Thoughts on Crouch End as an area to move to with kids from primary through to secondary

[Elizabeth0712]

We're currently living in the London suburbs (Rickmansworth) after leaving central London but I just cannot get on with it here & now really think it was the wrong move for us.

I'm currently looking at potentially moving back into London and have zoned in on Crouch End. I went to do a little wrecky there today. It seems nice but I honestly don't know much about the area. Are there any Crouch End parents on here with any input on the area? Does the lack of tube station annoy you? Or is this a blessing in disguise...

I would also like to know if people stay in the area for a long time? I'm hoping to find somewhere to lay down roots for a long time & see the kids (age 5 & 3 atm) through from primary to secondary. (I see theres Highgate wood & Hornsey girls. Not too keen on same sex schools personally but i have two daughters so could be an option...)

Or does anyone have any better suggestions for family friendly areas in London? I zoned in on Crouch End so we weren't too far from family in Bushey & Chorleywood (Hertfordshire homecounties). But the lack of tube in Crouch end is a bit of a concern.

Any advice would be helpful. :)))

Thanks folks.

Hi Elizabeth I would say the lack of tube in Crouch End is, counterintuitively, a bonus. It feels like a hidden enclave where the local shops and restaurants have to try that little bit harder to retain your business, as they can't rely on itinerant passing trade a tube station would bring. Depending on which part you opt for, most days it's only ten minutes on the W7 or W3 to Finsbury Park and from there 20 mins into Central London. On the east side is Hornsey overground station which takes you straight into Moorgate in the City and on the west is Highgate tube on the northern line - but its a hard hike up the hill for little legs. The aspect I like most - and this is not immediately obvious when you pay a fleeting visit - is the abundance of green space and sporting facilities. Take a walk from Park Road, opposite the junction with Park Avenue South, past the cricket pitches and tennis courts, up through Queens Wood, then to Highgate Wood, then onto Parkland Walk all the way to Ally Pally and then back down the hill to Crouch End and through Priory Park and you realise you can enjoy miles of traffic-free park and woodland from your doorstep. Local primaries are good though you'll pay a premium to live in catchment area of Coleridge for example. Good luck

Echoing what @bluntnib says about the lack of Tube being a bonus rather than a hindrance. Archway and Finsbury Park are both short bus rides away, or you have Hornsey rail station within walking distance. There's such a lovely village-y feel to CE that you forget you're in London sometimes! The primaries are brilliant and our DD14 is v. happy at Hornsey.

That’s super helpful, thank you both for your replies.

I got the village feel when I visited and liked that a lot. I felt like I was in London but not at the same time.

another question…but quite hard to determine I guess. Would you say it’s a friendly area?
We would be starting over again and I really would like to make some new friends.

x

I think it is friendly. We’ve been very lucky to have had lovely neighbours wherever we’ve lived round here. There is a bit of a feeling of people being priced out as they need more space and leave as kids reach school age or secondary age which does make me fear that CE will end up as an enclave of the very rich. But it is a wonderful place to live. I’d live here forever.

I think it's a nice area but boring. The lack of tube does make it a bit of a hidden enclave, but also makes it feel less like real London. I'd have thought Ricky would feel more "Londony" than CE because it does have a tube

Ricky doesn’t feel londony to me at all. The highstreet is pretty dire & it’s very suburban. Maybe because I grew up here and then returned I just can’t get on with. Crouch End seems to have much more going on & is closer to central London

I think CE feels very suburban but each to their own.

It's so friendly when you have small children! We met a brilliant group of friends when our DD was at nursery and we are still close to a decade later.

Can I ask why you left & if you’re still in another part of London? X

Crouch End is very yummy mummy… you have made me chuckle with wrecky!

Crouch End is very cute but totally walkable from areas with tubes/stations, ie Manor House, Finsbury Park, Stroud Green/crouch hill, Haringay station.

My son was born there , so I have very fond memories of it. We lived on weston park, straight off the broadway - found it quite bohemian and friendly and genuinely felt villagey

I lived in Muswell Hill but also loved. Crouch End . No tube is a bonus , both places have a village vibe . Very expensive though .

Not sure who your question is aimed at, but we're still here!