help with relocation to Dulwich/W Norwood & thereabouts

[Sultanselephant]

Hi all,

My DH has just accepted a job at one of the foundation schools around Dulwich. Our kids will be able to go to DUCKS and then (if they pass at 7+, which I hope but don't assume) to JAGS, Alleyn's or DC. They get a good staff discount which is why this is possible on a teaching salary!

Can anyone help me with where we should look to buy in the area? We are currently right at the edge of N London, in a really leafy suburban area which I like because it's friendly and feels very safe (though it's boringly monocultural and a massive commute for me into the West End - I won't miss that at all). South London is totally alien to me having been a North Londoner all my life, so I don't really know where to start. We had a look around at the weekend and obviously Dulwich Village is gorgeous - but the budget is around £600k so that's way out of reach. What are people's opinions of West Norwood/Tulse Hill/Sydenham? Any massive no-nos? Ideally we would keep the suburban leafiness and get a decent garden. And safe, friendly and walkable into school would be a bonus!

Really appreciate people's advice

thank you

With Sydenham hill you'd just want to make sure youdidn't have a steep walk uphill at the end of the day ( bearing in mind you may want to consider cycling at some point).

I don't drive so walk and cycle everywhere locally, let me know if you need estimated school run times!

For the money, I agree with those who suggested west Dulwich/west norwood, you need to think in the medium term about ease of commute to the senior schools.

Fwiw I used to live in brockley so am familiar with forest hill and honor oak as well. An expert on the p4 bus route!

www.kfh.co.uk/residential/houses-for-sale/london-west-dulwich-se21-st.-faiths-road/2098519/

Something like this?

Or this (i quite like this one)
www.pickwickestates.com/pdf/Property1056.pdf

Depends how much outdoor space you need, there are lots of parks in this neck of the woods!

For a complete curve ball - no walking to school and no cute cafe at the end of the street, but a great hoyse for your money - there's always the catford conservation area. Someone i know is renting there at the moment and is finding the school run surprisingly convenient.

Look at this :)
www.kfh.co.uk/residential/houses-for-sale/london-catford-se6-bargery-road/2107401/area-map/

I would suggest Crystal Palace too. I lived in West Norwood for a couple of years a year or so back, it's on the up as others have said but it is a bit gritty. Some poor kid was shot dead metres from my front door, rioters drove a car into one of the shops underneath our flat, and the local bank has closed because they've had something like six armed robberies in two years. Having said that, there is some lovely housing stock and there are a lot of creative/media types moving in. My money would still be on Palace though - so much more family-friendly. Herne Hill would be worth a look too.

Another vote for Forest Hill, we had an offer accepted on a flat there this weekend and there are some lovely houses around Honor Oak Road and it's v quiet and leafy and hilly! Has a nice atmosphere.

OP, if you are thinking about renting, then I would go for somewhere as central and close to DH school as possible - then you can work outwards. He may find he doesn't like meeting his pupils out and about enjoying themselves at the weekend .

West Dulwich, Herne Hill, East Dulwich, Streatham Hill are all lovely places to bring up a family, loads to do, good bookshops, cafes, fantastic parks (so you don't need a big garden - much more sociable this way!), so I'd just look at what your budget will get you and bus routes to those and other schools if relevant (so you can keep your options open for secondaries - your kids will thank you if they have a short bus journey with lots of friends). Personally, I think Tulse Hill and West Norwood have slightly less in their favour, but all these places are very close, and the local teenagers whizz around on the buses from one to another, and they all have good transport links. As they get older the fast links to central London make a difference too. If that doesn't work, then move out a little.

If you want to make friends in the area fast, I would prioritise being as near as possible to one of the big parks.

house in nice street off Streatham Hill, just about walkable to Dulwich College with direct bus as well

Have only read about half the replies so apologies if I repeat.

