Help! Walthamstow- what’s it like?

[scmilner3]

We are expecting our first child in early January and are looking to move from Islington to an area where we can get more for our money! My DP and I have been exploring options of moving to cute commuter towns like Berkhamsted or Amersham but lately I have been reconsidering. As background, I have been a city inhabitant (not just London) for almost 12 years now and I’m struggling with the concept of becoming a new parent and changing our lifestyle so drastically by moving to a quiet, insular town in the countryside (I hear this about Berkhamsted??). I am leaning towards finding a happy middle ground between city and suburbs and have zeroed in on Walthamstow, though from visiting once it seems to feel more “city”. Realtor websites and articles say it’s attracting young families but some older threads on here are saying the neighbourhood can sometimes be seedy or run down. I think there are some nice streets, but the high street has a way to go from what I saw.

Our budget is around £550k for 2-3 beds and we are specifically looking for something that needs work. The perk of Walthamstow also seems to be there are a lot of Victorian homes with decent space, which I love for renovating. Those types of houses are out of our price range in Berkhamsted and Amersham.

Threads on Walthamstow that I have found are a little older, and I’d expect an up and coming area moves fast, so maybe some of the more negative comments from even 2 years ago about Walthamstow have changed?

My questions- how seedy is Walthamstow now? What are the better areas of the neighbourhood? Are there any good “middle ground” neighbourhoods or towns you would recommend for someone who is used to living in a city? I am not from the UK originally so all my knowledge is based on what my friends say and the internet.

Our plan is to find a place we can live for 5 years and then probably move somewhere more suburban in prep for the teenage years. So, my requirements for this phase of life are a neighbourhood that has a good toddler/primary school community and schools with a town center. We are also concentrated on North London or Hertfordshire as my husband commutes to Suffolk once a week (we work from home or in London otherwise so main line links are necessary if we are in Hertfordshire).

After staying in our garden-less flat for the past 3 months, I have been especially interested in moving to the country. But I fear once everything starts opening in London again, I will regret not being close to theatres, museums, wine bars, networking things, etc. But do new mums even need those things?? Do I need to just say bye to city life and hello to pram walks in the countryside?? Help! I’m a confused, nauseous pregnant lady!! Or where can I find £4mill so I can just get a big house in Islington and stay put?? 😂

Thanks for the help in advance!

Like most parts of London Walthamstow can be a bit grotty in places and really nice in some. Personally I’d avoid St James/west end of the market and Markhouse Road areas. It’s also v busy around Walthamstow tube area. I would also check out Leytonstone and upper Leytonstone, the area between Leytonstone tube and Lea Bridge Road.

The “best” bit of Walthamstow is the Village, along with the Lloyd Park area - the latter is mostly flats. Upper Walthamstow is worth a look. I would echo PP’s comments on where to avoid. Some of Walthamstow is very near the North Circular and I must admit I probably wouldn’t want to be right next to it.

It is more city than suburban - for the latter you’d consider more areas like Highams Park and South Woodford, maybe also North Chingford.

It’s a good area for young children, lots of facilities and lots to do, and easy access to green space. Loads of classes.

Have you looked at Hitchin in Hertfordshire (Kings Cross commute)? Or Bishops Stortford (Tottenham Hale/Liverpool Street commute)?

I would think carefully about your five year plan - it is much easier to move before you need to factor in school places. If you wait five years, you may either be trying to apply for reception places without having an in -catchment address or moving your child in Year 1 and looking for a school with places available mid-year. I’m not saying it can’t be done but it would be more complicated and life may get in the way!

Having moved from London to a small town with a two year old, I would have preferred to be in situ before he was born, but am glad we did it before he was three and we were thinking about schools.

For what it’s worth, I found it easier to meet people in London than outside, even with young kids - most people I met in London were also incomers and keen to make friends, whereas I have found it harder in the town we moved to, as friendship circles seem more established. Some of that is about me having missed out on the baby stage here, I think.

Thanks for the details on the areas to avoid! Very helpful. The areas you have suggested are the areas that we really liked when touring Walthamstow (the village and around Lloyd Park). Will also check out Leytonstone.

The five year plan isn't ideal, but there is likelihood we will be moving to the US where I am from at that time. We are here due to job placements for the time being. But, whether we stay here or go somewhere else, will have to contend with school changes either way unfortunately.

Great point about London vs smaller towns- I have definitely found that making friends in London is easy and have probably taken that for granted!

We are considering Bishop's Stortford since it is on my husband's path to Suffolk anyway so it has that advantage. Have heard good things about Hitchin but I think it may be too far out by train. I was looking to keep the commute into London to 30min or so, and that commute looks to be about 45min.

