A Little Flat in Hither Green

How I would fancy living in a little flat in the charming and quaint Hither Green, a quick tube ride away from the London Bridge. Wouldn't that be brilliant?

Before coronavirus spread through the world (it's hard to remember that time) I was living abroad, spending a semester learning on the other side of the pond. While my time was cut short, I could not have been luckier to spend the time I did in Europe, seeing for the first time so many places outside my neck of the woods.

One of my first weekends of traveling, I stumbled into a place that felt like home: London. I’ve always been an Anglophile. Maybe it was my childhood obsessions with Harry Potter and the Beatles (obsessions that have continued to this day, I should add). Maybe it was knowing that my heritage is largely based in the UK. Or maybe it was just the sheer charm that I have always associated with all things British. When I started planning my trip to London, I knew I would love it. I knew one weekend wouldn’t be enough. Before I even went, I already had a sense of missing it.

We arrived in London on a foggy day, not unlike any other. As the plane descended from the cloudy sky, I saw a few stately English manors with large well-kept properties surrounding them. And then I saw a red double-decker bus drive by. That might be the moment I fell in love.

London was both similar and different than I imagined. I was surprised by the areas that felt more modern, with skyscrapers reminiscent of my home city, Chicago. The modern buildings are interspersed with older impressive architecture. The classic red telephone booths and double-decker buses are so archetypal I was almost surprised to find that they are real and commonplace in London. I knew I would love London. I underestimated just how much. We walked around in the rain, London’s default weather, and my favorite weather. My shoes were soaked through, but I’ve never been so happy to have my shoes soaked through.

We stayed in a neighborhood called Hither Green, a little outside of the city center. The moment I stepped off the train, I was enchanted by the quaint train station and the colorfully accented row houses and the cute cafe and the people with their accents and dry senses of humor. And most of all, I was enchanted by the street called Brightside Road, as if I needed another bright side to look at.

When I imagine my dream home, the size and the model of the house don’t matter too much. The interior design is important to me, but less so than the location. Hither Green, that’s my dream home. Even a tiny flat in Hither Green on Brightside Road would be enough.

I would grab breakfast at the charming cafe down the street. I would ride the tube to London bridge, then ride a boat down the Thames to the Globe Theatre. I eat Scotch eggs for breakfast and drink high tea in the afternoon. I would travel to Scotland one weekend, Ireland another. Why not throw in Switzerland and Italy?

I would decorate like a modern but mini Downton Abbey, and my balcony would be adorned with a miniature English garden, because that’s only fitting. The outside would be white with a yellow door to match the colorful accents of the houses in the rest of the neighborhood.

The grass is greener and the buses are redder in Hither Green, on the other side of the pond. I hope to call it home someday; for now I will look on the Brightside.