Opinions on Dover House conservation area please!!!

[TheEalingFeeling]

Hello everyone!

I really hope you can help me :)

We are looking to buy a property and keep coming back to the Dover House Conservation Area (mainly because our budget falls slightly short of other streets in this end of Putney/Wandsworth).

I have done loads of research on the net (all very favourable) but I am struggling to get a real sense of what it's like... Does anyone know it/live there themselves?

The roads look nice on Street View (clean, nice houses etc) so my questions are pretty classic really...

Is it safe (at night too), especially with young kids?
Does it feel a bit soul-less or a bit like a rabbit warren (sorry, can't think of a better way to say that!)?
Is there much anti-social behaviour (people hanging out on the streets at night, fights, parties, boy racers etc etc)?

We are moving with two kids (4 and 1 yr old) so schools are obviously an area of concern too...

When I re-read these questions, I realise I sound like an awful snob and I'm truly not. We're relocating to London after many years abroad so we have kind of lost our confidence a bit...

Thank you so so much to anyone who can give me a real opinions - I am getting a bit blinded by Estate Agents' sales pitches...!!!!

Last question (promise)... If Dover House isn't that great, would you recommend Southfields?? That is our other option :)

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

[tigger55]

Hi hope this is not too late to reply..but here goes....I know the area very well . I live here !.. My parents moved here 30 years ago when I was 18. I have always felt very safe coming home at night as a "young revler"

Obviously since then I have moved to other areas but 6 years ago I moved back here and love it , I have 3 boys (14/13/11) and never worry about them coming home latish from school activities.

Transport is good 430 into Putney ...or if you are the other side buses down Roehampton Lane . Little cut throughs which might not be obvious on maps . to get you to R/Lane.

Basic shops at the bottom of D/H/Rd though on is closed now ...but ok for emergency milk/bread...post office ....curry place and wine shop

If you are still overseas Ican give a better idea if you want to pm the roads you were thinking about

HTH tigger

[tigger55]

Should have said...my parents still live here !

[tigger55]

Oh and I have never seen any "gangs" Yes maybe outside the pizza take away on a sat pm ..waiting for their order ...but they are very "nice" and always move if they are taking up too much of the pavement sort of thing....but no "rival" gangs that I have heard of/been made aware of (and my mum knows everything !!)

[tigger55]

Oh just seen the Southfields bit ....Southfields is bigger than D/H/C area so hard for me to say though I do know a bit of the area. Primary schools are better in Putney according to league tables if that helps (possiblynot as league tables are sh..e)!!

[TheEalingFeeling]

Thank you so much for your reply! I really appreciate it and what you say fits in with other positive feedback we've had about the area!

Cheers!

[MrsWatts]

We live just the other side of Putney Park Lane. It's a lovely area; very quiet and village-like with all the pretty cottage style homes, hedgerows and allotments.
We've been here nearly a year and never seen any anti social behaviour.
We love being able to walk to Wimbledon Common so easily (only one road to cross!); great dog walking area.
Highly recommend the area!

[TheEalingFeeling]

Oh thank you for this feedback!! It's fab to hear from people who actually live there!

Would you mind if I asked you one more question... If you have kids of schooling age, would you mind telling me which school they go to?

Thank you again!
Enjoy your walks :)

[PianoThirty]

We looked at the area too and it's certainly good value compared to most neighbouring areas (Putney, Barnes, etc.); but we didn't like the look of the local schools. The catchment for Sacred Heart covers much of Dover House Conservation Area, but it also includes the vast council estates in Roehampton. That probably explains why it's cheap(ish). Also, many of the schools in neighbouring areas are Outstanding, whereas in Dover Court / Roehampton they're only Good at best. League table results are distinctly average too.

[Thegoodtree]

We lived there for about 10 years and loved it - safe, pretty, very green and very family-oriented (see the lovely new nature playground on the Pleasance, built by the community). Local children go to a complete mix of all local schools - in my experience most of these towards the bottom end were in central Putney eg, All Saints, Saint Mary's and Hotham. If you live towards the top end you're more likely to go to Roehampton CofE, Granard, Sacred heart. My children went to Hotham and loved it.

It has a real community feel (eg, choir, allotments). It's safe and convenient for many amenities eg, shops, hospital, sports centre, church hall, etc etc.

I don't know Southfields so can't compare but loved DHC (still do).

[FormerManorPupil]

I think access to good schools is getting harder as catchment areas shrink. Friends who loved living here moved because of it before their children reached school age. I would check with schools such as hotham. If the roads you are looking at were in their catchment in previous years. Otherwise, it's great!

[divyajhaveri]

We are looking to buy a house in newness path (just right side Dover house road Putney) and I have a young boy who will start reception in 2018. We did survey of schools in that area and understood it does not come in catchment area of good schools(Hottham, All COE, St Mary's) but some websites show that children from this area go to these schools. Could anyone staying here please help me. I did ask around one neighbour and he said it is a problem but his children have got into best school. Could someone please share their experience. I would highly appreciate any help.

[Munsnet656]

Hi everyone! New to this... Was wondering if anyone has a 2bed cottage on the dovercourt PUTNEY to exchange with my beautiful one bed in parsons green with 40ft garden.. established...and mine only...top specs...shutters...fitted wardrobes... Absolutely beautiful... Would love to hear! Many thanks

[Munsnet656]

Hi All, first ever pist

[Munsnet656]

Oops! First ever post! I live in parsons green and have the most beautiful garden one bedroom flat which I designed with a 40ft garden (established) all high specs...shutters... honestly to high standard as I was into interior design... It is housing association in best road with all amenities... I need a 2bedroom house.... Putney... Anyone interested, please contact

[SNOone]

Just spotted this while browsing Putney conservation areas and thought I should recommend reading a short primer by local architect Andrew Catto, as Dover House is just one of the many conservation areas in our borough.
www.andrewcatto.co.uk/putney-conservation-areas
Andrew is a local expert on these areas but is also the convener of the Buildings panel of the Putney Society. He's also president of the Association of Consultant Architects, so has national cache as well as local expertise.

As for my two-penneth, I would say the Dover House Conservation area is not particularly different to the other conservation areas in Putney - similar styles of Victorian and Georgian properties, some all London Yellow Stock and some with red brick facades and yellow-stock sides and rears, depending on when they were built.
In terms of amenity, closer to the high street is often a little more expensive, but all areas are "nice" and all of Putney is safe as far as I've seen, at any time of day.
The downside of Putney for families as also the reason for one of its' strengths - the schools tend not to be rated as highly in Wandsworth borough in general, probably because we have one of the lowest council tax in the country to fund them (conversely, the other side of Richmond Park you can see Kingston schools rated much higher, as a result of their eye-wateringly high council tax). You get what you pay for...