moving to addiscombe - croydon?

[airdado]

hello everyone, I am looking at properties in Croydon and found one we like in Coniston Road, Addiscombe.
We are not familiar with the area and was wondering what your impressions are? Also, we are two gay parents of a 15 months old boy, so it is imperative that the area is safe and welcoming with regards to a family like ours.
Many thanks everyone

Hi,

I know the area well. It's very friendly and your family would fit in no worries. It's a great place to bring up kids.

Pm me, I can give you the local low down!

I live nearby. Addiscombe is nice. Good high street with green grocer, butchers etc. Bit lacking in transport options compared to neighbouring areas (South Norwood for example), but a short tram ride to East Croydon where there’s loads of transport options. Woodside and Oasis Shirley Park are both well regarded primaries, I know families with children there that like the schools. My children go to school in a neighbouring town and there are several same sex parent families within the school community. There are nominated teacher lgbt ambassadors and the school has received recognition for inclusion by Stonewall - so if that is anything to go by, I think you will find the area welcoming.

I moved away from Croydon seven years ago having lived there for 15 years and my DH is born and bred there.

In all honesty I wouldn't even consider moving back there now I have DS 1 & 2.

It's not the primary schools that are the problem, it's down the line when secondary starts. It's just not safe anymore.

In the year before we moved I saw a stabbing at the station, was mugged waking home and witnessed a man attacked with a machete...

Croydon has always had its areas that were a bit iffy but now there is a huge amount of gang and knife crime.

I'd seriously reconsider if you're planning this to be your forever home.

I live in Shirley which is up the road from Addiscombe. I like it here.

I don't really go to Addiscombe because if I need those kind of local shops I go to West Wickham.

I read somewhere recently that Croydon has 1/3 Green space coverage, the 2nd highest of any London borough. I don't know if that is true, but if you do move to anywhere in Croydon you will have many beautiful parks and open spaces nearby!

I'm a big fan of Addiscombe in particular after almost buying there a few years ago. Several friends now live there, woodside court Rd, Dalmally & Fernhurst.

The crime stats are low, the highstreet has all the essentials, including a high quality butcher & greengrocer. You see lots of younger families these days including interracial & same sex so can't see that being an issue.

Just about walkable to East Croydon Station which has great transport links.

It's easy to be snobby about Croydon but certain pockets are great & juuuuust about still affordable.

As someone who’s lived in the borough of Croydon several times in my life, I’d say no. Addiscombe is close/next to both central Croydon and Thornton Heath, two of the most depressing parts of the entire U.K. imo. Sorry if that upsets anyone, not my intention but that’s my feelings towards the place.

It's not near Thornton Heath at all

What, around a mile is not near? I’d class the area around CP stadium as Thornton Heath- might technically be Selhurst but it feels the same. Ditto Whitehorse road- absolutely bleak and awful awful crime stats.

I used to live around that area for years. The thought of it makes me shudder tbh, but that’s just my opinion- you’re not obliged to agree

I grew up in Croydon but moved away as soon as I could afford to. It's busy, built up, house got burgled, always had things stolen from the back garden, my brother was mugged many times on his way home from school, etc....
I still visit my friend who lives in Woodside, ( very depressing area ). She would move away if she could but she is unlikely to be able to afford to.
I would never want to bring my children up there.

My nan still lives in Shirley which close and is 'nicer'. The high street in West Wickham is good and there are plenty of parks to wander around. Transport links are good.
Definitely visit Addiscombe on a Friday/Saturday evening before you decide anything.

Addiscombe has a very different feel to Thornton Heath, Central Croydon, South Norwood etc. And just the other side you have Shirley, West Wickham, Beckenham, South Croydon. All of which are nice towns, quieter, and all within 10 or so mins drive away.

People tend to get quite hysterical about Croydon being awful. But there really are different vibes to each individual town, and within those towns there are always areas that are family friendly with great communities.

People buy here because they want to stay close to London and because it’s more affordable than any surrounding ‘nicer’ places. You have to move outside of the M25 to get cheaper house prices than in some parts of Croydon. If it’s all you can afford and you want to be close to London, it’s a perfectly fine place to bring up young children. People do tell me it’s different for teenagers, though, and we are trying to move away before secondary school time, but that’s a long way off for a family with toddlers.

We have been in the area over ten years now and it’s served us well (and our house value has doubled with still more to go - Croydon definitely hasn’t reached it’s ceiling limit yet).

Edit to say: we are not a family with toddler aged children (mine are all at primary school), but the OP is.

@Lonelycrab Thornton Heath is almost 3 miles from Addiscombe and a totally different area.

The op is asking about living in Addiscombe.

I spent 27 years in these areas and moved out 10 years ago so my views may be dated and I accept that but I wouldn’t move back if someone paid me. Croydon is rough. Very rough. I was mugged in broad daylight and have been flashed walking back across a busy park at 3pm. Those incidents made me want to leave. I have lived in Norbury and my Dad lives in Shirley. We have family in Addiscombe so I know the areas well. Those are “better” areas but still not great to be honest but I think that’s the price you pay for wanting to stay fairly close to London. I moved way out to South Norfolk, which I know not everyone would want to - or could - do and that’s fair enough we are all different and have different needs.

