Moving to London. Seeking advice on Neighborhoods

[Britv82]

Hello Mums! Would any of you kindly share your thoughts on great places to live with kids (girls) ages 7 and 9? My family is relocating to London from the US in June for my husband's job. He does not have an office to report to (he is in sales with the whole of London and the southeastern UK as a territory so we can live anywhere really) which makes it a bit harder to decide on location. He will have to travel out of London a good bit so getting out the city fairly easily is appealing (we will have a car). We have explored SW London a little bit and liked Wimbledon, Teddington, Chiswick, Wandsworth/Clapham. Any thoughts on Barnes, Southfields or East Dulwich? These keep coming up but we have not visited in person yet.
Here is what we are seeking....can you help identify a nice place for a family or give your thoughts on the above places if you live there?

1. Good state primary schools (feel free to name a great school to visit or send me a private message with recommendations! My husband is moving over in April so he can do a visit)
2. Good secondary school as that is coming up in 2 years
3. Strong community/family feel (we consider ourselves very social) :)
4. Good transport links
5. Green spaces & access to sports/fitness options
6. Good variety of restaurants and cultural activities
7. Our top end budget is about 4000 a month (renting - not buying)

I know this is a bit of a broad question and likely everyone is seeking this :) but we are overwhelmed and would so appreciate any bits of guidance from fellow mums! Thank you so much!

Sounds lovely! Thank you for your response!

Thank you so much for mentioning this.....I'm a light sleeper so this may not be for me!

Does your dh new southeastern territory extend up north of the M25? It really depends which counties are covered as to where you would be best placed. Although St Albans is lovely, being north of the M25 would make it annoying if he has.to get to Margate or Littlehampton by car. Any trainline going into Waterloo or Waterloo East would be ideal and then being close to the M25 for driving days. Maybe Sevenoaks (expensive) or any town with a trainline close to the M25.

I never had a problem with the aeroplane noise, so |I wouldn't worry about that.

However; Barnes is on a slow train line to Waterloo, and the traffic is beyond awful. Particularly as Hammersmith Bridge is out of action for the foreseeable future.

Richmond and Wimbledon also have dreadful traffic, so I wouldn't consider either if he's going to be driving regularly.

As noted above, Kingston has a very slow train line too, and is a bit rough. Surbiton has a fast train line and is somewhat nicer (and only 10 minute walk along to river to the facilities of Kingston).

If you’re thinking of East Dulwich, you should maybe consider Forest Hill, Sydenham, or Honor Oak instead. There are many exceptional schools in the area, and property is much cheaper. There are regular trains to London Bridge from all three stations, where you change for Waterloo. Alternatively there are direct bus routes. East Dulwich used to be a nice area 30 years ago, but has now been so over gentrified that it’s lost all its character and is now full of over priced supposedly trendy shops, with ridiculous house prices. If you go just over the postcode/borough boundary, it really is much nicer!

Everywhere in London has bad traffic

But some places are far worse than others.

I'm think it's all shit tbh

Well, there’s a reason why East Dulwich is expensive - because lots of people like it!

The planes are terrible! And they start at 5 in the morning, sometimes earlier.

Since Chestnut Grove improved so much over a decade ago?

I would have no qualms about CG. Lots of friends with Dc there.

CG has vastly improved but many still don't like it hence why so many people tutor or move for Graveney, go private or leave the area.

I know people who looked at CG this year and didn't like it at all.

I guess it depends on the person and individual needs. Trains from London Bridge to Waterloo are every 2-4min and the platforms are a 1min walk apart. I'd rather a train than tube and I'd rather a total journey time (on public transport) of 15min or less than to live further out just for the sake of a single journey, where I won't be getting a seat and will be crammed in like a sardine.

Wimbledon/West Wimbledon is lovely. Easy to get into Waterloo, easy(ish) access to A3 - which then is 15 minutes to the M25. Lovely properties, great schools, lots of green open spaces, buzzy environment. Love living round here!

I prefer single journeys, as you say it depends on the individual.

The 93 bus runs along the common, through the village and into town and is very regular so no issues there.
OP, I highly recommend Wimbledon. Around the South Park Gardens area is perfect as someone else as said. Lovely parks nearby for children and excellent schools. Great community so you’ll have no problem meeting people. Good luck!

Bromley? Elmstead Woods/Chislehurst trains straight into Waterloo East, quick to get to M25 and loads of very good state primary schools in walking distance and get in the Bullers Wood catchment area for very good state secondary (as well as catchment for grammars). The only issue maybe finding somewhere available to rent within the catchment (about 1.5 miles) of Bullers.

Chiswick is lovely with some great state primaries, a vibrant high street and good open spaces. Ealing in west London would be a good bet too.

Muswell Hill?

SW11 ticks all your boxes.

Fantastic schools such as Belleville Primary, Belleville Wicks, Honeywell Junior School and Bolingbroke Academy for secondary school.

You have Clapham and Wandsworth common on your doorstep plus an easy walk to the river for battersea park.

Northcote Road, Battersea Rise, Clapham Old Town and Battersea Power Station for lots of shops restaurants and bars.

Easy transport links with Clapham Junction rail station (10 mins to Waterloo) and Clapham South tube walking distance away.

A very close knit community. All the parents and kids know each other. There are lots of clubs and activities for the kids every day. Very multi-national. Lots of European families, US families etc.

The only problem may be your budget but you may get lucky if you register with all the local agents.

For Bolingbroke you need to be in one of the feeders really.

Epsom. Easy to get to Waterloo, easy to get out of and on to the M25, easy airport access. Countryside within walking distance, gyms, tennis, squash club. You would get a huge house for your budget! Some great schools too.

Hayes/West Wickham. 35 mins to Waterloo east. 20 mins to m25. I think all the primary schools are good but make sure you rent in the right senior school catchment. Hayes is mixed and the Langley schools are single sex. Hayes is outstanding but getting a new head next year…Look on locrating for school catchment areas and think they link with estate agents. https://www.locrating.com/

Edited to say I’m agreeing with the post by Ddakji above!

Agree. Planes coming in to land at Heathrow over Richmond and St Margaret’s are awful. I’ve lived in both places and got overly obsessed with the first and last planes landing at LHR. The take off flight paths across Teddington/Kingston/Surbiton can be noisy but waaaaay better than landing, and less frequent.