Bishops Stortford is around 40 minutes into Liverpool Street minimum, 25 minutes or so to Tottenham Hale. I guess it depends on where you’re trying to reach in London?

Our experience is that the housing stock is more varied in Stortford than Hitchin. Our budget was a little lower than yours, though not by much, and in Hitchin the choice was between Victorian terraces with awkward layouts (downstairs bathroom) and more modern (say, 1970s/1980s) semis. Our money would have gone further in Stortford.

But you could get a 4 bed in Stortford for that money, albeit probably a 15-20 minute walk from the station, and definitely a 3 bed.

I live in Leytonstone and love it. Been very friendly. The bit between Leyton and Leytonstone (houses around Francis Road) and the Bushwood bit towards Wanstead are nice. Wanstead is also lovely. Been really easy to make friends and loads for young families, and Epping Forest a two minute walk from my front door.

We are in the village part.. Grosvenor road...was one of the cheapest areas in the 90' s..!!..paid 57 k.. 3 bed semi.. it's a bit twee these days..anyway avoid stJames st area and wood Street...dealers and hoodies all over especially at James st... Lots of drugs and gangs and female don't feel safe at night. Lloyds park is awfu l for parking and can attract drug gangs also..Leyton has a lot less problems and Leyton stone is nice but avoid the bit towards Stratford around railway bridge etc.

One thing you might do is join some of the local Facebook groups to get a feel. Leytonstone Life, Walthamstow Life, Francis Road community.
Personally I’d find the village a bit claustrophobic and the houses are tiny (a lot of them anyway).
Francis Road area seems to have some crime problems, bikes constantly nicked, issues with a group of young men who hang out on the road and deal drugs. I don’t know anyone who lives there that’s just from the Facebook group.
People like the area east of wood street and it has a more suburban feel as it’s 30s houses.

Please don't judge Leytonstone by what you read on Leytonstone Life 😬

We looked at both Walthamstow and Leytonstone. W village is really lovely (I am putting my fingers in my ears and ignoring what earsup says about prices in the 90s or I might throw myself under a bus) but tiny and houses are now £££ and I've heard good things about Lloyds park although we didn't really look too much around there. Walthamstow centre is VERY busy - lots going on, cinema, lots of interesting restaurants (the area is great if you're vegan) but very polluted and busy.

We ended up in Leytonstone (Bushwood area) as we liked how close we could live to big areas of parkland and the convenience of the central line (having said that, I now see the central line as a necessary evil, especially in the summer 🥵). It's not as busy as Walthamstow, and there not as much going on, but the community is still really active (the Bushwood Area Residents Association in particular is great and really friendly.. I think there are equivalents in other areas too).

You might also want to look at Highams Park - when I visited I thought it was too quiet and suburban for us, but that was pre children so I might have a different view now! And the houses are pretty big.

Good luck!

"Leyton stone is nice but avoid the bit towards Stratford around railway bridge etc."

I wouldn't "avoid" the bit around the railway bridge - Cann Hall is a nice area to live. It's where I am (although that's not why it's nice...). Cheaper than Bushwood/Upper Leytonstone, quiet streets full of solid Victoria 2 and 3 beds. Some streets are absolute gems - Woodhouse Road and Chichester Road, for example. Wanstead Flats is a short walk away. When I moved here 20 years ago it was pretty run down, but since then lots of young families have moved in. We've got 2 absolutely superb pubs (and another being done up) for the post-corona world. A wine bar, a venue that gets world-class names on, two or three excellent restaurants, a great bakery and even a brewery and a coffee roasters. This is all recent stuff. Great community here too. We all look out for each other. I love it here and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

The only bit I would avoid buying in is the area between Harrow Green (where the war memorial is) and Leyton Tube . But that's because It's a bit rough around the edges, especially toward the station.

And yes, Leytonstone Life is an absolute parody of itself. Split cleanly between "old" Leytonstoners who think E11 has become some sort of wasteland since their distant, golden childhoods (they'll mention a department store called Bearmans a lot) and "new" ones who absolutely adore the place and tell everyone about it until their eyes glaze over and they sign up to numerous local estate agents.

... and maybe it's my age, but I much prefer Leytonstone to Walthamstow. E17 just seems sort of incredibly busy and a bit overwhelming. E11 seems quiet and calm in comparison. Leytonstone also has the Central Line which will zoom you to Tottenham Court Road in about 20 minutes. The only thing I miss about Leytonstone is the lack of a direct bus to the centre of London. There has been vague talk in the past of extending to the number 8 route (which already comes to Leytonstone as a night bus).

