Moving to Chislehurst or not? And what are its best and safest neighborhoods

[TSIOU]

Hello,
We are thinking to relocate to Chislehurst and saw some nice houses near Woodside Avenue and Holmdale road. However, we just heard in the news the stabbings in the nearby pub Gordon Arms. I saw in the news that in the same pub and the area have been a few stabbings and fights in the past few years. We know is London and crime is everywhere etc but these have really put me off - more me than my husband. Would the conservation area around camden park road would be better? I understand that on the £500-550k budget you get more of a flat rather than house in the conservation area (as compared to the streets such as Woodside ave) but safety and the good feel of the neighbourhood is just so vital. We had almost made an offer to a property but now I am holding back. The reason we chose Chislehurst was its good reputation and family feel...but moving next to a pub that such gang fights re-occur seems far from ideal to me. If you know Chislehurst and the particular area I am talking about, please offer some valuable advice. Thank you very much.

Just bumping for you OP. I live in Petts Wood, so just next to Chislehurst. I don't know specific areas of Chislehurst well, but we go there a lot for walks and pubs and have never felt unsafe.

Thank you very much Sa218, that's really good to know. We have only been three times but we liked the woodlands and the family feel...so this incident confused me and scared me. Thanks again for your input. Much appreciated

Old Chislehurst is posher but a hike to the station and as you say you get far less for your money. the bit to the right of White Horse Hill and to the north of Woodside Avenue has a lot of social housing and whilst social housing isn’t an issue per se and I know other areas with similar housing and few problems - this locale has had problems for a long time.

Why not take a look in Petts Wood, less of a hike to the station, Excellent community feel, good shops, more train destinations than Chislehurst as it is before the junction, safe. This 3 bed for example might come in on budget www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-52215657.html

We thought about moving away from Petts Wood once and stalked a property near Bromley Common at different times of the day, talked to neighbours etc, we pulled out when we saw people urinating and throwing up in the front garden as the property we were interested in was on the path from the pub to the bus stop. It may be ok the one you are interested in but do visit at different times.

I live within a few paces of Chislehurst and it's lovely. Anywhere near the high street is good, a bit further down through the woods is Royal Parade with lovely small shops and many nice roads leading off. Near the Ramblers Rest too.

Avoid anywhere too near The Slade and Belmont Parade (that's where the Gordon Arms is that had the fight), however if you carry on down Heathfield (?) and turn left, there are some really good roads leading off the main road on both sides. Old Perry Street is one.

It's generally pleasant, peaceful and charming in Chislehurst with plenty of cafes and restaurants as well as Sainsbury's.

Thank you PettsWoodParadise and jesstan2 for your comments. We did not really look at Petts Wood but seems now is a bit late as we decided to make the offer to that house in Chislehurst. We visited the neighbourhood again at night to see how it feels and all the houses in Woodside avenue and Holmdale road looked really nice and well looked after. We also chatted with a neighbour who lives in Holmdale road for 12 years and spoke highly of the neighbourhood and of Chislehurst more broadly.

If I had read your message earlier jesstan2 maybe our decision would have been different...as you say that there have been several problems in those social housing estates. We are very close to the purchase now..not sure what to do. But I wonder how bad Belmont parade can it be as it is really so close to the high street and there are also some really nice cottages on Park road. Also Mead road is really nice and is just off Belmont parade. I hope we have not made the wrong decision!

And also if we knew that the stations in Petts Wood as not so much of a hike and the destinations are many, again this would have played a role. Decisions are so hard..especially about family living!

Are there really bad parts of Chislehurst?

Don't worry, Op. I've lived on the Bromley side of the border for 40 yrs and have friends and relatives who live in Chislehurst. As pp says, I've never felt in any way unsafe there. If anything, my general impression has been that it's full of retired stockbrokers and posher than Bromley, tho' I'm sure it must be good for young families as well since the local primaries do so well.

Enjoy your new home!

Be careful of the schools as it’s a grammar school area. I think Chislehurst is quite rough and your children will be at risk of picking up the estuary accent. I would avoid.

Rough? I thought it was posh?

Disclaimer - I've only driven through there on the way to visiting my friend in Bromley, but had the impression it was very upmarket.

Are you sure you're not getting it confused with Chatham?

I don't think in terms of posh but it is very nice indeed. However there are bits on the outskirts which are less desirable. Solution - just don't go to those places.

Many people want to live there or near because of the Bromley grammar schools; there is also Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar which is in Bexley. They are good schools and there is a lot of competition for places but I don't think that is unusual (they take chldren from outside of the catchment area anyway). There's also a quite good comprehensive.

