Chiswick or Blackheath?

[BalloonRide]

Looking to move from another area of London and looking for options about these two areas we have narrowed down to for various reasons. We are a family of 3 with a new baby, hoping to have another one day. Green space / walks and outdoors access is a priority and schools a consideration too.

I know both areas as a visitor, though I know Blackheath better. If you are a family living in either please could you offer up your wisdom, pros and cons of living there or tips for specific areas?

Budget will be around 750-950k depending on when / where. We aren't fixed on house vs flat as long as there is space.

If I moved to London, Chiswick would be where I would move. All my family live in the west of England, so do we, so it is so easy for M4 and actually, Heathrow and Gatwick. Gunnersbury is a good, district line in as well as over ground. Good schools. Parks, shops, restaurants are all good.

I'm in Blackheath. Love it. The primary schools are great and it really does feel like a village rather than part of London. You will get more space for your money if you look towards Hither Green, which also has great primaries and lots of parks.

Every so often we talk about moving to the country but blackheath is just so convenient for school, transport and the City that I can't see us ever moving away.

Chiswick by a country mile.

Don’t live in either but given your budget is tight for the a family house in the areas you aspire to, I’d go with Blackheath as it’s cheaper.

Chiswick hands down, tube lines and lovely walks by river and green spaces, lovely restaurants, you will probably struggle to get house for that budget though

Chiswick is nicer, Blackheath is cheaper. So I'd go house hunting in both and see whether the better houses you could afford in Blackheath make it worth it.

Both are fab areas, jealous of your dilemma!

Chiswick is considered ‘prime’ London but Blackheath is gorgeous and really nice too. The river isn’t that far either. I wouldn’t feel like a house would need to make up for the area especially if you work in Canary Wharf or the City as it’d be a much shorter commute from Blackheath.

I'd say Chiswick and a smaller house - tube lines and buses make it a lot quicker to get to C.London but it does depend whhether you value that.
If it was Greenwich itself, I'd be 50/50 but Blackheath is just that bit further out, traffic can be so bad yet fewer public transport options / slower to get to other areas.
As JoJo says, if you do need proximity to Canary Wharf then of course it's the other way round. I wouldn't quite call Chiswick 'prime London' (that's Ken&Chelsea and Westminster really).

It really depends where you are likely to commute to. Used to live in Gunnersbury when I started working, the commute to bank was pretty horrendous for a tube journey. I can imagine going to Canary Wharf is equally challenging. Now, your budget in the current market seems pretty tight especially for Chiswick, with potentially a family of 4, you would need 120+sqm which amount for a lot more than your budget there, Blackheath is a lot more “affordable”. Well that a now, who knows after the economic car crash we re heading to this winter.

Great comments, thank you. @timetest any reasons for yours?

Budget could be 950-1m if we waited to move till after next year. Not too fussed about a house. Just the space itself and all that the area offers.

One thing that currently appeals about Blackheath is the Heath itself (and Greenwich Park) with its fireworks display, music festivals etc and opportunities for picnics, bicycle learning, and kite flying. Chiswick offers river walks and has a few smaller parks but I don't know much about the green spaces there.

...or which specific areas of Chiswick to concentrate on given our wish list.

Kew is nearby (re Chiswick) - very popular with families, thereaer picnic areas and events, though you'd need to bu an anbual family pass otherwise expensive. Hard to beat Greenwich Park though!

Personally Id prefer to be nearer Turnham Green / Chiswick Park stations rather than Gunnersbury if you need to commute or go to town frequently. If you prefer to stay local mainly and be closer to Kew and Richmond, then Gunnersbury.

I agree about staying closer to Kew and Richmond. Richmond Park is gorgeous.

I'd aim at the other end of Chiswick, near Hammersmith. It's much nearer town, and Fulham Palace is lovely.

very different price wise, and we we lived in chiswick it was difficult to get into ok schools