Reluctantly thinking of moving from Stoke Newington. Where should we go? Dulwich? Brockley? Walthamstow?!

[Nickname1980]

Anyone moved from N16 to another (cheaper) part of London and loved where they ended up?

We really don't want to leave N16 but can't afford to buy a house here.

Where should we go?! Considering East Dulwich, Brockley, Walthamstow... Any tips? Or any other suggestions?

Yes. We moved to Clapton from stokey a few years ago and love it, probably been more than stokey. It's gone up a lot recently though a we were not alone and suddenly this much more posh. So depends on budget etc- you can get more bang for your buck in the 'stow and I've got friends who live there and love it.

I would be surprised if you find East Dulwich any cheaper than Stokey. It's been fully gentrified for years.
Brockley is next to me and it's absolutely buzzing these days. Very cool area.
Walthamstow is definitely on the up, but not got the knowledge of it to be honest.

Thanks lavendercakes. What part of Clapton is good? Any I should avoid?

That's good to know about Brockley, babydad! I have heard it has a lovely farmer's market. Are there fun baby/toddler activities there? We can just about afford East Dulwich (mainly because Stokey has gone absolutely flipping crazy!).

Depends what you are looking for - schools, proximity to transport/cafes? You can get bigger houses for cheaper in upper Clapton but lower Clapton is the place if you want to be next to the action (chats worth road) or the overground (homerton)

East Dulwich no cheaper than Stoke Newington.

Brockley is fab.

Brockley is also zone 2 and has MUCH better travel connections than Dulwich.

Brockley, Crofton Park and Ladywell areas are gems. Good Victorian housing stock, pretty streets, Brockley Road has some great independent businesses, cafes bars etc. Loads for young families to do and the beautiful open space that is hilly fields which has a play park and cafe at the top of the hill. I could go on and on ....

Thanks everyone!

How are the primary schools in Brockley?

I live in Walthamstow, and there are a lot of people moving here from N16, while the price differential is still largish. However, the gap is getting smaller all the time! There's good Victorian housing, speedy tube, as well as the train to L Street, an ever increasing number of organic pop-up beard festivals, and the like, a new cinema, and good-to-excellent primary schools. There are of course still too many chicken shops and bookies, and many pavement-based mattresses, but they 'keep it real'.

There is a great choice of primary schools. Beecroft Garden, Gordenbrock, Stillness, Myatt Garden, John Stainer are all very popular. Our school is in SE14 as we moved from Peckham to Brockley. We would have been happy to move to any of the above schools near us but didn't want to uproot DD1 who was happy where she was.

Again, I'd have to suggest Forest Hill/Sydenham, similar vibe to Brockley but cheaper, loads to do for families, definitely a great community feeling, and more chance of getting on the Overground in the morning :)

Moved to Walthamstow 1996. Like a secret then! Still love it. My daughter did well in local schools. Has a very strong community with lots going on, lots of creative people, fascinating, scruffy high St and market. We plan to stay and daughter coming back, by choice, after graduation.

We did the move to Walthamstow and love it. Plus my MIL and FIL live in Clapton so it's easy for me to pop there. clkssold park and church street are pretty nice and I tend to go back once a fortnight as its so close.

My friends love in Crofton Park and its really nice too....either area is great but I'm biased for waltamstow because you can still pop back to hackney for an afternoon as well as enjoying where you end up. Plus it just feels a bit more diverse here than there.

Another question about Brockley for everyone: does it have a community vibe? That's what I love about Stoke Newington and really want to find that again!

Hi op brockley does have community vibe, but think it depends on the part of brockley, up round by hilly fields going down towards crofton park/honour oak, is nice but parts of brockley can be quite rough, depends what your budget is, like everywhere in London good & not so good parts, would also consider crystal palace & beckenham.

I would say Brockley has an excellent community vibe. You could look at the local blog Brockley Central to get an idea. I don't know Stoke Newington so can't compare it but I've lived in SE4 for 30 years, so know it pretty well.

Thank you dontcallmemelen and Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g!

So the best bit to live in are the streets around Hilly Fields?

I will definitely check out that blog!