Wanstead vs Woodford vs Buckhurst Hill?!

[mummabear84]

Hi Mums, I'm after some advice. Looking to move from the Tower Hamlets area and be in between mine and my husband's parents - the area around Wanstead would be perfect for this, and give me a snappy commute to my job in Holborn. BUT it's proving pretty e

Whereabouts in TH are you? What do you like/dislike about the area you’re in? What’s your budget?

I moved from Bethnal Green to Leytonstone, and Wanstead would be my preference of those three areas.

I'm in Woodford- moved from Wanstead as secondary schools in Wanstead are not as good.
Wanstead is very buzzy and was a lovely place with young children but both Woodford and Buckhurst Hill are v nice. Depends on your budget and wish list really.
FYI I was brought up in Stratford then had property in both Leyton and Walthamstow.
I think the Wanstead Woodford corridor is much nicer. Have you looked at South Woodford?
Happy to answer any questions that I can help with

I moved from Islington to Wanstead and now live in Snaresbrook/South Woodford. We moved that bit further out because we wanted a larger house with a good size garden and nothing was available in Wanstead at the time. I think S Woodford offers the best of both worlds: larger houses and a high street with "useful" shops including Waitrose and Sainsbury's but great transport links and a ten minute walk to Wanstead. You also get more house for your money. Happy to answer any questions you have.

Ooh sorry every one it looks like most of my message got cut off! Here's the rest of it for reference. Sorry if i'm doing all of this a weird way, first timer! x

Hi Mums, after some advice about our next move... we currently live in central east London (near Liverpool st) and want to move out so we can finally get more space for us and the little one. The area around Wanstead seemed perfect - really nice village feel, great commute to my Holborn job, inbetween my parents and the husband's - BUT it's proving pretty expensive. Should we look out further afield to Woodford? I hear it has great schools? (Son is 10 months).. what about Buckhurst Hill? We want somewhere that has a nice buzz about it and a decent high st (we're used to being in the centre of things!) but obviously needs to be good for families and commuting. I know this will get a few eye rolls but we love living in London and not sure if we're totally ready for proper suburbia, anyone else relate?!?!

THANKS FOR ANY ADVICE!

Thanks for the replies ladies.

@tethersend - we have loved being in central London and having amazing transport links to pretty much everywhere. But we want a house, with a garden, and I want to see a TREE or patch of grass sometime!! :) I'm also just not hipster enough for Shoreditch anymore and I'm ready to move somewhere that's more family focused.

On the subject of trees, the proximity to Epping Forest, Wanstead Park etc is very attractive. We loved Aldersbrook… BUT I don't want to have to get a bus after the central line on my way home (I'll be desperate to get back before bedtime and want every little inch of time with my son!!).

We are lucky to have a budget of around 850.

@iknowimlucky thanks for your response. I've just started Zoopla-ing South Woodford, is it quite different to Woodford? I think this is probably a stupid question but which streets/ areas would fall under the Wanstead Woodford Corridor?!

@ihatenicknames you raise a really good point about being near "useful" shops, LOVE the sound of Snaresbrook... but I've been trying to look around there on Zoopla / Rightmove etc but looks like those properties are hard to come by too - not much coming up right now!

The shops in South Woodford are the most useful out of Wanstead, Woodford and Buckhurst Hill. Although there are a few good independent shops in Wanstead. South Woodford has Sainsbury's, M and S Food and Waitrose within a 5 minute walk of the station.

Have a look at roads off Woodford Road like Lansdowne, Cleveland, Tavistock etc if you want Victorian and Edwardian properties. On the other side of Woodford Road is the Firs Estate with classic suburban semis (and big gardens). The other side of the A406 there are some pretty roads e.g Buckingham and Chelmsford.

850 is a little tight for the majority of the Firs Estate.

This is so helpful thanks everyone. I like the sound of the streets with Victorian / Edwardian properties @ihatenicknames, thanks.. what streets make up the firs estate?

@mosaic123 that’s good about South Woodford.. I could get my dinner on the way home! It’s the little things :)

The Firs is all the roads behind The Drive eg Malford Grove, Bressey Grove etc. You could also look at Pultney and Pelham Roads, nice and close to South Woodford tube
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-81255068.html

£850 sounds like a huge amount and I'm sure you will get something nice but in some areas it won't get much
If you liked the aldersbrook rstate but not the bus journey the blakehall / lake house roads are probably a 15 minute pleasant walk from Wanstead station
Very nice large Edwardian houses think they go fir around 900k
Buckhurst Hill is nice with a pleasant high street v near the station also has a very old school Waitrose
South Woodford there are two sides placed either side of the station so look on s map the other side has nice roads with Victorian houses called names like daisy road
Woodford green (my favourite) again has two sides the the most desirable and expensive are the houses on the monkhams estate - I doubt there is much for 850k but you never know.
Would you consider Loughton?
It's a proper town on the central line and you'd get something very nice fir your budget I would think. Couple of the gps I work with have moved there from Hackney recently same reasons as you and are very pleased with their choice

For example
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-81418328.html

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-71464030.html

This one is decent value, although slightly out of the Firs Estate.

Hi ladies, thanks again for your advice! We viewed three properties today - a tiny one that requires a lot of work but is 4 mins from Wanstead station, a bigger house that we’d want to slightly remodel (12 mins walk to wanstead) and a flipping gorgeous place 15 mins walk to South Woodford station.. been looking on Citymapper and it looks like my commute wouldn’t be much changed even if we do go for a place in South Woodford. This has surprised me a bit. The high street isn’t as cute as Wanstead but like it has been pointed out it has plenty of useful shops.

I had researched schools in Wanstead quite a bit (really like nightingale) but am quite clueless when it comes to South Woodford. Any recommendations? What about nurseries?

Huge thanks

I'm glad house hunting was successful. School choices will depend where you are in S Woodford. Churchfields, Oakdale and Snaresbrook are the main state primaries. Feel free to PM me if you want any more specific info.

Hi @mummabear84

We have lived in South Woodford for (gasp) 20 yrs....ex-Islingtonians. (I still consider myself one.)

Lots of great primaries - secondaries not quite so much.

You need to be careful about catchments too. Get as close as you can to the best ones. There are roads that are becoming black holes with people getting really random places. Can you afford to go private? Many do in these parts.

I second a look at Loughton. Staples Road primary is great. If you can swing the church angle Davenant is a great secondary. But it's more Essexy.

Tbh Wanstead High is fine tho.

It's a great area for price, commutability, kids activities, restaurants, services.

Thinking we should keep a bit quieter about it as all the hipsters from Hackney shire ditch etc are moving in because of the forest schools central line etc and my kids will have to move way out