Corbett estate in Catford SE6

[SarfEasticated]

Hello!
We are thinking of buying a house on the Corbett estate in Catford. Just wondered if any of you live there, and if you would recommend it.
We both work in central london so will get the train from Hither Green, but I am wondering what there would be to do locally for our daughter who is nearly 4.
Any parts of the estate nicer than others, and ballet classes locally. We won't know anyone there, so would want there to be a Children's Centre or cafe near by we could make friends at.
Thanks in advance!

I would say if you live there you would have to be happy to use your car alot. There are some lovely roads in the conservation area but it is mostly surrounded by sh!t. Probably the nearest cafe you would want to go to is Cafe of Good Hope on Hither Green Lane, which is run by the Mizen family and really lovely and child friendly. I can't actually think of any cafe in Catford itself.

If you like to get out and about and walk I wouldn't recommend living there, if you like driving there are some lovely roads and you get a lot of house for your money.

Activities wise I hear the Limelight centre is really good, so look that up, Bellingham leaisure centre has Rascals which is great, and Ladywell Gymnastics club is based there which is suppossed to be really good. Sorry, don't know anything about ballet so can't help with that.

But don't base your decision too greatly on childrens centres, we have to wait till the end of August to find out what is really happening with them.

A while back somebody wrote a letter to the newshopper, the local paper, calling Catford 'Crapford', I think the Newsshopper went to the streets and asked people about it and most of the locals agreed. There is a great amount of deprivation in Catford, it aint cheap for no reason.

I should add, I don't live there, I have a few friends in very nice houses in Catford, and they do drive a lot.

Thanks very much for your posts Fapl, we don't have a car, and would rather not have to buy one! also thanks for the Limelight recommendation - looks great.
On paper the estate looks so promising, nice houses, good school, close to good transport, surely it's only a matter of time before people like me take it over ;)

The closer you can buy to Hither Green Station the better, then you can walk to Manor House Gardens easily, and if you are close enough you can walk to Blackheath too.

The Torridon Road library has just been refurbished, not sure if it has opened yet, I think that may have a children's centre in it.

What is your budget, what do you need and where exactly are you buying?

Better to pay more attention to people that actually live there SarfEasticated!

It isnt surrounded by shit and you certainly dont need you car!

There is some depravation in catford but so is there in lots of london areas.

re ballet have a look at this thread;

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/local_lewisham/727907-Ballet-lessons/AllOnOnePage

Despite the negativity fapls post does give some good examples places to visit with children.

your car obviously!

By people like me I meant without cars. We live in Se4 already so Catford won't be that different. Just not sure where the family hot spots are.

I guess, specific questions would be:
are there any roads
A) where the houses are bigger/nicer maybe with longer gardens?
B) that are quieter than others - ie not rat runs
we're looking at the roads nearer sandhurst school as their ofsted looks better and nearer to Hither Green station.
Torridon school also has a pretty good report, so any of you have a view on which school is friendlier?

DD is 3.5 and just making friends at nursery and ballet (I use the term loosely - more jumping around wearing pink), I am loath to move her, but our flat it too small. Catford has always appealed to me, as it seems rather unappreciated, and we could actually afford a nice house.

No idea about the area, sorry, but I seriously wouldn't worry about moving your daughter at 3.5 - the real friendships will start at school, so I think this is a good time to move.

where the houses are bigger/nicer maybe with longer gardens?

You can have a look at the garden size on google earth?

You will certainly get a lot more house for your money!

Wellmeadow, Broadfiled, Minard, Ardgowan rds between Brownhill and Hazlebank would be good, deffo if you want to get your daughter into Torridon or Sandhurst.

If you go nearer to HG stn you may not be able to get her into those schools and TBH its not as nice nearer the station, i know the demographic is changing here but its just not as nice.

changing there not here [i dont live near the station!]

