#london-neighbourhoods

#london-neighbourhoods

Mark Twain famously once described London as 'fifty villages massed solidly together'. Indeed, across the city, there are are dozens of little pockets that wouldn't feel out of place far out in the countryside. They're full of independent shops and caffs, they're surrounded by greenery and they all have their own distinct sense of community. Combine all of that with easy access to the exciting bustle of central London and those pockets are some of London's most desirable places to live.

Local expert Lauren O'Neill said that Camberwell 'is brilliant because it's loads of things at once', and because it crams the best bits of southeast London - 'the young-at-heart vibe, the independent spirit, the multiculturalism' - into a 'green, community-oriented little patch'. Lauren picked out the food options on Camberwell Church Street as 'the stuff of legend', shouting out legendary Xinjiang restaurant Silk Road, gastropub The Camberwell Arms, Nandine's Kurdish cuisine, the much-hyped Toad Bakery and top-tier sandwich stop Cafe Mondo.

Step off the busy, litter-strewn thoroughfare and Peckham opens up. Home to a vibrant Afro-Caribbean community, the neighbourhood is never boring - or silent. Jazz wafts from the CLF Art Lounge most weekends, DJs pump out electronica from rooftop bars, and there's always Afrobeat playing somewhere - they don't call it "Little Lagos" for nothing.