Ruth Bloomfield

Laura Schofield, whose husband is Cornish, had no interest in a move from London to the West Country, but she has fully embraced sea swims and beach barbecues

In her early twenties Rachel Bagenal was doing what most young Londoners do — renting in shared houses, building her career and hanging out with

How four friends came up with the idea that unfinished — but liveable — homes can cut asking prices by a fifth. By Ruth Bloomfield

This hidden backwater has become a haven brimming with local culture, writes Ruth Bloomfield

All across London, a city where a back garden is a luxury and allotment waiting lists are endless, locals are adopting unloved, neglected pockets of land and transforming them into inspiring open spaces. “I think it is magical,” says Eamonn Postlethwaite, who found his haven on a modest strip of woodland between council blocks in Bethnal Green.

Growing maintenance costs, tax changes and workers returning to the office have forced sellers to cut prices on large, luxurious estates from the Cotswolds to the northern Home Counties.

Read this exciting story from The London Standard June 04, 2026 issue. This former backwater has become a haven brimming with local culture. By Ruth Bloomfield

The former prince has lived in a series of luxurious homes

At new developments, targets are routinely being slashed for property Londoners can actually afford

When she moved to London a year ago Sorcha Ní Chonghaile was shocked by how competitive and expensive finding a room in a shared flat was.