does anyone know Forest Gate and Hither Green/Lewisham

[LaurieFairyCake]

We were pretty settled on moving to Hither Green/Lee/Lewisham this year - visited it lots and love it.

But watched Location the other day and it seemed that in Forest Gate you get even more for your cash.

Does anyone know both and could offer me a comparison?

HG/L/L are (I think) more mixed socially and economically than FG. Hillier and nicer parks. Better shopping areas. Lots of transport options.

Forest Gate seems more deprived. Very flat. Wanstead flats are fab but quite different to the little parks with playgrounds that you may prefer if you have young kids. Cross rail at manor park will be a massive plus I guess.

Personally on balance I prefer the s e areas.

Do you mean Forest Gate in East London or Forest Hill in SE London?

Forest Gate in East London - I've only seen it from watching Location and using street view. It does look more deprived on street view - but only 12 minutes to Liverpool Street - Kirstie on location said it was expected to go up 40% in next 4 years and picked it as a regeneration top spot. Because of Crossrail.

I can afford a house there. Or a flat (similar size) in Hither green.

No young children, mid 40's adventure

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-54396719.html

Like this house

Lovely looking house, but (sorry) Romford Road is less than lovely!
Mid 40s adventure sounds good...
I think there are pockets of loveliness in FG and I know people that think is great but it is quite different to SE London. Pay a visit while the sun is shining and you'll see it at its best

Forest Gate is cheaper for a reason. And Romford Road aint pleasant. Plus you'll have traffic going past your house at all hours.

Could you be really specific about 'less than lovely' and not the nicest ?

I'm quite keen on the 'traffic at all hours' and very busy as I'd like to convert the garage to a wee shop

I appreciate it looks very er... minging with no coffee shops, nice delis, no signs of gentrification - but I think those might arrive in 5 years

In the last 25 years I've missed out on Clapham, Balham, Brixton, Putney, Hackney, Shoreditch and Chiswick (!) as they've all been rejected as scuzzy areas by the previous idiot I was married to - all those places are way way out my budget now and if I'd moved there then I'd have a house worth a million plus

I'm keen not to fuck this up. So if you think forest gate is too down at heel to take a punt on, I'll listen

Hmm. Forest Gate is becoming more popular with those priced out of Hackney, Walthamstow etc. I expect it will go the way of Walthamstow, ie island(s) of expensive and trendy businesses and houses, surrounded by a sea of serious urban deprivation. It probably does fit the "up and coming" bill more than SE.
To get the full Romford Rd experience, sit on a no 25 bus from Stratford to Ilford.

Ps agree that that garage looks a great opportunity!

I lived in East Ham (near Forest Gate) and Hither Green.

Hither Green has fuck all in it, but has a 'newer' look to it. Lewisham has at least got rail links. Do you drive?

I really liked East Ham. Close to Westfield in Stratford.

Where do you work? Will you be using public transport or car? Hither Green was a bit of a bollox commuting-wise. Infrequent overground, which goes to London Bridge. On one occasion, two 'city' types were fined lol for not having swiped their oyster cards, as they hadn't noticed the well hidden swipe yokes as you enter the station. They were joking with the conductor/fine fella, that they thought it was a deserted station from the 18th century.

Alternative was to bus it to Lewisham and get overground into city there.

If I were you, personally, unless you're posh, I'd probably go with Forest Gate. If you're posh, you probably wouldn't like it.

Agree with advice to take a 25 bus from Stratford to Ilford.
I'm Forest Gate born and bred. Still have family there. It will take more than the odd coffee shop to tempt me back.

It's run-down and squalid. There have been issues with prostitution on Romford Road.
If you decide to move there, treat it as a short-term move. And then sell to others who fell for the Phil & Kirsty hype.
Feel free to PM me about advice on specific streets.

Is now the time to say I've never been on a bus - well, not for 30 years. And I've no idea how London buses work as I tube in.

I am also a total fearty woos, pretty unnerved by crime, don't really want to get the shit kicked out of me. That's got much worse over the years as when I was younger I lived in some very dodgy cities and towns.

