Life in Dulwich

[Newcomer7]

We have been offered a place at Dulwich Prep and thinking of relocating there from central London. Has anyone here done that? What is the life like in Dulwich for young families with kids? What do you like/ dislike about it? How safe is it? (I read somewhere that Dulwich has high burglary rates, is it true?) Any comments from insiders would be very highly appreciated. Thank you

Where in Dulwich are you looking to move to? What is your budget and what are you looking for?

East Dulwich
West Dulwich
Dulwich Village

All very different in vibe and price.

We are so new to the area that we would consider all of them as long as we are not too far from the school. What is the nicest and safest of these? The budget is about 1m

Is it the pre-prep (4+) or prep (7+)? The pre-prep is nearer the village itself. But you won't get much (except a flat) for £1m there.

The prep is in west Dulwich, and you can get bigger houses for that budget in that area (especially further down towards Gypsy Hill).

In east Dulwich you may get a small 2 or 3-bed terrace but not in a prime spot at all. The nearer you get towards Forest Hill, or Nunhead (the other side of peckham Rye) you might find more. But that's a slightly longer journey to the school, in school run/rush hour traffic. But I know a good few that do that journey. There's also a school bus for the older boys.

All those areas are great for families with young children. Safe as anywhere in London - not sure where you heard that about high burglary rates. Anywhere can be burgled!

HAve you been to the area at all? I always wonder why people send their kids to DPL if they're not remotely local!

Didn't mean that last comment to sound snippy btw - and not aimed at you personally! Obviously DPL is a very good school so understandable to choose it. But I am amazed at how many boys there come from the other side of London (literally) - there are plenty of equivalent schools e.g. in W London, so surprised so many families make the journey.

That's ok. Is your son in the prep? Do you know from what parts of London boys commute there? It must be a very good school to make it worth it. But I was also wondering about other aspects of life in Dulwich, socially wise for example. What do you like and dislike about the area?

It's a great area for living! Dulwich village is not what you'd call exciting, but very pretty. East dulwich/peckham much more going on - cafes, restaurants, shops, market, green spaces etc. Towards Peckham much more hip - you can't move round there for uber-cool pop-ups atm which I feel too old for now

Loads to do for children, from toddler up. Horniman museum nearby, which is great for kids. Loads of parks. Brockwell Lido and great kids paddling pool nearby. Loads of great independent shops: bookshops, cookware, clothes, jewellery, homeware, beauty, etc. East dulwich particularly awash with young children.

Trying to think of anything I dislike about it actually…

Have you visited the area at all? And worked out transport (if you still need to commute)? That would have a bearing on where you look - e.g. Peckham Rye much better links than e.g. west Dulwich. You really should spend a day just hanging out in the area.

Nice shops East Dulwich, good range, the library.

West Dulwich, good transport links to Victoria ( 12 mins) and on the thameslink to kings x and St Pancras. Excellent first hand award winnng bookshop whose dynamic owner, Sheila, gets really exciting people to come to talk. Dulwich bakery artisanal and good.

Dulwich village, the park, standard restaurants, Gail's bakery v expensive but nice. Hat and dog pub being redone. The picture gallery stunning. A jewel in the crown.

Drug dealers hang round the college and in the park a bit. But not no go areas unlike some london parks, far from it. A v happy community of dog walkers. And you can play tennis, learn to ride, cycle, golf, and take a boat on the lake.

Myself, I'd go more for west Dulwich, but that's because I don't need the vibe round East Dulwich. Teenagers can/ do find west Dulwich v v boring.

East Dulwich is the bomb re nightlife. (V Dulwich itself). Peckham has better transport links than Dulwich station. Dulwich itself is lovely but dull. Dulwich College is good but very cold. Traffic is miserable. Peckham Rye is fab. Countryside is not far away.

It's all been gentrified in the past decade so better than ever now for families, if that's what you need.

Laughing at the idea of burglary rate in Dulwich vs "central London". So vague.

I am a Dulwich lifer, went to one of the independent schools and have moved in/out of the area over the last 30 years.

£1m will get you the following in each location;

• Dulwich Village - a 2 bed house (these hardly pop up) or 3 bed flat.

• East Dulwich - most 3 bed houses, many come up, or a small/unmodernised 4 bed house.