Leytonstone Life is an absolute parody of itself. Split cleanly between "old" Leytonstoners who think E11 has become some sort of wasteland since their distant, golden childhoods (they'll mention a department store called Bearmans a lot) and "new" ones who absolutely adore the place and tell everyone about it until their eyes glaze over and they sign up to numerous local estate agents

😂😂😂 so true!

Walthamstow transport links are fantastic. Overhead to Liverpool st in 20 mins or the Victoria line. Numerous bus links too.
You may also like highams park.

Walthamstow is great - it’s a mixed community, with some areas less salubrious than others. St James’ / Markhouse is nowhere near the lawless gangland described above - think of it like Essex Road a few years ago. Bit shabby round the edges but decent cafes & shops. There’s a strong creative community throughout, with a lot of media types and artists who were priced out of Hackney. There’s a huge expanse of green space - the Wetlands, Walthamstow / Hackney / Leyton Marshes, plus Epping Forest towards the Leytonstone end. If you want chi-chi Islington, the village is probably your best bet but good luck finding a house anywhere near the village for £550k - you might get one of the purpose built maisonettes that share a garden.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-66368136.html

(I am definitely not procrastinating... Oh no)

Alright. Alright. It’s really allllllllright.

@raffle unless you accidentally run yourself over. Then it's really not all right.

Baked potato definitely didn’t save his life. Nearly the complete opposite...

Hi OP, I live nearby but not in Walthamstow (So Woodford-Woodford borders.) My NCT group was in Walthamstow. It's a fab place to have a baby/toddler. Lots of young families and something else that might be important to you, good transport, if you are working 'in town' after mat leave. So, that rush to get home to relieve a nursery/CM/Nanny is easier than other places on this thread. Don't underestimate this and do factor the time that takes into whatever you decide about location, if work in a London based job will still be a big part of your day.

There are good primary schools in Walthamstow/Highams Park and Redbridge. Secondary school is more of an issue - you do find people scrambling to move away, going private (even when they said they were considering it), or feeling generally dissatisfied with the options but not sure what to do about it. There are grammar schools but the atmosphere might not be to your taste and they are very very competitive.

If you are NOT thinking of going back to work or to a job that requires living in London I would start to think about other areas like Bishops Stortford, Hitchin etc that people have mentioned here NOW and not wait five years to do it. Five years seems like a timescale that would work for planning but the reality with school places means that's not ideal, as a PP said. I have friends that commute in from BS - it's expensive and time consuming and was a terrible shock relative to the tube from our current area when they started. If you would consider private school as an option - in principle - I'd go for Walthamstow/Highams Park.

Sorry, but if you wouldn't consider private under any circs I would go for an area that has better through the cycle schooling options.

The schools in BS have been fantastic for years and they will continue to be fantastic. (People always go: ohhh but schools might change...) Nah, doubt it.

When we bought in Grosvenor road, it was rough...half the shops in the village area were boarded up and a few of the pubs were either very bnp or full of dealers...of course its all changed....as said, a lot of the houses are tiny...poky cottages...small gardens back and front...the part of leytonstone i dont like is the high road if you walk towards stratford...some nice roads and houses around cann hall as mentioned and towards forest gate which used to be very posh years ago and is not getting nice again...if you join the face book group - walthamstow life, you will find out more but i stick to my opinions about st james st...go at night...if the police havent cleared out the dealers, they are usually back the next day...my brother is in leyton off francis road since the late 60's...also changed lots and now very nice...although recent issues with dealers etc in that road...just do lots of visits at different times and see how you feel....!

@earsup I'm so jealous, I love Grosvenor Road - so many beautiful trees. I'm in one of the dodgy bits of Walthamstow mentioned above!

Primary schools in walthamstow are generally brilliant, so if you’re only planning to stay for 5 years, don’t worry. We had the pick of 4 ‘outstanding’ rated ones within a mile of us - all but one undersubscribed. We’re the Hackney side.

Another Leytonstoner here- between Bushwood and the railway bridge, with beautiful Wanstead Flats at the end of the road, which swung it over Walthamstow for us. Prefer this end to Cann Hall, but as pp says, lots of young families and new pubs opening up. Also closer to Forest Gate which is v popular with young families, you might want to look there too (although I prefer Leytonstone). There’s a well trodden path here from Hackney/Bethnal Green/Islington!

Also, I grew up in Hitchin and it is very suburban in comparison to London. Lovely in its way, but the infrastructure in terms of schools, healthcare etc is most definitely Not London. Even though it’s full of ex Londoners

Also like the Wood Street end of Walthamstow