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

@pinkpanther78

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.

😂you pointing out the conservatism at noticing mixed race couples when you are pointing out your glee when you spot ONE lgbt couple who you hope will bump up house prices and will be your BFF's. Hilarious!!!!

In addition to bumping up house prices I was hoping it would make it more modern. 85% of the people who lived on our street worked in building trades. But house prices averaged around 500- 550K. Can a roofer / Daily Mail reader afford that?

And, I'm not writing this for those people who are builders and who want to move there. Builders and Daily Mail readers, look away now! If you are the type of person who would like to live somewhere like Crystal Palace but can only afford a flat and are thinking "oooh if I move to Addiscombe, I can buy a house and the area might improve" do NOT do it. I say this as most of the people that came to view our house were that type. And, sure, I was offloading a house in a neighbourhood that I hated so I didn't tell them honestly what I thought of the area but as a way to, I don't know, ATONE for the past sin of OMISSION, I am telling anyone reading this who is thinking of moving to Addiscombe because it seems affordable and they found an old house with some nice period features: DON'T.

I see what you are saying @pinkpanther78 but the flip side is that boring Addiscombe is arguably the better place for families. South Norwood maybe slightly better if you want more interesting shops / cafes / pubs, but I’d sooner raise children in Addiscombe over Crystal Palace.

Can a roofer afford a £500k house... apologies if I’ve misunderstood your post, but wow! Bet your neighbours couldn’t wait for you to leave.

@inneedofaholiday

Can a roofer afford a £500k house... apologies if I’ve misunderstood your post, but wow! Bet your neighbours couldn’t wait for you to leave.

😂Yes she sounds horrific! But so comically awful that I think she's a wind-up.

Re roofers, well, can they? Maybe I am missing your point? We had a couple of neighbours that we liked and who liked us but yes you are right I bet loads of them didn't because we didn't fit in. Actually the neighbours who liked us were not liked by the rest (let's call them the builders) as they were also of a middle class / educated mentality. So there is this definite divide there.The neighbour on one side I'm sure loathed us but I assure you they disgusted us first! I won't even get into what they were like. We didn't fit in, we both had advanced degrees, read the Guardian, drank almond milk, rode bicycles (haha, nope we don't pay road tax! - the builders hated that!), went out for meals in Crystal Palace etc. etc. The original poster was a gay couple and I can't speak to that but I can say I witnessed a lot of racism in the area, unusual for London and you'd think unusual for Croydon. But it was an enclave for older, very conservative Daily Mail types without an education. Example: One morning on my way to my London professional office job I witnessed one of the builder types in an auto altercation with another driver. He got out of his car and referred to her as a 'dumb black bitch.' In Addiscombe, that was not strange. I can't say how it would be for a gay person but is it a stretch to say that racists might also be homophobes? No, don't think so. Again I said I'm not writing this for the person who likes sitting in the caf eating baked beans on potatoes! They might like it - I can't say, cause that's not me! My warning is for middle class types who think they are going to get value for money. You're not! You'll regret it within about six months. And, like I said, I nearly sold my house to this type of person and I am trying to now ATONE for not telling them what I really thought.

And before we moved there - we were in a very similar situation - we did not know the area. And I wish we found someone being honest about what it was like there. Not polite, honest. Which is exactly what I am trying to do.

An earlier poster made an excellent point about visiting on a Friday or Saturday night. I would extend that and say go into either Co-op, Tesco on Shirley road or Sainsburys while you are there (as there is not really any nightlife in the area) It will give you a feel of who lives there and it's not the same as popping in during a Saturday / Sunday afternoon when you might be viewing your house for sale. Again I am only trying to help and I keep posting because I feel quite strongly about this. I lived there VERY recently and moving away has honestly lifted me out of a kind of depression almost.

I have been living in Addiscombe for more than 3 years , close to east croydon station.

Good things about Croydon:

• Transport links to London are good and cheap (when compared with other places).
• Shopping, Croydon High St. has 2 shopping centers, although half of the stores were already closed on both before covid, it still has a good variety of shops. Ikea and other hardware and home stores some stops away on the tram.

The street where I live is usually very quiet and ok, but we still had a stabbing near our door once. I don't feel it's very safe at night, specially near the town center. Fortunately nothing happened to me, but I'm looking forward to move far away Parks aren't the best here neither, Sutton has some really nice ones.

Kyara is spot on. It reminds me, my favourite thing to do in Croydon was have lunch at the Ikea. Honestly, best food and atmosphere (you had the distinct feeling that most people in there were NOT from Croydon) in the area!

I’ve been in Addiscombe for 7 years, am very well educated and haven’t experienced any kind of racism - I honestly don’t know what you lot are on about - I’ve always felt safe and people are generally quite friendly

Are you an ethnic minority? If not, you wouldn't experience it and you may not notice it. The vast majority of people were fine. I am obviously a minority but I'm not obviously gay. We lived in a few other parts of London and Addiscombe was the least progressive than any of them.

I grew up near by, lived in Crystal Palace, West Wickham, Beckenham, Bromley. I wouldn't say addiscombe is like Thornton Heath but it used to have a reputation for racism, that was 15 years ago, though. It's definitely not somewhere I'd choose to live but those who say they've experienced stabbing a etc. there could well have had a similar incident anywhere in London, my brother's friend was shot at a bus stop in Beckenham and a man stabbed in my road when I lived in Crystal Palace, unfortunately it's everywhere.

