Please recommend an area in London for families

[Fabi76]

Hello! I am not very familiar with London and need to move in three months. My husband and I have a baby and are looking for a house where we can stay for at least 10 years, so big enough for a growing family. I am appalled with the house prices, could you suggest an area with relatively good schools, access to public transport (to commute to Central London)and some nice parks nearby? We were thinking about north west or west but it could also be anywhere else as long as it's well connected.

Many thanks for your advice!!

I need to go now, but thanks again for all the suggestions, they are very, very useful!

We live in Se22 (East Dulwich) and it is brilliant for families - lots of activites, beautiful parks and although we are not on the tube, it's 10 minutes on the train into London Bridge.

It's pricey, but not as expensive as comparably nice areas in north or west London. £900,000 would buy you a big and gorgeous house here.

Oh Susie, we're in Glos too - and I'm from up north!

I'm dreaming of a pied a terre in town one day.

Oh, and op: 'twixt the Commons (as the estate agents boakingly call it) is a classic place for couples from central London to move to when they need more space and good schools after having children.

< Lives vicariously through stranger on the net >

Where are you now?

WWWY - can't open your link (want to buy the house with the big garden before OP does ).

Sorry, but driving into Central London from anywhere in the suburbs is just not an option.

I spent most of my adult life in West Finchley (25 years) before moving to the West Country 18 months ago.

Half an hour on the tube to central London (zone 4). Excellent local state and independent primary schools, lots of green spaces and near to green belt open countryside, safe leafy suburban area, really good local transport network, restaurants, shops etc.

You'd get plenty of bangs for your bucks with a 900K budget as well! Check out N12/N3/NW7
on Rightmove.

HTH

I have recently moved from Greenwich and miss it like crazy and would happily bring my child up there! anywhere around the park / market is good. EXCELLENT transport options (bus, dlr, tube and overground options!) some excellent choices of schools and beautiful park and river right on your doorstep!

also look at blackheath / canada water.

If you don't drive and want good state primary then deffo Kew . In district kine tube and a few over ground services 2/4 bed house depending on location with cost 650k-950k. Very good lcoal primary schools. villagey centre with small retial park on the edge with M&S and Boots and mothercare etc. You can walk anywhere. And you get used to the plane noise (at least I did).

Teddington is also lovely.

and Kew Gardens mwmbership is £60 per year with 6 free passes for guests and greta childrens area.

I'm in Chiswick and it's lovely! Kew and Barnes also very nice as other posters have already said.

Thank you Fruit! WWWY: I suppose that's us - moving from a tiny place in central london to somewhere where we can fit our baby's cot :)

MsFlitter: thanks!! I'll check the post codes you suggest and will look at West Finchley.
Sillyness: I have been to Greenwich once but will definitely investigate the options there.

And Kew Gardens are gorgeous!!

Kew: What's that about plane noise - which parts of the city have that problem?? I didn't know it was something to consider - that shows my ignorance...

We live in brockley/telegraph hill, def recommend. You could get lovely 5bed house opp telegraph hill park for about 750k good transport connections on the overground from brockley or new cross gate as well as trains to London bridge from brockley/new cross gate and trains to victoria or city thameslink/Farringdon from Nunhead. Lots of
families in the area, nice friendly community and less "yummy mummy" than some parts of sw/nw London. East dulwich is lovely if you want more of the boutiques/bars/delis thing.

Thank you Lindsell! Do you have supermarkets and schools closeby?

WillbeanChariot....I second Pinner too. Are you a local?

Sorry lala, didn't check the link. If you click on the Andrew Kent link, then search for 'Wakehurst Road', you'll find it.

@op: plane noise is an issue in most of the outer SW suburbs; there must be some website where you can google the best/worst areas for it.

And don't forget, if you go anywhere with an SE in the postcode, you'll have to schlepp right through town if you ever want to go to Devon or Cornwall, or anywhere down the A3.

Reasonable size sainsburys at new cross gate (10min walk from telegraph hill park) or tescos extra at Surrey quays (two stops on overground from brockley) haberdashers askes school in telegraph hill is one of most popular state schools in London afaik and Edmund Waller primary v highly regarded. In brockley premdergast good secondary state and couple of reasonable primaries too.

Thanks WWWY - that's good to know!

Lindsell, thanks for all the info about Brockley. I vaguely remember a friend who lived there mentioning that she had to go a long way to do her shopping, that's why I asked about supermarkets. And it's good to know about the schools options - thanks again.

Teddington is just fabulous if you like the feel of a Surrey market town transplanted into London; not so good if you're into vibrancy, diversity, urban grit.

I absolutely love it. It's got five great primary schools and a very good state secondary (with an excellent girls secondary just up the road in Twickenham). It has the river, Bushy Park, boutiques, bookshops, delis... Waterloo is half an hour away by (frequent) trains, and you can nip on a bus to Richmond and get on the District Line. It's got a fantastic villagey/community atmosphere.

900k would buy you a very nice four or five bed house with a good garden. All of Teddington is nice, but I particularly like the roads between the high street, the station and Collis school (Udney Park Road, Kingston Lane, Blackmores Road etc). Also the bit north of the high street, around Cambridge Road, Teddington Park, and The Grove. The River Roads are very popular, but personally I prefer to be nearer the shops.

PS. The schools in Teddington are Collis School, St Mary and ST Peter's, Stanley School and Hampton Wick. There's also a Catholic school but I can't remember its name. The secondary schools are Teddington School (brand new building; very impressive) and Waldegrave School for Girls. Just down the road in Kingston are the grammar schools like Tiffin, if you want to go that route.

I would be more than happy for my dc to go to any of those schools. My eldest is at Collis, and absolutely loves it.

Thanks Hester - it sounds lovely!

I'd secod blackheath, but I'd also suggest Victoria Park. It's much closer in than most of the suggestions which have been made, is nice and villagey, has a huge park, and you'd get a house ther for that budget. Or wapping/limehouse, if you really want to minimize the commute.

£900k is a sensible budget for a nice house in just about anywhere in zone 2.

The big questions are whether you will go state or private for secondary school (the choice of the latter dries up dramatically at 11+ SW11, for example), and also what sort of family you are and what your hobbies are.

Of course I'm stereotyping here, but 'Between the Commons' and places like Putney and Barnes attract very different sorts of people to places like Brockley or Shepherd's Bush.

I lived in one of the nicest roads in SW11 for years, and couldn't work out why I didn't ever love it. Then I moved to West London and loved it from day 1, even though it's dirtier and more expensive.

Pinner35 I am for the moment, moving soon though. I think it is amazing value for money around here compared to a lot of London. I think our 3 bed house cost £100k less than our friends paid for a small 2 bed flat in Islington. And Pinner is a great place for families.

I would recommend Kingston, bit cheaper than Richmond and Teddington, no plane noise and same parks (Richmond Park, Bushy Park), river walks, lots of facilities for children, family friendly shopping centre. It is not bohemian and definitely not hip (a bit overrun with chains) but 30 mins from Waterloo. Good schools and you can get quite a bit for your money. I lived in Central London pre children and thought I wouldn't like it but I actually do. There are lots of families so it was easy to meet people.