Thornton Heath is almost 3 miles from Addiscombe and a totally different area

No, it’s not, it’s barely over a mile as the crow flies. I lived around the corner from TH for years and my family is from this area so I should know. It may be 3 miles from where they write Thornton Heath ie the centre but in reality the area is sprawling and grim. Bring a mile away is not “a long way away”. It’s nearby. Look at the map

Ignore those who slate Croydon. As others have said, Addiscombe is not near Selhurst or Thornton Heath (3 miles is hardly close!). I don’t know Addiscombe that well but live close by in Sanderstead, which is lovely, and the secondary schools here (although you’re a little while off that yet!) are outstanding or good. All the best with your decision :)

Addiscombe is not near Selhurst

Oh fgs they’re next to each other! They border each other: one runs into the next. Please go and check your maps; I’m looking at this right now.

What’s that, scotch mist?

You hate Croydon Lonely Crab. We get it.

@Lonelycrab, do you travel as the crow flys? Didn't think so.

It's almost 3 miles to drive to Thornton heath and It takes 17 minutes during the day... Google it. It's not close and there is no reason to go there if you live in Addiscombe. Selhurst is closer, but again why would you need to go there, unless you where a palace fan? Beckenham is just as close as TH, but you don't mention that, because it's a beautiful affluent town with lots of parks and restaurants.

I live in Addiscombe presently and have done for the last 10 years. It's has a nice village feel and I can honestly say have never felt threatened. I haven't heard of any neighbours being mugged or burgled or whatever else you think is going down here on the regular (though one of my neighbours did have his sunglasses taken out of his car that he forgot to lock) We have community ponds, gardens and allotments, street parties and we know our neighbours - one of the streets even have a free weekly fitness class in the middle of the street. My experience living here does not match up with the horrors you are trying to describe.

Agree that some bits of Croydon don't feel as nice but you get that everywhere. Croydon is a big place, Addiscombe is just a small part of it.

www.met.police.uk/a/your-area/met/croydon/addiscombe-east/

I had to have a look. Addiscombe looks fine.

I think the worry some people have about their children hitting secondary age, wanting to get around independently or going to secondary school with some troubled characters from two miles up the road. Having said that, it’s not any different to bringing children in zones 2/3 where it’s a lot more mixed and you’re never that far away from dodgier bits.

If you’d rather keep more of a distance, then you’d be better off in places such as Sanderstead, Purley or Coulsdon. You could also look in the boroughs of Sutton or Bromley.

In terms of your family make up, I would imagine that most of outer London would be fine as it’s pretty diverse.

I think croydon is fine. Addiscombe is quite nice. However I agree with the other pp. Lots of local parents have very legitimate concerns fro thier teenagers about gangs/crime.

I have lived in Addiscombe for 7 years and would say it’s a lovely little place, so completely different to central CROYdon or Thornton Heath, would never even compare them.

There are a lot of older people living around here but also a lot of families, I have never felt unsafe in the time I’ve been here, and at the time I brought my house prices were very reasonable.

I travel into London every day prior to Covid and transport links are good.

I have a 2 year old and am not so sure about the primary and secondary schools around here - I know for sure I wouldn’t put my son in oasis academy around the corner. But there are good Secondary schools just outside Addiscombe

I loved addiscombe when I lived there. It had quite a villagey feel, and I was a 10-15min walk from my work directly opposite East Croydon station. It's been about 8 years since I lived there though.

Do not move to Addiscombe! I agree with most of what everyone has posted tt is better than some other parts of Croydon but still not great. We were charmed by a relatively large late Edwardian house for around 500K on one of the nicer streets and lived there for just over three years but soon regretted it. There's a lack of amenities for middle class types under 45. Yes there is a butcher and a greengrocer but if you look at the prices in the greengrocer they are eye watering. I'm mainly vegetarian so don't know about the butcher. There is a bakery but have a look at the types of bread they sell - very old fashioned. A lot of older people live there and our neighbours were nice but as two professionals in our mid-40s we felt out of place. This also I think prevented anything geared towards younger professionals opening on the high street. Safety is sort of fine, although if you pay attention you will notice prowler types who descend after dark roaming the streets looking for opportunities to take things from front gardens and scoping out houses. We wished we opted for a flat in Crystal Palace. This all probably depends on what you are looking for. We were certainly past wanting to go to pubs every night but still wanted the feel of an area with some amenities for mid aged working professionals and Addiscombe was not it.

Also Addiscombe is a bit more conservative than other parts of London, maybe to do with the age of the residents. There are also A LOT of Daily Mail types around. I think the conservatism shows when one poster above noted that there are interracial couples around. Do most people in London even notice this anymore? In an area like Addiscombe, yes, they do. My partner and I saw perhaps one gay couple who happened to be very fashionable and we got really excited thinking the area was on the up. But then we never saw them again. I'm probably too late in posting this since I see that you asked in October. I almost can't write enough on this topic as we moved out of the area in October and my husband and I literally talk about it now as one of the worst mistakes we ever made - it actually made us miserable in quite a subtle way over the time spent there. It's not obvious though as the area seems nice enough, and the surrounding areas are worse, but when you leave it's like WOW that was not good, never again.