Furzedown - help needed!

[garrettmum]

Hi all,

My husband and I are considering a move to Furzedown from Earlsfield. Usual reasons of more space etc.

I have heard great things about the community spirit, but having visited, have found it difficult to get a sense of whether there is much to do with little ones (we have a 1yr old boy).

Can anyone help with some info on what playgroups/kids activities are on in the area and also what are the best childcare options (I see there is Eveline, but I imagine the waiting list is long).

Many thanks!

Hi Garrettmum,
I live in Graveney which is the next ward along from
Furzedown and am 5 months pregnant at the moment. We have been immensely comforted by the fact there are lots of little cafes and posh pubs where Mums & babies can go during the day. You also have the Furzedown rec/play area and are very close to the Bec which has a lovely play area too. In terms of Nurseries etc there is the Eveline but lots of others, there is a good list on streetlife.com which is a local site, alternatively we simply googled our postcode and got a few come up. Am sure new Mums can help
more but I hope this is useful!

We moved to Furzedown from Tooting Bec last year and can really recommend it (have a 4 year old and 9 month old). There is definitely a sense of community (probably helped by the tight primary catchments which mean your child's classmates all live within about five streets!) In terms of playgroups, there is the Faylands Children's Centre off Thrale Road which has all the usual play and stay/baby yoga type stuff. There are all several churches which have playgroups (St Albans is a nice one). There is also the Furzedown Family Centre within Graveney School which has daily playgroups.

WRT childcare options, there is also a Teddie's Nursery but I can't vouch for it. Looking Glass by the Common is about 15 minutes walk away. And the Coomon is great for kids (as is the recreation ground).

We love it here . Let me know if you need any other info.

Hi everyone,

I am also looking to move to Tooting/Furzedown and about to make an offer on a house. We have a 2.5 year old daughter and another on the way very soon. Feeling nervous as we are new to this area but liked the look and feel of it when we were house hunting. what worries me is having no tube or train on your doorstep.
does anyone find this a problem? My husband works in Canary Wharf.

eglantine - my DP works in Soho so gets the northern line from Tooting Bec. It's a 15-20 minute walk but he doesn't mind that (he lost half a stone when we moved here!) However, there are lots of buses that run along Southcroft Road that will take you to Tooting Broadway tube in a few minutes. Or Streatham Common overland is a 10-20 minute walk away (depending on which end of Furzedown you live) and your DH could get a train to London Bridge and then Jubilee it.

Hope that helps. I really should get out more.

Don't forget the Tooting Bec commute too if you are on the other side of Moyser road. We walk to the Common and jump on the 249 or 319 to Tooting Bec for the Northern Line. 50 mins door to door for city or west end. If you are in a rush, five pounds in a cab.

Did you get the house? Good luck. We love Furzedown and try to lure as many people here as poss.

Thanks Furry and Furzeyd. I am still very keen on furzedown, but unfortunately didn't make an offer on the house in mind because husband was having doubts about the price, which he now regrets. We are considering another 2 houses a few streets away - one needs refurbishing and extending the other is in perfect order and will make an offer after the holiday weekend.
It's great to hear that people love the area. I'll keep you posted...

Good luck! We did a refurb and extension and whilst it was a bit stressful at the time (8 month's pregnant at the time!) we love it now. Let us know if you need any more info. x

Hi just spotted this thread - I am thinking of moving to Furzedown too (can no longer afford Clapham South!). I need to come and have a proper look round but just wondered if anyone has any thoughts about nice roads to live? I will also need to use the tube so it needs to be reasonably easy to get to the northern line - I am sure I will get used to that though, (have just been spoilt recently). I have a 10 year old so being in the Graveney catchment would certainly help. House prices seem to vary hugely in the area - I am wondering if that is to do with school catchments or do the streets vary a lot in terms of desirability (is that even a word?!)?
Sorry lots of rambling, but it feels like a huge decision to make.
Also, if anyone has any thoughts of where to hang out to really get a feel of the area - cafes, pubs etc that would be great. And does anyone know what goes on locally for 10 year olds - sports or similar?
Any help much appreciated. Thanks!

