Moving to Forest Gate/ Wanstead Flats - hormonal urge? Or rational idea?

[Puffykins]

I have a sudden overwhelming urge (I'm six months pregnant) for a proper house, with 3/4 bedrooms, a garden, a shed/ studio in the garden, a vegetable patch, a kitchen in which I can make jams and pickles by the jarful, a huge sitting room in which I can curl up on the sofa with DH, DS (18 months), soon to arrive DD, and a pair of lurchers (which we don't yet own.)
We currently live in a two bedroom flat in Notting Hill, close to a variety of parks, playparks, a swimming pool, cinemas, theatre, gymboree, Baby Picasso, a GREAT creche with DS LOVES, the Portobello market and Golborne Road market which we all love, convenient supermarkets, and a lot of friends - with and without children - some of whom, including my best friend, who live within a matter of a couple of streets away.
Our flat in Notting Hill could conceivably be exchanged (i.e. sold to finance) for my imaginary dream house, if my imaginary dream house were to be in Forest Gate, within spitting distance of Wanstead Flats.

Part of me is all over the idea - Wanstead Flats looks amazing, a great place to walk the imaginary lurchers (and I do know what I'd be getting myself into there - I grew up with lurchers) etc. etc. etc. However, we know NO ONE there - and, from the internet research I've done, I haven't found a plethora of the amenities (listed above) which are important to me. And I'd miss my friends. I know it's still in London, but it's the other side of London, and I really love my friends, and love being able to pop in/ meet up at a moment's notice.
Can anyone tell me about the reality of living in Forest Gate/ Wanstead Flats?

Most importantly, what are the schools like? (We'll be looking at state options.)
Alternatively, has anyone got any opinion on whether or not I should indulge this overwhelming urge? DH thinks it's my hormones, but I know that he'll go along with it all if I insist.

(Additional information - the initial plan was to move within the next three years or so, to Kensal Rise/ Queen's Park - i.e. to a house in roughly the same area as we are now. We can't do that at the moment because we can't afford to.)

Thank you Fiolondon - have done as you suggest re posting in the Redbridge local section. Great idea re renting a flat in the area - thank you!

No no no, you really don't want to live in Forest Gate if you're used to Baby Picasso. There are pockets of niceness but a lot of it is horrid - quite rough. Go for a drive around and you'll see what I mean - and that comes from someone who lives in East London.

Forest Gate is Newham, Wanstead is Redbridge - if you want move over this way make sure it's Wanstead and north of the Aldersbrook Road. Snaresbrook is also nice, and Walthamstow is fab (but I'm biased as I live in E17) but more 'up and coming' than than the other two. Other than that maybe look at Woodford Green :)

Thank you. I'll look at a map ....

my brother lives in Leytonstone, on a road which runs down to the edge of Wanstead Flats. He used to have a dog and we've had some good walks on the Flats; there is a lake and a cafe.

It's obviously not the swankiest park of London but it's not bad either.

There are some areas that are nice, and some that aren't. What I can't grasp is why you want to move from an area that you know, to one you don't?

If you're expecting to find Baby Picasso, Gymboree-type activities in Forest Gate, you'll be in for a shock.

I grew up in the area and moved away nearly 20 years ago. I still have family in the area and I am so shocked when I return to Forest Gate to visit them. Yes, there are a few streets that look leafy and you're close to Wanstead Flats, but the area has deteriorated so much; it's so dirty and the people are rude. I wouldn't move back.

But if you've got your heart set on E7, then look at the streets that border the Flats; and Godwin primary school is highly regarded.

