A woman who moved from the Cotswolds to London has said she wouldn’t move back (Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)
There has been a notable shift in UK living patterns in recent years, as thousands of Britons consider whether they favour city or countryside life.
Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, many departed urban areas in favour of the wide open spaces and fresher air of rural locations, though some subsequently returned when restrictions were lifted and they missed the convenience and amenities of city living.
As the cost of living crisis has persisted, the debate over whether to remain in cities or move to the countryside has continued. One woman, who relocated from the Cotswolds to London to run a pub in the East End, has revealed why she has no plans to go back.
Artist and mother-of-five Pauline Forster, 76, operates The George Tavern on Commercial Road in Tower Hamlets, having purchased the building for £500,000 in 2003 when she was 53.
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The George Tavern (Image: Getty)
More than two decades and a substantial renovation later, the Grade II listed building — which had once been earmarked for demolition — remains standing and flourishing.
She has stated that despite the high cost of living in London, she appreciates the space her property offers for those who require it, reports the Mirror.
She told The Times: “There’s room here for whoever needs it, including my five sons. I like the scale and space of it – why would you buy a terraced house when you can get all this?
“I’ll admit that the bills, wages and utility bills are horrendous, and have rocketed in the time I have been here. I do have a mortgage but if I live to 80, I’ll have paid it off. I don’t really care because I’ll never stop working and the George will continue well after I’ve gone.”
Pauline stated emphatically that “nothing” would entice her back to rural living, explaining that London’s vibrant atmosphere is precisely what she desires and requires.
Pauline Forster in March 2008 (Image: Getty)
Yet while Pauline has elected to stay in the capital, others have adopted an alternative strategy, choosing to reside beyond the city while still travelling in for work.
Olivia Newton, 37, is employed in London but lives in South Hams in Devon alongside her husband Will.
Despite a four-hour journey and a £150 off-peak rail ticket, she insists she has no intention of returning to the city, primarily due to the benefits the commute provides for her mental wellbeing and productivity.
She told The Times: “I once dreaded ‘the commute’ and that was from Shepherds Bush to my office in Shoreditch, but it’s become an integral and valuable part of my life in its own right.
“I get time to have a good think and finish off the deck I’ve been putting off, attempt to get to the end of my book club book and occasionally just zone out and watch the waves splash at the tracks as we pass through Dawlish.”