Everyone is limited by what they can afford. If we were to do it again and we absolutely needed to buy a house somewhere in that area we would have opted for South Norwood with the streets next to the Country Park being top pick. Admittedly, its got its own set of issues. But a younger, more progressive crowd was drawn to it (more attractive (Victorian) housing, a London post code, the Country Park, easier commute to London, closer proximity to Crystal Palace, and more interesting cafes and amenities popping up on the main street). When we visited (from out of town) to look at our house we stayed in South Norwood and thought it was AWFUL. But quickly after we moved to Addiscombe, it's where we ended up spending most of our time!

(Because it was more like London) Living in Addiscombe is not like living in London.

@pinkpanther78 would you mind if I ask where do you live now?

I left the country .If we stayed in London we would have traded the house for a flat and moved back to Islington. We lived in a section of Tufnell Park called Dartmouth Park. Which was beautiful, but it ruined us for living anywhere else.

@pinkpanther78 your experience of Addiscombe is so far from anything I've ever experienced there. I didn't end up buying there but know plenty of people who have in the last few years. All young professionals, including ethnic minorities & your fetishised gay couples! You sound like a complete snob, tradespeople can earn brilliant salaries & being one doesn't automatically make you a daily mail reading fascist. Maybe if you had engaged in your local community more you wouldn't have had such a negative experience.

Anyone buying a house in Addiscombe is not going to be expecting fantastic nightlife & eateries. Its very much geared towards young families. If you'd bought in the last 5 years you'd have made money too unlike lots of other london postcodes.

Pretty much every area of London has negatives & problems. My cousin moved from your beloved Dartmouth Park because of the endless street robberies...

Wow, just wow! I don't know where some of these posters lived in Addiscombe or how long ago but I currently live in Addiscombe (the Shirley end) but previously lived on Coniston Road when I first moved to the area with young children.
I can say, I'm educated, not a Conservative and mid thirties (in response to another poster generalising!)
I loved Coniston Road, the neighbours were absolutely lovely and there was definitely a community feel about it, schools good.
It feels nothing like Thornton Heath or Norbury (I grew up near there) and definitely feels alot safer after dark than those areas.
I would say its one of the nicer parts of Croydon & has diversity.
Nightlife (when that's allowed!) there are a few pubs but generally for a meal or night out most people head to Beckenham or West Wickham which is a quick ride on the tram or bus.
There are alot of children's clubs run locally which are within walking distance, the high street is perfect for a family too.

For anyone still living there, I can COMPLETELY understand the need to defend it. My husband didn't admit verbally that he hated it as much as I did until we were weeks away from moving, which was a tool of self preservation. I am a snob, yes I know. I agree with last poster about nights out in Beckenham and West Wickham - that is where most people would go. But I'd URGE the prospective buyer to try out a weekend in those areas when researching Addiscombe. It's fine, but wouldn't be to everyone's taste. ( I'd describe a night out in Beckenham as "a little bit of posh Essex in South London") If that appeals, you will like Addiscombe. I wish I came across an honest opinion about it before I moved there, which is what I am trying to provide. I think while I've stirred the pot for sure, I've brought out a good range of opinions on Addiscombe - you can see the types of people who like it and they types who don't. And then make a more informed decision than I did.

The one thing I like about Addiscombe is that it is close to some nice country walks in Surrey, particularly Surrey Hills which is quite breathtaking. The commute is not bad if you have to go into the city via London Bridge or Victoria. We are closer to the Shirley side and our neighbours are also mostly older couples, there's only one family with primary school children on our street. So the family feel is not quite there for us. The little Addiscombe high street is a bit lacking. The nicest looking cafe is the Tram Stop but it's actually just a greasy spoon with a coat of Farrow & Ball (and prices to match). There's a new-ish Italian cafe (Davinci) but mostly frequented by old men, and you wouldn't know it was new as they designed it to look so old fashioned. So meet-ups with my mums group (when we were doing that) took place in our houses. Which were large and lovely! I have noticed many of the newer buyers that are renovating houses are taking out old period features, discarding old Victorian doors etc. which is worrying for the look of the area. @pinkpanther78 sounds like a piece of work - clearly it's not 'fashionable' or trendy here - how did that escape you? I'm stuck for now and choosing to focus on the positives.
I wonder what @airdado ended up doing?

pinkpanther78 it's nothing about not being honest and only defending it because I live here, it's about me not agreeing with your perception of it.
And difference of opinions is completely fine but you are, quite frankly, just insulting and I am glad I did not know you when you lived in the area.

I was not suggesting that you were being dishonest when you say that you like Addiscombe or anyone else on this thread. I believe you. Although I'd question the honestly of the person who suggests they would rather live there than in Dartmouth Park. Addiscombe is for a certain type of person. If you hang out in West Wickham or Beckenham, you will probably like it. If you are more of a Crystal Palace or Peckham person, you might end up unhappy there. There could almost be a magazine quiz for this. If there was, it would go something like this:

Avocado toast or beans on toast?
Crystal Palace or Beckenham?
Walk or Drive?
Cycle or Drive?
Tram or Drive?
T-shirt or Buttoned-down shirt?
Trainers or Loafers?
Trainers or Stilettos?
No bra or push up bra?

Mostly A's = DO NOT move to Addiscombe!
Mostly B's = You're all good!

Fair play @januarycactus it should have been obvious. I noticed that too about the new renos, particularly the big houses on Bingham Road. Beautiful stripped wood Victorian doors and fireplaces just placed in the tip.