The story of Jordan Lovell Ambler’s exit from London has an almost Dickensian ring to it.
It was almost Christmas when her landlord dropped the bombshell news that the Brixton flat she called home was going to be sold. She and her partner Jonathan Davis found themselves suddenly facing the prospect of homelessness. And they had just had their first baby.
The housing crisis forced the couple to rethink their lives, and they decided to rush through a long-term plan to leave the capital and move north where they would be able to afford a family home.
“We had been thinking about it for a long time,” said Jordan. “When my partner was about to turn 40 he got a bit itchy about wanting to buy. We couldn’t see how we it would be possible in London, and I started to show him how much houses cost up north on Rightmove. It became a bit of a hobby.”
Fantasy house hunting became reality in late 2015, and the couple agreed their perfect destination was Sheffield. Jordan, 41, had spent time in the city and loved it and Jonathan, 48, was able to transfer his job with the NHS to its Sheffield office. “It was definitely something we were going to do at some point — we just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly,” said Jordan.
Over Christmas the couple visited Sheffield to view rental houses and in January 2016 they moved into a three-bedroom house close to the city centre with baby Wilfred, who is now seven. It cost £650pcm — almost half the price of their £1,100pcm two-bedroom flat in Brixton.
By 2017 Jordan and Jonathan were ready to put down roots and began house hunting. Jordan, 41, had quit her job as manager of the art supply shop Cowling & Wilcox in Shoreditch. With only one wage to rely on they were priced out of Sheffield’s smart leafy suburbs and decided to compromise and move a 20-minute train ride away to the village of Kiveton Park. Their three-bedroom Edwardian terrace cost £85,000.
The same year, Jordan had her second child, Wren, now six. Two young children kept her fully occupied until 2019 when she decided to upgrade her hobby making hand-embroidered cushions and sweaters into a business (@jordanlovella).
She has also made friends with other parents on the school run and has barely had the time to miss London. “There is a real community feel in the village — if you want down the street everyone says hello to you, which was a culture shock especially for Jon,” she said.
“Now that the kids are older and I can be myself a bit more it would be nice to have some of the things that London has around. But if there is an exhibition or a concert I want to go to it is only two hours on the train.”
