Moving to Carshalton Beeches / Carshalton - thougths from locals?

[tsimuhaPumyraki]

Hello everyone!

This is my first post here, but I’ve been following discussions about different areas in London for a while. As an expat who has lived in London for three years, I’ve found this forum incredibly helpful in learning about new areas, so thank you all for the insights!

My partner and I are currently looking to buy our first home. While we both work from home, we want to ensure a good commute into London, as our job situations may change in the future. We also value having a variety of shops nearby, both for groceries and for dining out. We currently live in Beckenham and love the vibrant high street with its mix of shops, cafes, and restaurants. We've been looking in a variety of areas in South London, such as Orpington, Chislehurst, Sidcup, Bexley village, West Wickham, Worcester Park, Cheam, Hayes, Ewell, Sanderstead... but.....

...we recently came across a house in Carshalton Beeches - located between the Carshalton Beeches station and the high street. The location seems very convenient, in walking distance to both Carshalton Beeches station and Carshalton station, which offers flexibility with different train routes. We were not familiar with the area, but we visited last weekend and really liked the high street with independent shops, the ponds, and the village-like atmosphere. We also noticed a few local shops, in short walking distance to the house, like the bakery near the station and the butcher on Banstead Road.

However, we’d love to hear from people who actually live in the area -what’s it like day-to-day?

We'd like to have some sense of community and things to do around - we also appreciate the proximity to areas like Cheam and Epsom, which we really like too. We don't have kids yet, but we're planning to, so we'd also love to hear your views about schools and activities for kids in the area.

We’d really appreciate any insights from locals- both positives and potential downsides. Thanks in advance! :)

I'm not far from there, it's a nice area. I think the train into london is better from Carshalton than Carshalton Beeches. Schools are pretty good. Like you say the high street is pretty with the pond etc. It does have some crime, but doesn't everywhere.

The only downside is that it does get rather congested with traffic.

Thanks, @FrenchandSaunders. Why would you say that Carshalton trains are better than Carshalton Beeches ones? We'll most likely need to go towards London Bridge rather than Victoria, so Carshalton Beeches seems to be more convenient for us. They're both walking distance, so it doesn't really matter, but just wanted to get your insights on that.

Also, I’ve read in many discussions that there aren’t many options for secondary schools in Carshalton if you want to avoid grammar schools. I’m not very familiar with the UK education system, so I’m curious - why would someone want to avoid a grammar school? Is it mainly due to the pressure of entrance exams and academic stress, or are there other reasons as well?

I have a friend there & know the area fairly well as i'm from S London. Nice housing stock and big gardens but what I like less about it is the fact it's nearer to Croydon (as in it's the closest main shopping/recreational area). I much prefer the SW side. When we meet up with other friends it's invariably in Wimbledon or Kingston so she has the longer journey (also have friends in Worcester Park & Cheam).
She does have a dc in the grammar system, there aren't that many other options I don't think unless you are catholic. The competition for the grammar places is intense, her dc is very gifted but it's mental what some parents do. If you dc are that way inclined you can still get in from other areas.

Have you looked Kingston way?

@wooliegloves thanks for your reply. I totally agree - Kingston is amazing. That said, I don’t think we’d find anything of this size and price closer to Kingston while still being within a reasonable walking distance of a train station.

This house is actually closer to Sutton than Croydon, so we have that option as well if we want access to a shopping area. While Sutton is definitely not as charming as Kingston, I don’t think it has the same reputation as Croydon - or does it (please share your honest views)? We also liked that Epsom is just a 15-minute drive away, offering plenty of shopping options. Kingston is about 30 minutes by car (in not in a rush hour), which also isn’t too bad if you’re not in a rush.

We’ve now paused our house search and further viewings in other areas, keeping our fingers crossed that this sale goes smoothly, but I'd still love to hear your views, experiences, tips, and any heads-up that we might have missed about Carshalton.

Oh yes I did forget about Sutton town centre, tbh I've not been there for decades so no advice.
I'm not sure you would ever do the drive to Kingston in 30 mins tbh! Traffic can be pretty bad. Epsom has improved, there is a Picturehouse, Wagamamas etc but not much in the way of actual shops imo but that's personal preference. I didn't realise you had already purchased a house, good luck!

We live very close to Carshalton Beeches station and we love it here. Our two children have both gone to the local junior school - the oldest has gone on to grammar school and the youngest is in Year 5. They have both enjoyed growing up here - lots of parks close by - Carshalton Park and Oaks Park are favourites. But then we're out into the countryside in 10mins. Both high streets near to us have a good selection of shops/cafes/restaurants. The bakery around the corner is hugely tempting all the time 😀. I'm often in town for work and the LB train from CB is fast and goes every half an hour. If I stay in central London for a night out and miss the last train, I can take the Northern Line to Morden and then an Uber home for a tenner - not too bad! The Ponds are amazing, too.

@RichK This all sounds fantastic! I hope we become neighbours soon! 🙂
Northern Line to Morden sounds really handy - that's a great tip! Thanks!
And yes, we've tried the local bakery and we were impressed - we're really happy it's there.

By the way, when you mentioned 'both high streets near us,' where is the second one? We might have missed it during our rainy weekend explorations.

Sorry, I meant Carshalton High Street and Sutton High Street, which is only one stop along from CB station. There are also a couple of smaller parades of shops like the one on Banstead Road.
FYI - the Residents Association is very active in Carshalton Beeches and they do quite a lot in the community, so that helps with the village feel.
Also, if you like the gym, Westcroft Leisure Centre has a pretty well-stocked gym and is really reasonably priced. It's got a swimming pool, too.

Sorry, I meant Carshalton High Street and Sutton High Street, which is only one stop along from CB station. There are also a couple of smaller parades of shops like the one on Banstead Road.
FYI - the Residents Association is very active in Carshalton Beeches and they do quite a lot in the community, so that helps with the village feel.
Also, if you like the gym, Westcroft Leisure Centre has a pretty well-stocked gym and is really reasonably priced. It's got a swimming pool, too.

Many thanks, @RichK !
Yes, I've checked the Leisure Centre online when we were researching the area before placing the offer - it doesn't have a very good score, but compared to reviews for other Leisure Centres I've seen before, I'd say it's excellent. Hearing it's good from someone who visited is very reassuring too!
We have a local Leisure Centre where we currently live, but I've been postponing getting a subscription for the past months, until we move - so looking forward to it.

I've also checked the CB Residents Association page (www.cbra.co.uk/) but looks a bit outdated? Do they have some other online presence/social media page to follow? The house we're buying is outside the highlighted area shown on the map (just a bit on the north) - so probably we won't be able to become members...(?) I wonder whether there is a different active RA for Carshalton to cover our road.

Also know the area. Trains to LB from CB are good -30 mins - although do tend to be crowded at rush hour. CB does have a nice villagey feel. It has some nice pubs and the Cryer Theatre occasionally has something other than tribute acts. Oaks Park is great and the Lavender Fields are nice. I like the fact you can be in central London quickly but there are sheep and cows at the end of our road. Schools seem pretty good even if you don’t do the grammar route for secondary there are some solid options. I feel pretty safe here and do walk back at night from CB station. There’s enough for kids to do when little and my ones who are older appreciate being able to get into London quite easily.

Many thanks for sharing your experience, @Pottingup !
Nature, community, safety, and good commute to London will be very much appreciated.
I only hear good things so looks like we're making the right decision.
Any concerns at all?