There are lots of nice roads. The main shops and cafes are on Moyser Road and that would give you a feel for the area if you had a wander. As said above, you can get buses to either Tooting Bec or Broadway tube; if you wanted a 10 minute brisk walk, you would need to live near the Rectory Lane side, Crowborough Road is popular. The larger - and hence pricier- houses tend to be nearer the Common (Parklands, Woodnook, Brookview). The roads off Moyser are not as ginormous but still a very good size (3-5 bed c1900 terraces) and most are very nice (Ribblesdale, Pendle, Penwortham, Nimrod, Pretoria spring to mind but there are others). There are also nice properties east of Mitcham Lane (Dahomey etc.) but if Graveney is a priority for you I would call the school and see what the latest is (my kids are still wee so don't know about this - although I saw a thread about it recently so might be worth doing a search on the main MN site). Again, not best placed for 10 year old girl activities but I know there's a youth club and singing groups locally and in Tooting there is gymnastics, drama etc. HTH

Thanks, that's really helpful. I'm feeling quite excited now! Will go and have a wander with DD next week. It seems like a big area on the map so it's useful to have an idea of where to start. I read some of the Graveney threads, but I don't want to get too hung about that as it may not even be our first choice school - it's just that it seems a bit mad to move to the area at this point and not take it into account. Luckily, I walk very fast so hopefully the tube won't be too much of an issue. I'll just have to get up a bit earlier

We live in Furzedown and have absolutely loved living here for the last 6 years - such a little gem of an area hidden away (do not tell everyone).

With mixed emotions, sad to leave but excited to arrive somewhere new at the same time, we are about to relocate out of London.

We have just had an offer for our house privately and know another 2 families locally who have sold this way.

I really recommend maildropping the streets with a personal note, and posting your requirements on our brilliant local site Furzedown Net (a yahoo group) as well as trawling Zoopla and Rightmove. You may just catch someone preparing to engage an estate agent...

Best of luck!

Thanks, that's really helpful. I will have a look at the site now. I had wondered about putting notes through doors - thanks for the encouragement. Hope your move goes well!

We missed out on making an offer in time for the house that needed extending and refurbing as I went into labour and had my son last Wednesday! The other perfect house was also snapped up and went beyond the asking price. We will continue looking in Furzedown as we really do not have enough room in our 2 bed flat in Putney - amazing how much space a little one takes up.

Congratulations on the birth of your son! As far as I can see there isn't very much on the market but I have only just started looking. Let's hope we both find somewhere wonderful! Good luck with your search!

Congrats on the baby 's arrival!

I think I know the houses you were talking about eglantine7 and that's a shame you missed out but there are obviously quite a few people looking and not many houses. Fingers crossed you find something lovely.

I just logged on to report on the new cafe Le Comptoir just opened on Moyser Road. It has had a lovely paint job outside and is very homely and cosy inside. Really cheers the Budgens stretch up on Moyser Road.

Thanks Troubledjo and Furzeyd. Baby number 2 is a lot easier and he really is a chilled out little man. It helps that bf-ing has gone smoothly so far, unlike with DD who was hungry and frantic for the first couple of weeks. However days and nights are all over the place.

Furzeyd, that house was beautifully extended and decorated and it's hardly surprising we lost out. And the other on the same road had the potential to be. Le Comptoir sounds lovely

Yes, Troubledjo, the estate agents at Aspire and a few others have all said that supply is low right now. I remember having a look last year and there were loads and significantly cheaper. Unfortunately we weren't in a position to buy then. At least it means its sought after area and I hope we both get lucky soon

DH thinks the area might have a high or highish crime/ burglary rate? I believe that's the case in parts of Streatham or Tooting. I worked for a while in Tooting and really enjoyed it. Having been born and raised in London in a very socially diverse area, I'm naturally quite a bit less nervous than he is.