• West Dulwich - mixed bag depending on which side of West. The bit bordering the Village at the Alleyn Park/DCL end is more pricey and full of larger houses so not much under a million. The West Norwood/Tulse Hill end, you should be able to get a 3 or 4 bed within budget.

Re where the boys commute from, the following areas are where the busiest coaches tend to come from

Wandsworth/Clapham area
Beckenham
Blackheath/Greenwich

Then of course many Dulwich and surround locals.

Life in Dulwich.

Extremely wealthy, extremely middle class, extremely white, extremely private school biased, extremely high house prices and very very dull to live in, I should think. The two main restaurants are uninspiring chains (Pizza Express and Cafe Rouge), no pub, no public transport. It is a funny little pastiche of a village in the middle of South East London.

Tracking back slightly in the thread, I think the high burglary statistics probably came up because there are some statistics that show that SE24, which is Herne Hill, is the postcode with the highest number of burglaries - nationally? Londonwide? Can't remember. Either way, I wouldn't let it put you off. Burglaries are a bit luck of the draw, I should think (inexpert view here).
I'll see if I can find a link...

This article references the stat I was thinking of.

Thanks for all the comments. To clarify this is the article I was quoting re burglary rates
www.theguardian.com/money/2016/jan/22/dulwich-village-burglary-hotspot-britain

East Dulwich is very family orientated, but I have to be honest in that I'm not overly keen on it. A bit too yummy mummy for my liking.

The Village is lovely, and right near Dulwich Park which I use a LOT..both to run round and take my kids to often. I live in West Norwood which has really begun to feel the overspill from Dulwich as people are being priced out.

It is incredibly white and middle class, which I guess some people like. The Peckham End down past goose Green is a bit more lively and 'urban' I guess.

What is your budget btw if you don't mind me asking?

if you are after a typical 3 bed Victorian terrace, for £1m, forget about Dulwich itself (which is actually a pretty boring place). One thing to remember, the area becomes grid-locked with 4wd vehicles at school time, you should factor in traveling time.

Have you looked at Herne Hill? Parts are very close to Dulwich Village. I adore Dulwich Village myself, would have loved to live there. East Dulwich is much more urban and edgy. West Dulwich feels a bit more suburban, and bits of it are close to Tulse Hill. I personally hated Tulse Hill!

West Dulwich and Herne Hill are both very leafy but with lots of shops and restaurants. I lived in the area for many years and always wished I could live in Dulwich Village because it feels like being in the countryside.

If you like Central London there is no need to leave as long as you are close to the right station. At secondary level the Dulwich school bus serves Belgravia and Kensington. Plenty of DCPS boys go on to Westminster. Plenty of boys from Kennington/Oval/Vauxhall go to DCPS.

Dulwich being my personal idea of hell

Thanks, Needmlresleep. Do you have boys commuting from Central London? Why is Dulwich your idea of hell?

Have you visited?

Really what Bibbity says. Green and leafy, smug and suburban. DC have enjoyed their Central London childhoods where everything is a walk or a short bus ride away.

DC did not go to Dulwich schools but to Newton Prep, but quite a lot of neighbours spent their days ferrying kids via the back streets of Brixton (a doable journey) and more used the school buses at secondary.

Why are you so set on DCPS? It has a local reputation of being quite pushy and difficult for those who are not amongst life's natural winners.

If the burglary rate is high, it's because there is a lot to burgle there.

If I were you I would be looking on Sydenham Hill which is right next to the woods and you should get a house or mansion flat for your budget

or you could stay where you are if you can afford it so anyone local can ever afford to buy a house

I used to live in east dulwich. We had to move because we couldn't afford anything bigger than our tiny basement flat. I loved it. It has a picture house cinema (which opened a week after we left), Franco manco pizza, a range of other restaurants both independent and chain, independent(ish) pubs, lots of shops (a good mix ), butcher, fish monger, an ice cream shop (!), a lovely little market at the weekend that sells food and bits and bobs eg jewellery. Peckham rye and dulwich park are both a stroll away. Oh I am making myself sad listing it all. I'd go for easy dulwich of you want to be able to walk out your door and have lots of options for what to do. You'll only get a small house for a million though.

East Dulwich urban and edgy?!

Maybe 15 years ago, but far from it these days, mores the shame. It's a great place to bring up a family, though. And it's perfectly possible to get a lovely, done-up four bed house for under a million if you're happy having a ten rather than five minute walk to Lordship Lane.