Wanstead and surrounding areas, where to live?

[FreiasBathtub]

Possibly outing as have moaned at length about this to friends but hey ho!

We are selling up in Hackney and I have fallen hard for Wanstead. But our money doesn't go far there - and we really want a fourth bedroom and decent garden. I'm open to doing quite a bit of work (extension, loft conversion etc), DH not so much.

We've looked at the surrounding areas too, but I think Aldersbrook is a bit disconnected for me (DH not so fussed, but he is not the one doing most of the nursery runs/last minute shopping trips). And South Woodford feels a bit more generic if that makes sense - I'm a cliché but I like the independent coffee shops, fancy butchers and so on.

Does anyone know the area to give us a bit of a steer? I'm worried that if we move somewhere Wanstead-adjacent we will end up never using the amenities in Wanstead itself...but maybe I'm being silly to hold out for the 'perfect' house in the 'perfect' location.

Are you dead set on that part of London? I think you could like somewhere like Crystal Palace or Beckenham. I think they’re cheaper too.

Thanks for replying JoJoSM2 East London is good for us in terms of family and friends. I have had a Rightmove browse around Crystal Palace, Dulwich, Forest Hill, Honor Oak Park etc but there doesn't seem to be much on at the moment which would fit the bill. I am trying to be open to other areas!

I guess you’ve looked at Leytonstone? It shares Wanstead’s green spaces and whilst the High Road is not (yet) Wanstead High Street, there are new independent shops and family-friendly pubs and cafes opening every week. It feels more urban versus South Woodford’s suburban-ness. If you’re moving from Hackney then you’ll be among friends..

Ps - I agree with you on Aldersbrook - gorgeous houses but you’re quite cut off by the park on one side and Wanstead Flats on the other (as lovely as they are to have on the doorstep). Public transport not brilliant along Aldersbrook road either.

Would you be able to afford a project in Wanstead? If that's where you really, really want to be, perhaps it'd just be easier for your husband to get his head round doing work? It is stressful and disruptive for a few weeks but then it's all lovely for years.

Ypsilanti yes we have but feels like the footprint of the houses isn't quite so substantial as Wanstead. May need to take a closer look though, as you say it has all the open spaces and is on the way up. Are there any areas we should focus on? I quite like the thought of Highams Park for same reasons but worry about relying on a single train line.

JoJoSM2 that is where my head currently is. We're going to have to move into rented anyway as our sale is galloping forward. So I think we might as well do a big project and get exactly what we want for the next fifteen years. DH is just so set on a big garden. I've no fucking idea why as neither of us have managed to keep anything alive for more than about six months in the decade and a half we've known each other.

Oh except our children I should say, they are thriving! But plants...not so much.

Hi I live in Wanstead . It's a bit of an odd area, as it is spread out and stretches all the way from South Woodford to Leytonstone, but the "good bit" within walking distance of the High St is very small. The rest of Wanstead can feel very suburban with no amenities close to hand, just endless streets of houses - which I personally hate. I agree with you that Aldersbrook is definitely cut off from the main bit of Wanstead, although the houses are beautiful. I'm also not convinced that Leytonstone is a like for like substitute. It may be the other side of Wanstead Flats but it feels very different and the High St is still a bit ropey.
In the end I think Wanstead is just one of those places where you really have to bite the bullet for the good stuff and accept you may need to compromise on the house or the price to get what you want. It's also not helped by a slow turn over of houses as people tend to stay. When we bought, there was a grand total of two houses in the right bit of Wanstead to choose from, in our budget!

OP, I can see where your husband is coming from with the garden... I find it really nice to sit in my own outside space with who I want and when I want. And even for 5mins to have a coffee if I want to. It’s very different to having to go to a park every time. (Disclaimer: I live in s very spacious bit of zone 5).

We nearly bought somewhere in the bushwood area of Leytonstone which is still E11. Also some of the houses between South Woodford and Wanstead down Hermon Hill way are a bit cheaper. We looked at highams park and that would defo be my second choice to Wanstead as school choices a bit better in Waltham Forest than Redbridge.

If you are still interested in Wanstead adjacent places though I would look again at South Woodford. I really like the shopping area there - it's more convenient for every day than Wanstead and the houses look nice as well

What age are your children? Will schools be a factor?