I think Wanstead would be much more your cup of tea.

where is work?
what would commute be?
how much more would commute be in £££?

go for kensal rise even if it means a garden flat west of chamberlayne road rather than a whole house.... will be much more your scene and having a good bunch of local (short bus ride) like-minded friends you know well is worth a lot

When I was expecting my first baby in 1972 we were living in a 2 bedroom flat in Barnes. We couldn't afford a large house there and moved to Forest Gate, mainly because we saw cows on Wanstead Flats!
We restored a beautiful Victorian house on the Woodgrange estate and lived there happily for 20 years. With kids flown we downsized to a 3 bedroom Victorian house from where we can see Wanstead Flats.
I have never regretted the move for one minute. Transport links are good, and likely to get better with Crossrail coming, the schools are excellent, my kids went to Woodgrange, where I taught and am now a governor, and Godwin. Both went on to university and have well paid jobs they enjoy. My grandchildren love coming to Magpie Park with its good playground and nature reserve, as well as running on the Flats and feeding the ducks.
There is lots for small children but probably not Baby Picasso, although nearby Wanstead offers a wider range (3 minutes by car).
I made a host of lifelong friends. Forest Gate is a very diverse community, and for me that is one of its attractions, but it is not everyone's cup of tea. I believe my children gained immeasurably by growing up in a mixed community, they became aware of other cultures and lifestyles at first hand and learned to value their relative economically privileged position.
The public face of Forest Gate is not affluent - it has a sizeable transient population for whom street cleanliness for example is not top priority, but in 40 years I have never been mugged or felt vulnerable.
Developers are currently interested in the area and a local group, Save Forest Gate, has been very active in opposing their plans, successfully it appears. Have a look at Save Forest Gate on Facebook.
I think you need to consider how important your current friendship networks are to you and balance that against the bigger house/more space advantage. Hard decision.
Good luck.

I spent a lot of my early life (7-16) in East Ham. Not too different to Forest Gate in terms of population.
I turned out OK, but you do, to be frank, sound a bit more South Woodford than South Esk Road.

Thank you Myanah - that is exactly the kind of dream scenario I would be hoping for, if we make the move . . .
I'm not that into Baby Picasso incidentally (or indeed gymboree, which I actually actively loathe) - I was just using it as an example of the myriad of mother and baby activities that there are around me at the moment. And yes - the decision totally comes down to friendship network v. bigger house.
DH works in Dalston, and I'm a freelance writer who works from home, so in terms of commute/ cost of commute etc. everything would stay pretty much the same. It occurs to me that it would take even longer to get to the West Country though - which we do tend to do for the odd weekend/ holiday to visit both friends and family.

Cestlavie - I would do as you suggest, but I can't face the idea of moving twice - i.e. to move to a garden flat in Kensal Rise now, and then to a house in two or three years time. The hitch is that I went freelance after the birth of DS, and before anybody will take my earnings into consideration for a mortgage, I need two years worth of tax returns. So the only way we can move now is if we were to transfer the mortgage.
This still all needs more thought. Thank you all for your input thus far.

ripishere. I never thought I'd see South Esk Road on mumsnet.

HI. We've been in the So woodford/woodford green area for 13 yrs...ex Highbury.

I don't know F Gate but know Wanstead well- Woodford, Snaresbrook, Wanstead kinda merge together.

Notting Hill to here? You'll be a long way from friends - yes the trip to the west country v inconvenient although the A406 construction is over so it wouldn't be as bad as it was. It will be a convenient area for your DH to get to work.

It is very green out here, there are good schools(although trickier at secondary level) , good amenities...we've made plenty of friends.

It's not Stokie though in terms of the East London 'vibe.' Have you seen TOWIE? There is that whole thing going on here- LOTS of beauty parlor/nail salons etc. I don't want to exaggerate its affect but it's around.

there are nice old houses nearby, but the nicer and larger the house is, and the nicer the area, the more it costs

I think the move from Notting Hill to Forest Gate would be a HUGE culture shock.

I completely get why you want the house and garden etc and suspect that will only get stronger as your LOs get older and approach school age, but I'm not sure Forest Gate is the answer.

I think an affluent suburb will give you most of the things you list, much better than anywhere in East London can. (Except maybe Wanstead/Chingford, but they are very Essex, if affluent Essex)