Locals say it’s not only well-connected to London, but to the rest of the country
Potters Bar High Street isn’t the prettiest – but there’s a strong sense of community here and brilliant transport links to London(Image: )
Potters Bar is a commuter town in Hertfordshire just under 25 minutes from London King’s Cross that boasts a strong sense of community, as well as excellent connections to London.
It’s a place that boats a population of around 23,000 and has been home to famous faces like actor Martin Freeman, as well as Letitia Dean, who plays Sharon Watts in EastEnders. It’s found its way into The Telegraph’s top 100 list of commuter towns. And it is the ninth best place to live if you set The Telegraph’s commuter time toggle to the max, with just a 21 minute train journey into London.
MyLondon spoke to a local councillor and a local worker to get our finger on the pulse about life there. Renos Giorgiou is a Labour Councillor who loves the sense of community on offer.
Potters Bar is perfect for commuters who want away from London’s hustle and bustle – but it doesn’t come cheap(Image: )
He said: “We’re really lucky in that we have strong communities in Potter’s Bar. We have lots of different clubs and groups that do all kinds of things in the town which help to bring us together. We’ve got the ‘Wyllyotts centre’ where we can see films and plays, musicals, pantomimes, things like that.
“We’ve got the Furzefield Centre where we’ve got lots of different sports groups, you can do all kinds of sports. I run a swimming club for people with disabilities called ‘Barracudas’, we get that for free once a week to help people learn to swim, and for adults to improve and keep their swimming up to a good standard. You can do rock climbing there, you can play tennis, you can play badminton, you can play football, everything you can think of basically, we’ve got a skate park there.”
Potters Bar is also home to a rather beautiful Jain temple. If you’re ever in the area, it’s well worth a visit. Jainism is a religion originating in South Asia that preaches absolute non-violence toward all living creatures. There are thought to be around 25,000 to 30,000 Jains living in the UK today after a large influx from South Asia during the 1960s and 1970s.
The Jain Temple in Potters Bar is a wonderful place to visit(Image: Brockswood)
But it’s not just the sense of community which makes Potters Bar ‘the best place in the world’, it’s the green space too. Cllr Giorgiou added: “There’s three really good parks in Potters Bar: we’ve got Furzefield park, we’ve got Oakmere Park, and park field.
“There’s also a small one in Bentley Heath at the back of the Ashwood Estate. We’re really lucky in that we have a really good mix of green spaces but also have around 20,000 people so we’ve got enough people where we can still have all of the good services that we want in terms of local facilities – the baby club for example and the family centre, things like that. We get the best of both worlds in Potters Bar.“
The town’s proximity to the capital is also a major bonus. Cllr Giorgiou added: “We’re also a short train ride away or a short drive [from London]. We’re nestled between the M25, the A1, we’re not far from the M1 and the A10, so it’s the best place in my opinion in the world because we’ve got one of the best cities in the world right on our doorstep but we can also visit all of the great places in England.
Potters Bar has some great green spaces to visit, according to Cllr Giorgiou(Image: Getty)
“We’re quite high up in Potters Bar as well, we’re about 100m above sea level which usually means our weather is a bit cooler than being in London because we’re a bit higher up on the hill so we don’t have to deal with flooding and things like that so we’re quite lucky in that way.”
He added: “I can get a bus to the Piccadilly line in half an hour, or I can get another bus to High Barnet in about the same time, the 243, so if there’s ever a problem on the Overground I can always get home or go somewhere.”
Mel Kussan, 24, works at Pasalet cafe in Potters Bar. She agrees that Potters Bar has a great sense of community.
Mel said: “I would say the people [makes it a great place]. There’s a lot of elderly [people], they are really kind and helpful. They’re just really friendly to each other, even if they don’t know each other they’re really friendly, the way they speak, the way they act. I feel like it’s a small community and everyone knows each other.”
Living in Potters Bar
Unfortunately, upping sticks to Potters Bar from London likely won’t save you a huge amount of money, especially if you’re looking to get a foot on the property ladder and buy a place. The average house price, according to Rightmove, is just shy of £590,000.
For context, London’s average is around £660,000.
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