Also look at Chingford but only around Chingford station. Definitely a little cheaper around there and some independent shops plus green space. Lovely area.

Gosh thanks for all the replies. Lots of food for thought. Good to know I'm not being small minded about Aldersbrook.

tethersend yes schools are an issue and something that concerns me a bit about Wanstead as we really don't want a faith school. DD is about to go into reception in Hackney (obviously less than ideal but Brexit screwed us when we tried to move a couple of years ago). We plan to commute her back to Hackney until a spot comes up in year near the new house. Redbridge council assure me that there is usually some turnover...

JoJoSM2 oh definitely want a garden, but DH wants 100ft plus which seems...excessive to me!

V comforting to hear that it's normal for choice to be limited in that area. I think perhaps we just need to wait it out and hope that being chain free makes us more attractive when the right house does come up. And will look again at the other side of S Woodford, we've only looked at the Firs estate so far, maybe need to broaden the search out a bit.

Oh that explains your concerns about South Woodford. The Firs Estate is quite a way out from the Tube etc and again there's not much there, I don't think. Have a look closer to the Tube and George Lane and you'll find a nice little community!
Interesting about your husband's garden expectations. Personally I think it's all part and parcel of moving out of urban London, that the expected payoff is lots of land. However Wanstead is still London and not really the countryside, so most gardens are quite small. I think you have to go further into Essex to really get the garden size.

@FreiasBathtub I am very much in the same position that were in when you posted your initial message. I'm reaching out to see what you decided to do and where you decided to go and how you are getting on?
We are also Hackney parents and looking to move further out - though not too far out - and to find a 'do-er upper' with a big garden, close to good schools, independent cafes, yoga studios, green spaces, etc, etc. Not too much to ask.... lol!

Hello @Koete! Well, we ended up in Woodford Green which had worked out really well for us. We lost out on a couple of houses in Wanstead, the competition was fierce. So we braved the other side of the North Circular and are now about halfway between Highams Park and Woodford stations. It is brilliant. We are right by the park and Epping Forest, DD is happily settled in a lovely small state primary and DS is in a good local nursery. I'm not going to lie - it's not Hackney or even Wanstead in terms of the amenities, but I think that is the trade off we had to make in the end...more a case of one nice coffee shop rather than ten, yoga in the church hall rather than a bespoke studio with homemade cake afterwards. But it was 100% worth it. The footprints of the houses are so much bigger, as are the gardens. Wanstead and Walthamstow are very easy via public transport, and you can drive/cycle and be in the heart of the forest in next to no time. I'd really recommend.

@FreiasBathtub thanks so much for getting back to me, as I find the only way to get a steer on these all-encompassing questions is to hear from people’s real-life experience, so thank you for that! We drove around Leytonstone & Wanstead and I’ve been trawling Zoopla and Rightmove, so it has been really helpful to know that I can expand the search and find really nice places.
Definitely keen for bigger house and more green space (especially after living in a flat in Hackney during lockdown) and will take that over gluten-free brownies and flat whites in a cafe 😆
Thanks again!

@Koete oh I completely agree, love the Mumsnet hive mind! Yes, we thanked our lucky stars almost every day during lockdown, we'd have struggled in our flat for sure. A lot depends on your budget I think. We could've got what we wanted in Wanstead but would've been looking at the £1.2m mark, much less up here. I'd definitely recommend spending a couple of hours pottering around Highams Park and Woodford. Agree with the PP on this thread that school options are better in Waltham Forest than Redbridge, although I think both are fairly chaotic as far as in year admissions go. Let me know if you want any further info - it's a big move and was a wrench for me to leave Hackney but I'm genuinely glad we did.

Really interesting thread! @Koete and @FreiasBathtub I thought I’d post just to say that I am a Wanstead resident who has come to the same conclusion as both of you. We live in a tiny 4 bed terrace with a 5x5 patio out the back and have a good budget to upsize with but have decided to move away from Wanstead. It’s very pretty and amenities are good, but state schools (particularly secondary - primaries are great) are a bit meh. Also like someone else said, the good bit of wAnstead is near the high street - where we live now - but the houses are either tiny or very expensive (1.35+ for a decent sized period property near the high st) so we’re doing just what you’ve done and moving out to highams park, hopefully in time to apply for primary school for DS in September. Wanstead is nice but I personally wouldn’t sacrifice a big house and garden to live here.