I suspect I have a distinct lack of street smarts.

The reason I love hither green/Lee/Lewisham is that it's 12 minutes to Waterloo (where I change for my job in west London)

I also like the walk up to Blackheath (my favourite area that I can't afford) and down to Greenwich - I really like walking and that hour walk is my favourite.

Yes, I drive a lot - we've got 2 cars.

Hmmm - I'd say go for Hither Green/Lewisham so. It has more of a feel like you're in an English 'town', whereas the East end feels very London city!

Hard to describe really.

I think you're all describing that more gritty, urban feel well

Sounds like hills, greenery and views are important to you... You will find greenery in East London, but no hills or views.

It would be extremely unlucky to be attacked in London, so I wouldn't worry about that.

I know Forest Gate very well, my Mum worked in a school there for over twenty years and still has friends there and I think you should avoid it. It just isn't a great area and I can't see it improving massively.
I also don't think is a great location for commuting to West London, even with Crossrail.

The Crossrail is a bit of a red herring. FG had always had excellent rail links to the City and West End.

We've just bought in Blackheath/Lee and I'm super excited about it. I think Lewisham is absolutely poised to go whoosh in terms of gentrification and relative to other areas that haven't yet it is so close to central London. Longer term we've got the Bakerloo line extension coming which will help further. Have you looked at the roads between Lewisham station and Hilly Fields? There were still some affordable doer-uppers there. Or have you considered Deptford? The Lewisham end as opposed to the Surrey Quays end has some lovely streets of Victorian houses.

Don't know FG at all, sorry.

There's so little on the market between lewisham and hilly fields - only one 2 bed and the gardens too small for me. Nothing on at all in Deptford.

I'm pretty keen on lewisham/Lee/hither green though - have you moved in yet? And did you live in the area already ishouldbeso?

I agree the Blackheath to Greenwich walks are lovely and I think its worth moving to the area if you enjoy walking but still need to be central. What about Charlton? Can still easily get to the above areas on foot.

Yep, looking all along the maze hill/westcombe park/charlton road

There's one I like near westcombe park station

I spent a while wandering around forest gate while house hunting last summer. Forest gate "village" and the woodgrange estate conservation area (basically north of the house you linked up to the flats) is very nice and quite gentrified with some nice independent cafes at the junction of serbert road and woodgrange road. Romford road itself, however, is pretty rough feeling and I personally wouldn't live right on it. I really recommend having a walk around the areas at different times of day and seeing how you feel. (We ended up buying in Leytonstone). Hope that helps & good luck!

I don't think you'll feel safe in Forest Gate. Hither Green and Lewisham are really lovely.

If / when FG does gentrify I suspect it'll go hip and trendy with people priced out of Hackney / Dalston, rather than family-friendly like Stoke Newington, meaning that it will retain some grit for a long time.

If you want a real adventure which will make you some money, look at Thamesmead. Abbey Wood is getting Crossrail and I anticipate that it will be transformed. Currently quite isolated and lots of problems on the giant housing estate, once a bold vision of the future.

We live in East Greenwich now, close to Maze Hill. Have completed but only moving in once AAALLL the work is done on the new house, and there's a lot of it. I have done the Greenwich to Blackheath walk about 10 times in the past week as we have no car - it is beautiful still, though! We went round tonight and met the neighbours and it's all so amazing - we're very excited

The area around Westcombe Park is lovely BUT it seems to be divided between vastly expensive and very, very close to the A whatsit so terribly noisy. I have a violent and irrational dislike of Charlton but the few streets around Blackheath Standard might be worth a look? You'd then be v close to GG Sparkes, the best butcher in the world London.

I looked at a house last year on Leahurst Road - there were a few on the market at the time - backing on to the Quaggy River, which was amazing - huge house with a fab garden on a road that could only get more gentrified iyswim. Was right opposite a school which ruled it out for us but so much space and potential. Manor House Gardens is really lovely.