Thanks Amberleaf - very helpful :)

I'm even more confused now. We went to have a look at a house on Ardgowan Road which was a nice 3 bed Victorian house £310K, and then walked to Hither Green Station via Mountsfield Park. It's a lovely park and the houses near by don't seem that 'gentrified', and close to a Brindishe School (not the original one in Lee that I know has a great reputation). This area would be much more convenient as closer to the station, but am not sure what it is like. Would that whole triangle of roads in between Rushey Green, Lee High Road and the South Circular be a better bet than the Corbett Estate. The prices seem dearer but not as bad as where we are at the moment, and there seems more within walking distance.
Your thoughts on the area and the Brindishe Green Primary School would be appreciated.

I think without a car you are a bit more out on a limb south of the south circular, not insurmountably so, but as I have already said I wouldn't want to live there. You do get a bigger house for your money with an SE6 postcode, so it depends where you are prepared to make compromises.

The triangle of roads you describe is actually really big and house prices do vary. The biggest divide is the trainline that runs through the triangle. North east of the trainline is more expensive, the area known as 'Lee Green' is very nice and has a conservation area with very expensive houses, and is easily walkable to Blackheath. Blackheath actually has pubs you might actually want to walk into, I cannot think of a single pub in the area you have described that has any pub you would want to go to and the Corbett Estate is dry. Manor House Gardens is a hub for families in this area with the fantsatic Manor House library which has a childrens centre attached.

The south west side of the trainline is cheaper. Brindishe Green has a wide catchment area because it is a big school, 3 form entry, and it has had a bad reputation. However, about 2 years ago the head of Brindishe Lee was appointed joint head of what was Hither Green before the rebrand, and it has definitely been improving. I know some parents that have had their kids start there in reception are very happy with it, however reputations stick so some local people may still say bad things about it, but I would definitely view it so you can make up your own mind.

In terms of having 'back up transport' incase the main trainline is down/engineering works/leaves on the tracks/snow, if you can easily also get to Lewisham you have the DLR (which usually operates during snow).

How hung up are you on having a period property? If you could live with something built postwar you could get a decent sized house in a much better location. There are houses where there may be a row of half a dozen terraces where there has been bombing during the war. Not a massive enclave of newbuild, you would be mostly surrounded by period properties. They are usually loads cheaper than period. And how much vision and how work are you prepared to do?

Thanks for your long reply, am on my phone so can't reply properly now but just wanted to ssy Dh & I don't socialise in pubs so a dry area would be good for us. :)

So, thanks for your post fapl, can type properly now. At the moment we live in SE4, and have lived here for ten years so are not exactly used to a jumping nightlife or tranquil streets. Over the last few years the area has got a lot nicer, but subsequently we can't afford to buy anywhere here anymore. We are basically looking for another modest area where the schools are good, nice parks and good solid houses. From what I can see the transport links from Catford are pretty good, and as I said last night, DH is a teetotaller so we mostly go to the cinema and if I go out with friends it's for a swifty after work in town.

Hi there

Just wanted to say (now I have got the kids to bed) that we have just moved to the Corbett Estate with a 3.5 year old, and new baby last Sept.

We love it.

I find it really friendly, with both newcomers and old timers incredibly friendly. I've lived in London for over a decade, and its honestly been the most welcoming family place I've ever lived, and I speak as somebody who has just left Nunhead / East Dulwich borders - Nappy Valley.

Obviously our daughter has yet to start school, but we hear that Sandhurst / Torridon are both great, and we are in the catchment for Sandhurst on Killearn Rd (smaller and cheaper than Ardgowan, but with South facing garden!).

The limelight centre is absolutely a lifesaver, and staff their are fantastic / activities fun and inexpensive. They have ballet there for tots on a Tuesday. Mountsfield Park is great, and Manor House, as before with cafe, library etc a whole day out. We walk it from here.

Admittedly there are no pubs, but with two under 4's can't say we miss it much, and with so much more money and security than we had in an over-mortgaged flat in a less nice area I just can't see why everybody doesn't do it.

