As someone who lives in England (grew up in Manchester and lives in Gateshead) let me correct zahavasdad, who uses his one-time visit to London to give the impression that he knows England.
London is NOT the be-all of England and therefore Gateshead being 300 miles away from it does not mean that it is out in the sticks. Gateshead is very near to a lot of things, like Scotland, which is only an hour away and is some of the most beautiful British countryside, and also right next to the Lake District, which is also stunning. We are only a two-hour drive from Manchester.
As for being compared to Lakewood – no comparison except that it is a major yeshiva centre. The schools, shuls, shops and other amenities are all very close by and it is a warm community where most people know each other (I saw most because the community is rapidly growing).
Manchester is a very large community with very diverse kehillas; secular, modern, chareidi and yeshivish. The two main frum areas are Broughton Park (Salford) and Prestwich, and they are walkable distance from each other. There are kosher shops in both areas, plus schools and shuls, of which there are many!
London has a few areas, so you will need to look into them yourself but I would like to correct the assertion that Golders Green is mainly MO. (Actually, many of the London girls who come to Gateshead Sem are from GG). There is a more modern community in Golders Green, but there is an equally large charedi and some chassidish area there as well. I could say the same about Hendon, and also about Edgeware. Stamford Hill is mostly chassidish but it also has a large sefardi community. If you are ok with driving a lot in order to get to places such as work and school, then that’s ok, since many of the schools and businesses will not necessarily be close to where you live, if you choose London.
If you have specific questions, I would be happy to answer them but this post is going to get rather long!