Rather than stay in the centre of London I
was thinking it might be nice to stay in one
of London's leafy suburbs with good connections to the core. I thought of Richmond but would be interested in hearing of any other area that would appeal to - ahem - 'more mature' travellers.

TIA

The only drawback I can think of is the long ride to and fro. You may also want to avoid the daily crush of workers heading into and out of London at certain peak times.
I count myself as a more 'mature' traveller but would only consider your plan if I was to spend weeks or months over there. Just a week or so - I would want to stay right in the thick of things. As a matter of fact there are a few hotels with outlooks onto leafy green parks!!( some on very quiet streets).

Thanks, Tod.

How about north London - Hampstead and
area?

Hampstead and/or Highgate are great alternatives. They are basically still in "central London" but out on the Heath you'd never know it. The transport is decent.

I normally stay in Pimlico - out of the hustle and close to the river but right in the center of London. But I have stayed in Hampstead in a now closed B&B and in Highgate in a friend's borrowed flat. And both were wonderful. I personally like being more in the center of things since I try to go to the theatre/concerts most nights and being close in lets me return to the flat in the middle of the day and get home quickly late at night.

But Hampstead would be a good compromise location.

thanks, janis - I'll start looking there.