London has lots of lovely high streets, but which one is the best? The Times might have the answer. The paper has just published a list of the seven best shopping streets in the UK, and one is in south London.
Thanks to a £100 million investment from Historic England in 2020, 67 high streets in the country had a big revamp, during which 571 historic buildings and 255 shop fronts were restored. Now the Times has revealed which streets are the front runners when it comes to the best shopping streets in Britain, saying that seven are ‘so bustling you can base a weekend round them’.
Greenwich was named the fifth best high street in the country. As well as a glorious park, the Cutty Sark and the Maritime Museum, SE10 has the thriving Greenwich Market and tonnes of independent retailers. The Times shouted out indie shops like handmade jewellery and bead seller Beadoir, old-fashioned sweet shop Mr Humbug and cheese dispensary l’Hexagone.
‘Of all the thriving high streets in this list, this is the busiest, pulling in people from as near as Blackheath and as far as Brazil; many of the stores are in sight of the Cutty Sark ship and the River Thames, which explains the draw,’ wrote the Times.
The UK’s best high street on the list was Lymington in Hampshire, ‘a best-of-both-worlds high street where the architectural grandeur of a market town can be enjoyed alongside seaside souvenir shops and the smell of the ocean’.
You can read more about the Times’ other UK high street picks on Time Out here. Want to visit some independent shops yourself? This is Time Out’s guide to the 100 best stores in London.
Loads of London bakeries and pastry shops have been named the best in the world.
London is officially one of the world’s most expensive cities for expats.
Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.