I recently moved from Denmark hill up north to Manchester for various reasons. But I LOVED east dulwich. The forum is brilliant, there are tons of grea shops and cafes, a really great community feel and great transport links. I think it is a great place to move with young kids if you can afford it. The prices are getting a bit silly now. You could look at areas that border ED like west dulwich, Denmark hill, parts of Peckham, nunhead, forest hill and so on.

The forum really is a huge plus for the area, I made a few very good friends through it when I was pregnant as they organise meets up for people due at the same time. It is also great or finding local tradesman, buying/selling stuff, finding out about kids activities locally and so on.

Good luck and enjoy SE London, it's great!

East Dulwich is great..if we could buy here we would! We moved down here from Stoke Newington and have never looked back. Lots of green space and things to do with the kids. You could get something good for your budget in E Dulwich.

OP what is your budget and what size house do you need?

I live in the area and know Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, Herne Hill, Peckham Rye etc very well.

Dulwich Vilage = Very established, lovely, green, conservation area, great family homes and populated by families, but expensive. Near to all the schools you mention, very near Dulwich Park, Dulwich Picture Gallery. A small but nice strip of shops that include the local pub ("The Dog"), a few family friendly restaurants, convenience stores, hairdressers etc. Only a 10 minute walk to Lordship Lane so benefits from East Dulwich's coolness. 10-15 min walk from Herne Hill station. You'll struggle to find a family home for less than 1mm.

East Dulwich = much more urban and trendy, fantastic high street on Lordship Lane, loads of independent shops/bars/cafes. Extremely family friendly ("nappy valley"), however prices have rocketed recently and you won't find a 3/4 bed family home for under 600k. The houses tend to have quite small gardens (yards).

Herne Hill = Property cheaper than Dulwich Villlage but has a lot going for it. Adjacent to Brockwell Park. Great local shops/cafes/restaurants and a great Sunday market. Excellent transport links (rail) to central London. A bit more low-key than East Dulwich but has its own community feel which is more established (in my view) and quite nice. Probably less of a transient population, many families move out of ED when they outgrow their space and find they can't afford the prices for a bigger home. Herne Hill is very close to Jags/Alleyns.

West Dulwich - I don't know this area as well, but it's worth checking out as it's cheaper than Dulwich Village but is still fairly near your schools. Personally I prefer ED/Dul Vil or Herne Hill.

Peckham Rye - Quite urban like ED but great (better in my opinion) houses and gardens around the Bellenden Road area and extremely up and coming. Minutes from Lordship Lane, excellent transport. Not too far at all (~20 min walk down East Dulwich Grove) from Jags/Alleyns. Great bars/cafes etc, notably the Victoria, Montpelier plus numerous other places opening up on Belenden Road. A bit of a hike from Ducks though.

Sydenham Hill - much more suburban but if you work/teach locally it would be a very easy commute. Plus probably cheaper than all areas above.

You should consider what your back-up options are if you don't get into Jags/Alleyns as state schools are very over-subscribed and these two schools are highly sought after and hence selective with no guarantees of getting in (unless as a member of the teaching staff you get an advantage?).

Good luck with your move, it's a great area.

Apologies I just re-read your thread where you state budget etc.

I would look at Herne Hill if I were you - direct train to Victoria/City if you need to travel into the west end every day.

West Dulwich is on the same line (but Herne Hill is much nicer in my opinion).

Look at postcode SE24.

Thank you so much everyone! Loads of great ideas here and I really appreciate everyone's time. We've just heard that we will get a house at a subsidised rent with DH's job - they have a number of houses around the area I think (no idea how nice, or where we would be, but financially it makes brilliant sense as we can rent out the house in the burbs and save a bit for the move) so we've decided to take them up on it for a year or two while we get the measure of the area. We feel incredibly lucky to have this chance, and dead excited about it all.
Thanks again x

That is excellent news. This is a great area for families (if you can crack the secondary school situation, but even that is getting better and it sounds like you may have other options anyway). You won't want to leave.