It was my husband who insisted — strongly — on “anywhere but London”. Despite being a work-from-wherever writer, having tween children in a two-bedroom flat in Westbourne Park and knowing we couldn’t afford more space in any adjacent postcode, it was a move I’d have happily delayed forever.
Nonetheless, when we did swap that flat for a family-sized house in Hastings, in 2021, I was optimistic. I’d chosen the location carefully and reasoned that we were effectively moving somewhere akin to a new, as-yet unrecognised Greater London zone.
