Is Denmark Hill a nice area to live?

[Fabi76]

We saw a lovely house there but don't know the area at all. Are there any good schools that you can recommend? is it a safe place for children? Many thanks!!

All depends on the road!! It is a nice area, close to trains and good buses. Close to Peckham? Good and bad. What is your gut feeling as you walk around?

Hi Saaa! I haven't walked around the area yet, just had time to go and see the house which is close to Denmark Hill station going north. The street where the house is seems nice but I will have to go and investigate the area a bit more. Do you live nearby? I wanted to know if it's a family friendly place.

Hi, I used to live in Herne Hill so I know that area and am a bit out of touch now. But it used to be a nice enough area. Similar to herne hill which is very nice. Schools will depend so much on the road,sorry don't know them I have no moved to Norbury. Yes I would say it is a family friendly area, lot's of parks.Dulwich oark nearby also. Lot's of activities for new mums certainly in herne hill. (close to kings hospital, good!) Great pub at the station. Dare I say it very Middle class, going towards upper middle class!!

I went to school there. It's mixed, like much of London: some lovely roads, but lots of Camberwell is definitely edgy. Nice and close to the centre of town. I don't know the schools there any more: I hear there's a very good primary there, but I can't remember the name.

My sister lives near there and it's pretty nice. Lots of families and Ruskin Park is a good place to hang out. There are some decent primaries (especially Dulwich Hamlet) and some good secondaries too.

Thank you Hester and LadyBiscuit - we are going today to take a look at the neighborhood. And will investigate more about schools. Thanks for your comments.

Denmark Hill is a lovely place and swarming with young families. Most parts would be very near Lordship Lane which is a truly fantastic high street. There are also nice cafes around Bellenden Road, and good playgrounds at Warwick Gardens and Goose Green. (in addition to Ruskin Park.)

Lyndhurst Primary School is considered among the best in the SE15/SE22/SE5 area, though I have no personal experience of it and am not that impressed with its test results and Ofsted. (I live in Peckham Rye and likely moving further south in search of better schools near Forest Hill/Honor Oak Park.)

Bessemer Grange, Goose Green and Dog Kennel Hill primaries are also meant to be at least ok to good. I'm pretty sure Dulwich Hamlet is out of the question by distance. You can check on the Southwark admissions guide to find out last school distance offered in the previous admission year.

A good forum to find out more is www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk. Lots of chatter on all of the schools you'd be considering.

Chandellina, thanks so much - that's very useful! I am not familiar with the area at all but saw a house we liked very much. Camberwell seemed a bit rough to me and didn't seem very family oriented, but perhaps I was not looking at the right places. I will try the east dulwich forum, do you know in whcih topic should I browse? Thanks again!!

Lived there for a couple of years but this was a long time ago. Been back in Edinburgh and prefer it here but it was fine.

Thanks Waff. Did you send your children to a primary school while you were living there? could you recommend it? Many thanks!

I agree that Camberwell Green environs can be rough. I used to live in Oval and always hated Camberwell. But since moving to Peckham Rye, I've found there are really lovely parts, as long as you are well away from that main drag. (Camberwell New Road turning into Peckham Road.)
You said north of DH station - not sure where you mean - but anything east of Grove Lane and Camberwell Grove is all quite nice, I'd say.
there is a family discussion area on the EDF that is good, or the main board, to find out more on the area.

Thank you Chandellina! The house we like is west of Grove Lane but close enough - I agree that there are some nice streets nearby. After going there a couple of times, I don't find it that ugly anymore. Thanks for your comments!