Blackheath- advise to buy!

[RichaJ]

Hello
Anyone living in Blackheath with children? Do you like it? Any downsides? Great things?I have heard great about this part of London. But I don't know anyone who lives there, and I certainly don't know it well.
Bit of detail about me. Me and my husband are currently renting in Canary Wharf, first time buyers and work in the city. We want to move to an area with good state primary schools and a family feel to it.

Any advice on good roads, schools (state or even private maybe), childcare what the general vibe is, etc would be great! Few specific questions:

1. From reading a few posts i understand there are two sides to Blackheath - the village and the standard side. What is the main difference between the two?
2. If we are looking for a 3 bed house whats a realistic budget (we were thinking 800-850k)?
3. Any specific streets that we should lookinto? Any areas we should avoid?
4. We are indians and would ideally like to live in a mixed community. How is the mix of Asians in the area?

Obviously know it's pricier. Aware primary catchments tiny and secondaries not great. Anything else I need to know about the area as a place to bring up kids?

Thank you!

I used to live in Greenwich for a while (commuted to Canary Wharf from there) as it happens, and I know Blackheath well.

YABU.

Why not try www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property in the first instance?

I lived in Blackheath Royal Standard and worked in Blackheath Village - both really nice (I was super poor just out of Uni).... definitely prefer the Village side.... mind you I was there in the mid 90s

@GinDaddyRedux sorry im new to mumsnet! Whats YABU?
i tried looking in the Property DIY search but no luck :(

Have you tried having a look at what your budget will get you in the area?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E85278&insId=1&minPrice=800000&maxPrice=900000&minBedrooms=3&googleAnalyticsChannel=buying

This is filtered on £800k - £900k

Pre children we lived just south of blackheath nearer hither green station. Lovely quiet area and our landlords paid for us to leave a lease early so they could have their house back to get their children into the local schools. We lived close to Manor House gardens which is a pretty park and great for kids. Giving that a suggestion as more reasonable house prices than blackheath.

From where we lived I cycled daily to work through Greenwich part to Canary Wharf and loved being able to that.

Otherwise we loved living a short walk into blackheath and all the bars, cafes and restaurants

@Crunchymum yes did try that. But it would just be helpful to know the streets to look at and/ or the areas to avoid! :)

I live in se London and know blackheath well. It’s nice (lewisham isn’t) I wouldn’t choose to live in se London if I had a choice though. The village is nicer.

@PumpkinP

Which part would you live in if you had a choice?!

Dulwich, Forest Hill, Greenwich, Blackheath, all hugely desirable areas, great shops, village feel.

I also disagree with your view on Lewisham I'm afraid. It depends on what you want from an area. Lewisham hasn't got lots of little instagrammable boutiques and cafe shops, but it has got a proper buzz to the place, great transport, good food options, and some tremendous housing stock that's better value than anywhere around it. Not everyone is going to, or want to, end up on Bellenden Road or in Dulwich Village.

Im trying to move out of se London so none of it. Like I said blackheath is nice though but I wouldn’t chose to live there. but lewisham is run down and full of crime. I use to live in deptford which was just awful, both border blackheath.

I'd move to Deptford in a heartbeat and I'd raise my DDs there. Guess it's horses for courses

If you'll need to get the train to work I'd try the commute. No tube so the train is a nightmare

I live in Lee Green (also very close to Manor House Gardens) we love it. It’s a 5 min walk to Blackheath which has lovely restaurants (post Covid). DC are at Colfe’s which is a fantastic 3-18 private school. We’re very happy here and would definitely recommend.

Are you considering private or state education? That’s a factor.

I would say for 800-850 you’d get a 3 bed flat, but not a house, in the immediate area of the Heath itself/the Village.

If you want a house you would need to look down the hill from the Village towards Lee/Hither Green (only a short walk to the Village and nice/leafy streets/nice feel) like:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-93061925.html

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-65420223.html

Or you could get one of the Spans (60s-80s houses) in the Cator Estate for your budget. So for example:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-61309965.html

You could also get a house on the Charlton side of the Standard but I don’t think you’d get it on the Blackheath side. Some of the roads are not quite as pretty around the Standard (it’s not as desirable as the Village and there’s a main road at one end of the Standard so roads around there won’t be so desirable). You could also look at Greenwich - for your budget you could get a 3 bed terrace in the Maze Hill/Westcombe Park area or closer to the river, north of Old Woolwich Road (ie East Greenwich). Something like:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-77561047.html

There are lots of Victorian terraces in East Greenwich. However for your budget you probably would be looking at a fairly small house (a bigger three bed/four bed would be closer to £1 million).

I’d choose closer to Greenwich than Lee/Hither Green personally. Firstly because the DLR at Cutty Sark will give you a good option for your commute and secondly because you’ll be right on the doorstep of the park. If you’re in Lee/Hither Green it’s quite a walk to Greenwich Park especially with kids, but there are some nice smaller parks around there - like Manor House Gardens. Also, Greenwich does get very busy in summer with tourists - so Blackheath Village is a good option then as the shops/cafes etc won’t be as busy.

It is a lovely area in general though, you have the Heath and Greenwich Park, the Market and maritime areas. Lots of good primary schools but not so much for secondaries (state anyway - there are private options too).

Parts of Lewisham are lovely. I live on the edge of the Heath, but it's technically in Lewisham. 5 minutes walk to the train station. It's a major transport hub, trains, DLR and busses all run through it.

John Ball primary school is a state school with a good reputation. Half of DD's classmates in year 6 have ended up at Oxbridge, St Andrews or Durham.

The Cato Estate is much sought after and probably a bit overpriced. There's correctly a nice property going in St Joseph's Vale

I would also agree that parts of Lewisham are lovely and should have said that in my original post. In fact there are several roads that run between Lewisham and Blackheath and give you the option to go into Lewisham for commuting (more trains) and shopping etc. Also Lewisham has a Street Feast in the summer (well maybe not this year...) You could look at Lewisham - Blackheath fringe area as the properties will be a bit cheaper than the immediate Blackheath area.

Hello
We are also considering moving to st. joseph's vale. However, it seems the way to and from the blackheath station is quite quiet and have to walk through "heather lane"? do you think it is safe to walk back home alone after work? we are an overseas family considering moving to blackheath! very much appreciate your advice!