Come to Catford!

Phew thanks for that Southerngal we had a look at some nice houses on Saturday - they are so much bigger than anything else we can afford locally, that it seems like a dream! There seemed to be lots of sparrows around which I took to be a good omen too :)
Have you heard whether torridon or sandhurst is meant to be friendlier?

My music teacher says Torridon has better SAT's but she is a governor so... (in fact Sandhurst doesn't seem to do them) but both have good Ofsted reports and they both seem very friendly having gone through the nursery application process (and the fetes!). Not sure you really get a decision as such tbh, I applied for both at nursery stage, but because of where I live only got into Sandhurst. Think the catchment area is quite tight but would have thought Ardgowan would be Sandhurst.

My personal favourite streets are Inchmery (gorgeous and very posh), and Merchiston road is great - backs onto a playing field and even more sparrows singing!

Also worth mentioning that Corbett Estate now has its own community group now with get togethers and newsletters. I haven't plucked up the courage to go yet, but the photos look promising!

Good luck with the search, I don't think we are alone, see new families moving here all the time.

Hello

I moved to Ardoch Rd, Torridon Rd end in 2007 pregnant and its the best move I made. I now have too kiddies. My DD starts Sandhurst in January and TBH both Torridon and Sandhurst are great schools with alot going for them.

Limelight is great and total lifesaver... think the community centre which houses it also has ballet classess, there is a stay and play sessions in Forster park (not the best park in world but is a bit of green atleast) Torridon Rd is also re opening with additional children's centre services shortly.

Places to eat and socialise in Catford!

Sapporo - Japanese wonderful
Mekan - Turkish lovely
Pizza place on Sth circular under the tower block is a hidden gem
appetito - for coffee and panini

Love - Cafe of good hope on Hither green lane
Caravello on Torridon road good coffee but no loo's and small.
Mountsfield park and Manor Hse Gardens great open spaces for kids.

Just make sure the house you buy is close but not on top of one of the many bus routes. If you don't have a car then you must already be up for walking too and fro. I have a car but regularly do the 20-30 min walk to Mountsfield and Hither Green Lane... TBH I rarely go into Catford itself unless to visit Broadway or one of the eating places I have mentioned. I love this area. Go for it and welcome.

Roads - Ardoch (torridon end) , Birkhall, Ardfillan, Killearn, Balloch and Dowanhill, Braidwood worth a look. Avoid Sandhurst, Hazelbank, Torridon which are all busier roads for through traffic and bus routes.

I thought Brownhill Rd and Sth Circ would be a nightmare but once you live here you learn how to avoid trouble spots so I really don't even notice it or see it as an issue. But that is cos I mainly use Hither Green and not Catford Bridge!

Thanks twirlypen very nice of you to fill me in, and especially for the coffee recommendation. When is Torridon library due to open?
We were looking at 2 places on Ardgowan because I figured it would be close to the HG station and close to the school houses seem to be pretty good.
We have to think about transferring DD from her current (3 day a week) nursery place to a new one in Catford or (buy a car) drive her there everyday, but do Corbett based stuff on her days off.
I don't want to disrupt her too much in her final year before she starts school. She has some nice girlfriends at nursery and just finding her social skills, so don't want to jettison her off into another group of children.

I really appreciate all of your info everyone :) Will let you know how we get on...

library and children's centre is now open : )

Hi, I know this is a bit of an old thread but we are thinking of putting an offer in on a lovely house on Wellmeadow Road and was hoping for a bit more info on the local area. I was keen to know a bit more about what's going on in the area? My only niggle when we viewed was that the area seemed a bit far away from any shops, cafes etc. We have a 3 year old and currently live in Sydenham with lots on our doorstep. Hoping to have another baby soon so I was keen to find out what's out there for families. We are going for another visit and walk around tomorrow!
Thanks in advance!!