Where to live in SE London?

[selondonite]

Can't decide which area would work best for us. Like east dulwich and honor oak park and herne hill the most, though more expensive I think. Forest Hill also ok though not sure if there is a better side to be on?
Think CP too far out. We have 1.2 possible could stretch a bit more. Want a period 4 bed with decent garden. And dream world parking too! Commute to Bank needed. Need a good school. Would ideally like a school that has a playing field and/or encourages outdoor learning. Like the idea of there being a centre and near to a park or green space.
Where do you think would suit us best? Recommendations on schools would also be helpful. I know Fairlawn and Rosendale supposed to be v good?

What does 'too urban' mean exactly?

Hmm am even more confused now as there seem to be a lot of nice places.
That tel hill house is fab. Maybe I'll have a wander round there again. If I didn't have kids I wouldn't hesitate. It's just the proximity to ncg does nag at me I'll be honest! And Brockley felt urban compared to east dulwich and herne hill. However I really don't know it at all and I was tired at end of trudging round so could be proved wrong. I do need to cross some places off though as will get nowhere narrowing the list down and finding somewhere.
Hadn't really considered HG and Greenwich way either really. Don't know it at all!! Presumed Greenwich would be out of budget and busy on weekends.

I'll put my Brockley pom-poms down in a minute but before I do, here's my suggestion for a walk through the area to get you excited:

Start at the station, exit onto Coulgate Street. Grab a coffee at Brown's/Broca, then walk from Coulgate, across Brockley Rd, up Harefield Rd into the conservation area. Walk along Wickham Rd, then cross into Breakspears, up to Tressilian, then along the houses on Drake, Darling and Avon Roads. Backtrack along Tressilian Crescent, then walk up Hilly Fields for a hot drink and a snack at Pistachio's in the Park.

(If you're around on a Sat., add in a visit to Brockley Market at the north end of Tyrwhitt Rd.)

Something similar around Telegraph Hill is also easy to map out - the Hill Station cafe between the parks is a good starting point.

Proximity to NCG can be pretty handy for quick transport to the City or Canary Wharf - quicker than coming from Dulwich or Herne Hill. (Also - I wouldn't say Hither Green and Greenwich in the same breath - they're not especially near. Lee though - nearer Blackheath than HG is, and seems a nicer area to me.)

Lee and HG kind of blur into each other. I would say the area round Manor House Gardens for proximity to Blackheath.

Does period mean only Victorian? This is 1930s with a modern extension.

It's in catchment for Fairlawn, which is amazing, or Horniman, which does forest school.

At the end of the road is Horniman Museum.

Great views!

www.winkworth.co.uk/properties/9809114/sales/tewkesbury-avenue-forest-hill-se23/DUL160716

Ok had another wander round...
Think West Norwood out - felt v busy and a bit crazy with kids (though sure someone will prove me wrong!) our friend was trying to sell it to us but it just didn't feel very us
Loved Herne Hill but think too expensive
East Dulwich - too busy and expensive. Good for a visit.
Forest Hill - seems quite suburban after being in Herne Hill but get more for money
West Dulwich - could work if could find a decent home
Hither Green - prefer the idea of being in Dulwichy SE I think to Greenwich really. I quite liked HG wandering round though preferred further across. Not sure why...
Still need to go back to.... Brockley (will do that route - fab thank you), Telegraph Hill.
Like the idea of Peckham Rye - anyone got any info? Schools, good roads?
Anyone know anything about nunhead or crofton park?
Thanks!

We looked at Nunhead too - nice, quiet backstreets. Possibly walkable to E Dulwich?

Oh we just had an offer accepted on a house in Brockley and this thread has made me even more excited! Weirdly, we have viewed nearly every house linked to (but went for something cheaper in the end).

One thing I would say OP is take the asking price with a pinch of salt. There are definitely deals to be done in this price range if you're in a position to move - one EA volunteered that the couple were desperate to sell and would accept an offer 200k under asking! If you would consider CP we saw an amazing house there, close to the triangle (www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-62219963.html) but ultimately decided it was too far out for us too.

PS sorry about the link - I'm a newbie and don't know how to make it work :(

lake - welcome to the neighbourhood!

I live in Nunhead - the bit of Nunhead that's close to Peckham Rye, rather than NCG. Love it here. Rye Common is just wonderful, ditto Rye Park beside it. Nunhead Cemetery is a joy. This area is handy for shops etc in E Dulwich but cheaper! Transport isn't too bad - there are various stations on different lines, depending on where in Nunhead you're looking. Schools - Ivydale is v good these days. Secondaries - kids go all over the place.

For Peckham look around the Bellenden Road area. Nice period properties.

Me again
Anyone got any lowdown on the schools in nunhead and brockley??

Ivydale in Nunhead gets mentioned a lot on the East Dulwich Forum, worth searching there.

Which schools are you thinking of, OP? Ivydale, Fairlawn, Stillness, Gordonbrock and a number of others in Brockley have all been mentioned here.

I don't have DC there, but I hear positive things locally about John Stainer, Gordonbrock, Ashmead (catchment the size of my arse) and Myatt Garden. Lucas Vale also covers a lot of the conservation area - it is ranked outstanding but was less well thought of before. There are also about a zillion schools in the Prendergast Federation within Brockley - one secondary, 2(?) primary nearby.

I had a thread on here called something like "Anyone in SE London? Could I have an idiot's guide to the Prendergast schools?" if you need more info on those.

Fairlawn is fantastic - but people seem happy with pretty much all of the schools around here. However be very, very careful with catchment areas everywhere in these parts of south east London. After siblings there can be virtually no spots some years. I would err on the side of caution and make sure you buy less than 200 or so metres from at least one school.

Oh you are all wonderful thank you. Will see if I can afford anything next to catchments. SE London seems to be last of the London frontiers to be able to afford a family home now! Won't be long before that is taken down too.

For Stillness you should be ok within 300-400 metres away from the school.