Living in East Dulwich

[CatherineTheGr8]

Can anyone tell me what it's like? We have a baby and looking to move area in next few years. We like leafy areas with the usual cafes etc, transport to the city and stuff for parents / babies / children. Blackheath would be amazing but we can't afford a 3-bed there and I think ED is better value.

I've never been to East Dulwich, only Dulwich village which was nice but a bit dull. I'm planning on doing a reccy after lockdown. So would be great to hear people views on here. Thanks.

ED is babyville. There are multiple parks, multiple cafes on Lordship Lane, lots of children's activities. I live close by and when we come to move, that is where we are aiming for.

East Dulwich seems as busy now as it does in normal times so I don't think you'd need to wait until after lockdown to get a feel of the place.

East Dulwich is a pleasant place to live. Lordship Lane has good shops and restaurants (or at least did, let's hope they come back) though I couldn't do all my food shopping there as too expensive. There's a nice market on Northcross Road on Saturdays and Dulwich Pack and Peckham Rye Park are both lovely, and close by.

The streets near Goose Green and the bottom of Lordship Lane can feel a bit cramped and parking can be difficult. Further up towards Honor Oak Park it's more peaceful, but then it's away from the schools that ED residents favour!

Loads of actors and comedians live round there too if you like celeb spotting!

I like E Dulwich, really good since the Picturehouse cinema opened. There is a big co-op in Lordship Lane as well as M&S, and a massive Sainsburys nearby on Dog Kennel Hill.
Good independent shops, butchers, greengrocers, delis, fishmongers, gelateria. wine bars, cafes, restaurants. Good shoe shop.

I have no idea what prices are like in Blackheath, I am surprised ED is cheaper.

Absolutely masses of young families and lots of corresponding groups etc. Lots of places to eat out and a lovely cinema.

Be warned that the sheer number of families means there is a lot of demand for various services. If you will need childcare be aware that the better nurseries have long waiting lists - a friend of mine put her child’s name down for Nelly’s while she was still pregnant, which was extreme but not unheard of. The schools don’t use defined catchments, using straight-line distance instead, so you can only look at the historical data and hope that nothing changes too much in the future. Like anywhere, the most sought-after schools (eg Heber) are heavily oversubscribed.

Traffic on Lordship Lane and down towards the south circ is truly awful.

I’d be surprised if it was much (if any) cheaper than Blackheath though. You might also like to have a look at Peckham Rye.

a friend of mine put her child’s name down for Nelly’s while she was still pregnant, which was extreme but not unheard of

That is normal - DS went to Mother Goose, and when I went to look around before we put his name down, there were people there who were still ttc.

There are some very intense mummies in ED. You can get carried away if you pay too much attention to it. Most of us are normal people though.

Oh really, I had thought a 3-bed in Blackheath would be over a million whereas ED could be more like 800k...

2/3 bed half houses are going for £750+ and they aren't very large at all.

We’ve been in ED for 15 years, 8 with children. It’s very child friendly! Loads of things to do with babies/pre-schoolers (once restrictions lift) and great schools and parks.

I don’t know what the prices are like in Blackheath but we sold our 3 bed semi in ED for £840k five years ago so I would think they are £900k+ now if you want to be within a 15 min walk of the station... Honor Oak/Forest Hill/Peckham Rye/Nunhead/Sydenham are a cheaper option depending how much space you are looking for. If I was buying with a baby now I think I’d look at Nunhead and HO.

V bad pollution and expensive.

Childcare options limited too: far more demand than supply.

Really @Dozer is the pollution there particularly bad?

I'm in Forest Hill but on the ED side. I like ED a lot. Really nice high-street. Much more diverse than Dulwich Village/West Dulwich imo. Nice artsy vibe, maybe a little pretentious too but I don't mind that too much.

It’s a nice place to visit, but I would not want to live there with young kids. It will be a nightmare to do everything, nursery, swimming lessons, baby classes, etc. You’ll need to be on the waiting list before you know you want to do it. And if you’re thinking of schools you will literally need to be on the doorstep. It’s also a very intense, high pressure, competitive place to raise kids, and as others have said really difficult to get out of. If you like Blackheath then maybe think about Hither Green, Maze Hill or Charlton. These will have some of those characteristics but IMO are less of a bubble and less pressured, but have nice cafe culture, parks etc. Or even Highams Park if you are prepared to go north.