What I like about Chis is the variety.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?searchType=SALE&locationIdentifier=REGION%5E322&insId=1&radius=0.0&minPrice=&maxPrice=&minBedrooms=3&maxBedrooms=3&displayPropertyType=houses&maxDaysSinceAdded=&_includeSSTC=on&sortByPriceDescending=&primaryDisplayPropertyType=&secondaryDisplayPropertyType=&oldDisplayPropertyType=&oldPrimaryDisplayPropertyType=&newHome=&auction=false

Apart from 2 super-selectives, which take applicants from all over S London, Bromley's schools are all comprehensives, most v successful. Chislehurst is part of Bromley. Bexley has grammars and an 11+, but Bromley residents close to the border can apply to take the exam.

Thank you Thymeout for the warm wishes and the reassuring tone! :) As jesstan2 says...we will avoid the bad areas. What we liked about Chislehurst was that you can afford a nice and spacious house with a budget that only gets you a studio where we live at the moment! And has good state primary schools, green spaces and good train links to London. Our daughter is only two and half so this is pretty much an experiment to see how we feel in a completely different part of London from where we are. Also I work in Kent and wanted to be able to commute by car rather than tube/ train if needed!

TSIOU, it really is nice here. On a day like today, warm and sunny but with a good breeze, it's gorgeous down by the ponds and (when they are all open!), meandering around the small shops and the cafes. It's OK when it's raining too :-). I hope you find what you want, good luck.

@Adeleide2

Be careful of the schools as it’s a grammar school area. I think Chislehurst is quite rough and your children will be at risk of picking up the estuary accent. I would avoid.

Good grief, Chislehurst is not 'rough'! Are you sure you're not thinking of somewhere else? Nearby Mottingham can be a bit ropey though!

If anything I find Chislehurst a bit twee - you're only ever ten paces from a bit of bunting cupcake ime - but it's definitely one of the 'naicer' parts of Bromley.

Chislehurst is not rough.

Jumping in on this as we are considering making the move from Blackheath as well. Does anyone know anything about Babbington house school? We’ve got three kids (6,3 and 6 months). Also do you need to drive if you live down there or is it possible to walk places/take buses? Thanks!

"think Chislehurst is quite rough and your children will be at risk of picking up the estuary accent. I would avoid."

^Best laugh I've had in ages!

Spent a lot of my childhood, & time as an adult, visiting family in Chislehurst. It's lovely, I miss wandering round The Common on a nice day. Has changed a lot over the years but seems a decent place to live (not that I could afford it).

I wouldn't worry about Belmont Parade.

Hope it works out for you TSIOU.

(I'll go & phone the Chislehurst relatives now, thank god I'll be able to understand their accents! )

Hi everyone, we are also thinking about moving to Chislehurst. Don’t know much about the area; only been once. But it seems like the station seems quite far out. So am curious how do people get to the station? Do most people drive or walk? If so is it safe to walk late at night? Thanks everyone

I also had a laugh at ‘rough’ old Chislehurst I’ve always thought of the Gordon Arms as the border marker into Eltham. Which could be considered rough but the houses are ginormous.

The station is weirdly out of the way. You might be better off walking or busing to Mottingham Station, if you are commuting. Old Hill has some lovely little roads off of it and takes you into Elmstead Woods which is chef’s kiss

It’s a lovely area, we visit regularly as my friend lives there and we walk to the ponds or into Mottingham for the parks. There are some bad parts, like every area has, but do your research on specific roads you’re interested in and visit at different times of the day to get an idea of neighbours. It’s easy travel into London, we come from Greenwich and it doesn’t take long.

@Bebe84
To get into Charing Cross by train we used to catch a bus (or walk) to New Eltham station. I think we got a bus to Mottingham station once.

It probably depends on where you want to go on the train, & which end of Chislehurst you live in.

I wouldn't fancy walking alone through the wooded areas late at night, but that applies anywhere.

That is the issue with Chislehurst some housing you are nearer Elmstead Woods stn (for Charing Cross) - it is in a bit of a dip and the roads near the stn can get flooded as well as busy. Bickley is almost closer to Chislehurst stn than much of Chislehurst itself.

Chislehurst is quite 'upmarket' and not 'rough' - not sure what you mean by the estuary accent - you've absolutely got the wrong area! I've lived in Petts Wood for 10 years and Bickley for 17 (these border Chislehurst); there are less desirable parts but generally it is an expensive commuter belt area

Chislehurst rough! Thanks for giving this Sidcup girl a laugh this evening. Chislehurst is where the posh relations live! Tatoos spelt proper an’ evry’fink!

In what world is Chislehurst rough?!

I live around the Lubbock road area, there are plenty of trains into London from Elmsted Woods which is a 5 mins walk away.

Never felt unsafe, there is burglaries (mainly high value cars) around here but it’s because it’s an area where most people who live here earn a lot of money and have nice properties and vehicles.

It’s definitely not a gang land.