If you’re a fan of Call the Midwife, you’ll be familiar with a bit of Poplar’s history. But what is Poplar like today? What does it have to offer for would-be buyers and renters looking to settle in the East End? As an area on the up and up, the 10 best places to live in Poplar demonstrate the flood of new investment capital that the area is attracting.
Read on, and explore the top 10 new developments rated by verified residents on HomeViews who live in Poplar.
Where is Poplar?
Poplar is an East London area that sits right next to Canary Wharf, with Mile End and Bromley by Bow to the immediate north. This puts it in Zone 2 for TfL services.
10 best places to live in Poplar
Let’s explore the best places to live in Poplar, according to reviewers on HomeViews. These are the top-rated property developments throughout the area, based on the key criteria of location, design, facilities, management and value for money.
Take a look, and see if your future Poplar home is on our list!
*PLEASE NOTE these rankings take into account how many reviews a scheme has and how recently those reviews have been submitted, so may not match the overall star ratings shown. Buildings with a larger number of more recent reviews are given a greater weighting to reflect current building performance.
What is Poplar like as an area?
Poplar has been enjoying a continuing success story in recent years, through various regeneration projects. Success follows success, and it’s leading to new investment flowing into Poplar. Property developers are hard at work across the district, following dedicated urban renewal projects from the borough council.
Part of Poplar’s growing attraction is that it’s so close to Canary Wharf and the Docklands. Another success story, the docklands have turned depressed post-war urban wasteland into some of the coolest and most desirable real estate in the city. This is bringing Poplar’s overall attractiveness up by association.
As such, Poplar’s properties become more and more desirable the closer you get to Canary Wharf. The convenience and connections Poplar offers to this business and commercial hub are second-to-none. Just moments from Canary Wharf, the modern developments on the Leamouth Peninsula provide a luxury modern living experience to rival any across the capital.
Living in Polar – Plenty to Celebrate
Poplar has an interesting history. It hosted the Festival of Britain in 1951 – a massive celebration of the country’s recovery from World War 2. At the time, it also represented the hope that emerging arts and science scenes would help make Britain better.
That’s very much been the case for Poplar. As a mostly residential area, the influx of new property developments means that options to rent and buy desirable yet affordable homes are expanding. Specifically, a good range of developers continues to focus on providing high-quality, intelligently designed apartments surrounded by green spaces and top facilities.
As for local attractions, Chrisp Street Market is the beating heart of Poplar. It’s the UK’s oldest purpose-built market, encompassing over 80 stalls and surrounding businesses. For real East End culture and charm, there’s no substitute. For more mainstream shopping, Westfield Stratford City (one of the largest shopping centres in Europe) is nearby. There’s also the delights of Canary Wharf on your doorstep.
Poplar isn’t overflowing with green spaces, but it does have two outstanding nature reserves. Both the East India Dock Basin Nature Reserve and the Old India Dock Basin provide much-needed green oases for Poplar.
Average property prices in Poplar for 2024
Rightmove put the average price of property in Poplar at £476,000 for September 2024. This is a fall of about 9% on the previous year and 7% down from the pricing high point of 2021. Apartments are priced slightly below the average, at £468,000. These make up the vast majority of sales in the area in the past 12 months. Terraced houses sold for an average of £630,000 across the same period, which is still significantly lower than the overall average price for London terraces at £708,000.
If you plan to rent in Poplar, expect to pay about £2,890 per calendar month. However, if you’re aiming for a more affordable rental option, one-bedroom apartments are available for just over £2,300 per month in Poplar. Despite rental hikes, these often represent some of the best places to live in Poplar.
If our list of the best places to live in Poplar has got you all inspired to give it a go, take a look at our area guide. Here, you’ll find more developments, more outstanding properties and a wider exploration of what makes this East London area special:
HomeViews is the only independent review platform for residential developments in the UK. Prospective buyers and tenants use it to make an informed decision on where to live based on insights from carefully verified resident reviews. Part of Rightmove since February 2024, we’re working with developers, house builders, operators, housing associations and the Government to give residents a voice, recognise high performers and to help improve standards across the industry.
