents are spoilt for choice when it comes to markets. Courtesy of big-hitters like Old Spitalfields, Brick Lane and the Colombia Road Flower Market. Hands down, these are the best places in the city to experience the authentic sights and sounds of the East End.

Tips from HomeViews reviewers…
“Chrisp Street market one of the area’s highlights, packed with everything from fruit and vegetables to clothing. Billingsgate Market is another London institution with an abundance of net-fresh and budget-friendly seafood.”

“Close to the (Whitechapel) station is Whitechapel Road Market, between Vallance Road and Cambridge Heath Road. The area has a large British Bangladeshi community, and you’ll find all manner of Asian spices and cooking ingredients for sale at this authentic street market.”

You can find out more about living in the area by reading reviews from residents. Click on the developments below to find out more about residents’ experiences and also, to discover the best places to live and rent in Tower Hamlets. Moreover, If there’s a property that you can’t see on HomeViews, you can add a new listing and leave your review here.

Featured developments in Tower Hamlets

Reviews in Tower Hamlets

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Wardian Development

Review Date Mar 2021

There are many restaurants close by as it is near to Canary Wharf. There are also many hotels. It’s very peaceful and quiet.

Please review your development:

Love the development, the design of the building is amazing ! The area is great as it is close by to Canary Wharf and easy access to public transport. There is also underground parking which is convenient as cars are kept safe. I love how modern the design is !

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

The DLR trains pass by so it is abit noisy. However is great for travel as its close.

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Great stay so far!

Review Date Mar 2021

My husband and I moved in to our new home in Feb 2021 and were super excited to start our lives here. It’s been a month and we have loved it here. There are a lot of local shops near by, a park about half a mile for your pet and yourselves. Amazing place to view sunsets, post office and medical centre is also close by. All essential shops are close by. We have really enjoyed living here and hope to have a wonderful stay!
I do wish though some of the repairs could be done sooner or atleast if there was an ETA on the fixes.

Please review your development:

Love the ambiance at the reception. Ostro tower lobby is also great and it always smells refreshing in the common areas! There is absolutely no disturbance from outside or other sounds that can impact our day-to-day lives. During covid the measures are taken properly. But I do wish, that in the lift the sanitiser bottle is not empty.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Being new to the country, and looking for an ideal apartment in our budget was a bit of a task. But my husband luckily stumbled upon a Sailmakers ad on google. I guess, if there was a bit more presence about the property it would have been great.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

I love the spacious kitchen and also the furniture that was provided for us. It really goes with the theme of our house and we feel happy here.

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Manager Response

Hi there, thank you so much for taking the time to leave us this fantastic review. I’m so glad to hear that your husband stumbled upon Sailmakers and now you are living with us : )

Supper thrilled you love the ambiance we do too, noted about the lift sanitisers will ensure they are filled. Sounds like you have familiarised yourself with the development and the area very quick, we are very lucky to have everything at an arm’s reach. I will be sure to share this wonderful review with the Sailmakers team. Thank you!

Really enjoying Wardian, despite pandemic

Verified Resident

Review Date Mar 2021

Very well located, there are lots of places to eat and drink in CW, plus a decent shopping centre. Connections are good for the rest of London with Jubilee and DLR nearby.

Please review your development:

We chose Wardian as we really like the way it brings green space into the balconies. The apartment itself is well laid out.
Facilities are another big draw, with Gym, pool, cinema, bar, all in the building. Use and availability of these has been curtailed by the pandemic, but we are eagerly awaiting the day when everything is open and working again, which should be soon.
The post room is really handy and the concierge staff are great.
There also seems to be a very good community spirit developing here among residents. Long may it continue.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I wish we had known that so many buildings, in particular Aspen, had been coming up, as that development in particular will block our view, which at the moment is spectacular.

If there is one thing you would change about your flat or property what would it be:

There is a lot of marble, which needs to be treated very carefully, so we would probably have preferred something more hard wearing.

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Manager Response

Dear AH,

Thank you very much for taking the time to share your review of Wardian, we are very proud of the community we are building here and cannot wait to have the facilities open so that we can start to put on events and functions for you all to enjoy.

I will make sure that your kind words about the staff are passed on as well.

Kind regards,

Joseph Whitehead
Resort Director
Wardian

Good building in a good location! a bit pricy

Verified Resident

Review Date Mar 2021

– local shops are good
– transport links are good and convenient
– average type of people in the area is not really good. I would not fell comfortable in leaving my kid go around alone in the area. there have few cases of anti social behaviours occurring very close to the building with people also being assaulted.
– bin collections sometimes has issues with rubbish accumulating for many days if not even weeks till a really disgusting point, in a couple of occasions only though.
– no traffic noise

Please review your development:

– it’s a good development overall and Fizzy services are really of a good quality and really helpful.
– there have been few issues with hot water and central heating, which seems to happen on an annual basis. This is probably due to how hot water is managed by the communal area.
– there have been issues with bike storage with at least one bike being stolen
– few issues with lift which seems to happen 2-3 times a year
– windows of the flat face all one side allowing no air circulation. in summer it gets increadibly very hot
– the building bobby provided by Fizzy has always been very helpful in supporting and fixing issues as they arose. Must admit that issues have always being dealt with promptly and within a reasonable timeframe.
– we had to go through the remediation of the ‘cladding’ issue that was discovered in this building. that was not pleasant and quite inconvenient as it happened during the 1st Covid 19 lockdown
– rent has increased regularly and substantially over the years with no real good reason in my view.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

– I think being aware of the community and type of people leaving in the area is important
– also knowing about how hot the flat gets in summer

If there is one thing you would change about your flat or property what would it be:

I would change the way the windows opens. Currently there is so much dust and dirt coming in because of the way they works
I would change the blinders as they are ineffective in protecting the flat from the heat in summer.

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