Is Leytonstone the new 'up and coming' area of London?

[EverydayAnya]

We are currently in South Woodford and need to buy a bigger house. Everything is ridiculously expensive and often ugly. We are also constricted by needing to be near a school.
Have looked at several areas including Leytonstone. Is it nice?

The roads around 'upper' Leytonstone seem a lot nicer than the leyton end. Although the few trendy cafes that have opened are actually in the bit I felt was a bit grim (Francis road and surrounds). However local school is outstanding. Then there's the other side which is Bushwood which also seems nice.

Leyton just seems hideous.

I really don't know the area well so any perspectives would be great.

It upped and came already I'm afraid. But some lovely streets of terraces where you mentioned and also the other side of the high street towards wanstead flats.

Haha. Yes I think you're right. It's not exactly cheap.

Just bumping for any more thoughts?

I clicked on this having lived in London for yonks, and Australia for the last ten years, and yes, I knew that Leytonstone had already left the starting blocks big time.

This is no help whatsoever. I'll get me coat.

Its lovely. I don't know Francis Road that well, but the top end of Leytonstone High Road (around the church, the red lion pub, and the wild goose bakery) is really nice, and there are some excellent (if less gentrified) restaurants further down the high road too. Davies lane school is supposed to be "outstanding" and I don't think the others are too bad either.

I think my favourite thing about Leytonstone is feeling like you're properly in London, zone 3 central line, buzzy feeling high St etc) but having the forest/flats/wanstead park on your doorstep. Its ace.

Personally I love bushwood and upper Leytonstone, but if you don't mind being a but further from the tube I would recommend looking at the Aldersbrook estate. Big, beautiful houses, and iirc aldersbrook primary has just been given a really good ofstead rating.

Bushwood has a great community. Check out BARA, the Bushwood Area Residents Association and look at some past issues of their quarterly newsletter to show you what's going on in this great part of Leytonstone. Coming up in a few weeks for example is one of the occassions when the local association hire out a restaurant in the high street for the night for neighbours to go along and meet each other. Also with quiz nights, jumble trails, arts trails, front garden competitions there are great ways to get to know the other families in the road. That's a big part of why people fall over themselves to live in these few streets near Wanstead Flats. We love it.

Leytonstone is hardly up and coming. It's leafy and gentrified to fuck.

Leyton is getting better. A lot of my friends have been pushed out there from Stratford due to the staggering rents around the Olympic park.

Gants Hill? Redbridge? Even parts of Ilford have some lovely terraces.

Good God, please don't move to Ilford - total shithole. Redbridge/ Gants Hill very marginally better but only just.

Most nice places in East London are already unaffordable (depending on your budget). I am an East London girl born And bred (Stratford/ forest gate) but DP and I are buying south east. It's nice and still affordable, I think due to the fact the tube is still scarce.

I recently moved to upper leytonstone, really happy with the move, seems like a good place for a young family. Good commute, good houses, really friendly neighbours, access to hollow ponds, places to eat/drink on the high road.

However it is pretty leafy and suburban in this particular bit. So it depends what you are after.

Leytonstone itself is quite varied, and although upper leytonstone and bushwood have probably always been gentrified , areas, particularly as you head towards Maryland are grittier. I get the impression that the areas round the northcote and heathcote arms are on the "up" side of "up and coming", whereas other parts, like can hall and near the plough and harrow have further " up" to go.

[Sings Adele's 'Hometown Glory']

I gre up there. Gentrifucations been on and off for about 20 years. Its actually really nice as a place, compared to much of the rest of London. I like tge fact that yiu never feel hemmed in - you can always get an oxygen fix by escaping to the Hollow Ponds, Wanstead Park etc. Beautfiful victorian houses and lovely pubs. Produced a really eclectic mix of people too: Jonathon Ross, Alfred Hitchcock; Damon Albarn; David Beckham; Richard Ayoade (sp?); Talvin Singh; me!