Dh wants to move back to London. Is he bonkers?

[iwasjustwondering]

I would like to keep my anonymity for this thread hence the name change.

We live currently about 40 miles away from London (Dh's job is pretty near) Our house is nice and we have been incredibly lucky to buy in an area where to our amazement our houses value almost quadrupled (nothing we did, just very jammy) The area is rather quite, perhaps dull but we have settled into family life with a nice set of friends and a good local pub.

Anyway DH has decided he really really wants to move back to London, he really misses the buzz of the place and never really settled here. I think if it had just been him and I then I would have seriously considered it (however the last time I lived in London was 8 years ago whilst at uni)We have a 2 year old toddler to consider and we are trying for another baby now.

Would we be crazy to move back?
Would we get a decent sized house in a nice area for the money ours is worth? (670k)
Are the good schools packed out?
Am I bananas to be even thinking about this?

aw my ds went to hollymount before we left raynes park-Memories!

huge plug for Richmond - I adore it here (having moved out to Sussex a few years ago - big mistake and delighted to be back in London - albeit with the park/ river etc.. though we really lack space and i would love a huge house and garden. Have friends in Kingston/ twickenham/ teddington who rave about it - Kingston does seem fab and great schools too. I never get the claustrophobia here that I got in central London and I never have the desire to get out to the country - such are the spaces here. Have friends in Sheen too who love it, though it is pricey like here. I think secondary schools are an issue - but love the idea of being old in London and not out in the sticks. Just need the kids to grow up and leave home (the benefit of having a very small house is that there is no way they will be living at home in their twenties!)

ooh hello Mousie where do you live?

right at the top of richmond hill, just off Queens Road, know it?! Where are you Countess?

no good state schools in Richmond cos everyone sends kids to private schools. I think it has the highest proportion of kids at fee-paying schools in the country (might be wrong - not sure where I got that from) and I think it has the effect that there are no nice middle class kids at state schools (gawd I hope I said that right and haven't offended)

Not true batters. Graveney is in Wandsworth borough in Streatham/Tooting boundaries (Furzedown). It is selective and most of it's intake are those who do well in the exam. I have a lambeth friend whose daughter goes to it.

I live about 5 mins away from it in the Wandsworth borough but unless DS does really well in the exam I do not expect him to get a place (which off course he may do). I think only 40 pupils last year came from the local area.

Richmond does however have fantastic state primary schools. You don't have to stay in borough for secondaries and there are some good ones in Kingston etc

Mousie am in Sheen

whoops sorry posted that by mistake

Mousie am in Sheen off Sheen Lane. DH grew up in Queens Rd LOL (NO 11)

Yes, Richmond does have excellent state primaries - sure they've come out top in the country (SAT results) in the past few years???

you could get a beautiful house (5/6 beds, quiet tree lined street) in my street (wish we could afford one, we have a 2 bed flat!), between finsbury park and arsenal tubes (zone 2) for £650k, and the schools aren't bad (dd1 is at a local catholic school with an excellent reputation, and a fairly mixed intake) especially if you have girls.

(and we don't have the dreadful flightpath nonsense that affects so much of s/w london)

Countess, are you near the Art Yard?!

Primary schools fantastic here (Richmond) - secondaries problem is indeed that most people go private. Which I don't intend to do. Very easy to say that apparently when your kids are 3 and 5..!

bundy is that you?
IWJW, are we helping at all? If a reliably good choice of state secondaries is a priority then you really do need to steer clear of much of SE London, frankly. The excellent CTC in New Cross, Haberdashers, is holding a lottery this year for the 1000 + applicants who don't qualify under the sibling rule
There are good state secondaries in SE London - but they are few and far between. Every single family we know in Blackheath has gone private at 11, or moved

But no planes either as bundy says

yes >

a lottery??????

Yes. They thought it was as fair as any other random method and no-one could accuse them of rigging it. Twas in the Lewisham News Shopper so must be true

ah yes, almost as reliable as the journal Metro

This thread has got me thinking. I have lived in Nth, Sth and West London and DP comes from SE London. I used to have a job that meant I had to travel lots in and around the centre areas so I feel I know it pretty well. I think I love London. Ther is a lot wrong with it but there is a lot of good things to say. One of the things I love is the diversity and the tolerance.

As I said before I think I prefer sth of the river as it just seems less busy but every part I have lived or worked in has something special to offer.

Good luck with your research.

Another couple of areas I thought were worth a mention:

Islington (used to work there)
Fulham/Putney
Crystal Palace/Norwood (live quite close to this)

I currently live in Streatham or Furzedown to be exact and whilst I like it I see that it would not be to everyones taste. A bit too busy traffic wise I think.

No other side of Sheen Lane

Perhaps the starting point should be - where are the good state secondaries in London?

.....and how do you get into them?!

Well there is a really good one near me in Furzedown but as I said earlier living close does not guarantee a place. So it's not just where are they but what are there admissions policies.