Woodfords / Highams Park etc?

[BakingACake87]

Following threads on this but not wanting to derail... moving from small flat in Hackney to find more space for family, now we have baby. I think it's the well worn route of Hackney to London/Essex borders we will be doing.

As usual we want to be as central as possible and with a good commute to Liverpool St. Schools ideally not religious or single sex. We have discounted Walthamstow I think, as it feels similar to Hackney. We are no longer interested in the hipster vibe now we are more family-led, so I think Leyton / Leytonstone would be ruled out too. Assuming Wanstead is too pricey for us, and not sure about schools anyway.

Ive seen South Woodford, Woodford Green and Highams Park all recommended on MN. I need to visit and get to know all three, but broadly speaking what would be the main differences? Particularly in relation to secondary schools, but also general convenience etc for people used to the middle of Hackney. It feels like a scary move but we know we need to do it. Has anyone else done this and found happiness?

Thank you

Sounds very similar to us:) We are leaving Hackney and hopefully buying in one of those areas. Also not interested in Walthamstow as it feels like a clone of Hackney (I was born here and honestly can't wait to leave Hipsterville) and I do not like Leyton.

A large number of my friends have moved to Highams Park/ Woodford Green/South Woodford and slightly beyond and love it. None regret leaving the Hackney hub. They all have primary school aged children and so can't comment on the secondary schools though. My children are also primary school aged at the moment and we are leaning towards Woodford for schools although I personally prefer Highams Park as an area as the Overground has a quick connection to Liverpool street and I'd rather avoid the tube (I work walking distance from Liverpool st). The streets closest to the Overground in HP are nice. You can walk a mile or so away further, closer to Chingford Mount (which is a bit run down) and also find reasonable family homes on the streets that back the Mount.

I think all 3 areas are broadly similar but Woodford Green is probably the priciest and the housing stock there is the nicest IMO - I'm a big fan of 1930s style housing that seems fairly prevalent there. My friends in Highams Park say the main difference vs Hackney is you don't have the same quality of independent coffees shops and cafes on your doorstep. South Woodford is pleasant but I've always found it a bit boring:)

Interesting, thank you! Everyone faces the same conundrum! For me I'm less fussed about having loads of independent shops- I know that goes against the grain but I find it can get a bit pretentious with all the Indy coffee shops and sometimes I just want a plain old Costa coffee or something!

I'm really keen on knowing more about the secondaries as I don't want to have to move again unless we choose to. I did some work at Woodbridge high and wasn't too impressed. I think there are grammars around South Woodford as friends son failed to get in even though he's v academic (and ended up getting all 9 at gcse) but his parents refused to tutor him and said the ones that got in did.

Highams Park secondary is a particularly lovely school, IMO. High achievers do well, and the pastoral care is excellent- staff seem to genuinely care about the children.

Feel free to PM me

A lot of people we know left Hackney etc and went to walthamstow..now moving out for better secondary schools....HP sec schools seemed to better but now declining....groups of hoodies smoking weed now around HP...same as E17...woodford possibly better but dearer.....woodford has the central line which is a bonus...
north chingford is nice and has the overground etc...south chingford near E17 cheaper but no trains..

Assuming Wanstead will be too pricey, but what are Wanstead secondaries like in comparison to the woodfords and Highams park?

No idea really about wanstead secs...i think there is the catholic school...but remember that parts of woodford and wanstead will put you into redbridge borough....some have grammar school....join the redbridge fb groups...lots of discussion now about sec schools....Beale, 7 kings etc etc

I did this and I never regretted it . I live in a Highams Park and it has a wonderful caring community feel and whilst there are differences with Hackney we are very well served for independent coffee shops so that isn’t one . Should your children be super high achieving you can still access the grammar schools in Redbridge but the HP comprehensive my children go to I have found surpassed my expectations, honestly it is excellent and children achieve very impressively there each year . Both Woodford and South Woodford are deadly boring and Walthamstow is very similar to Hackney complete with anti social behaviour and gang related issues but has gorgeous Lloyd Park, a vibrant nightlife and brilliant restaurant scene .

Absolutely zero hoodies smoking weed btw we have one mediocre Morley’s chicken shop and nowhere for gangs to really congregate .Our local dealers ( it is London after all) favour Smart Cars and are pretty discrete .

Is Highams Park centre a bit depressing? I walked down the main road on Google street view and thought it looked a bit sad, but obviously just judging from my laptop screen! Not much character? I can see there are some absolutely gorgeous residential roads all around. But I do still want to live somewhere with a town or village centre that is attractive and uplifting to the soul...

There isnt really a centre to HP...the previous poster contests my point about hoodies and smoking weed...i assure you...there are lots of them...tesco car park....winchester road etc....thats why my friend is moving out with her teens to suffolk !!

Re Wanstead, we looked about 6 years ago but were put off as all the good primaries seemed to be religious.

We're now in Leytonstone (Bushwood area) and it's definitely not hipster 😂. It is still quite urban once you're out of Bushwood though so I can understand that if you're after a more suburban feel it might not be what you're looking for.

Highams park seemed too quiet to me but again, it depends what you're after. I was pre kids when I visited so maybe it would be more attractive now!

I live in HP and love it here. Lovely village feel, good community, great schools and green spaces. Decent enough shops in North Chingford and lots of community events. My commute to Liverpool Street is very quick, and there is also Woodford Central line nearby. I can get to Stansted and City airports in 30-40 mins when I need to travel for work. I think it's a great location.

There are no teens in hoodies smoking weed in the area, and certainly not in Tesco's car park!

@Gemma2019 do you feel there's a villa get town centre to HP or do you head elsewhere for your shopping/ coffee stop etc?

That should read villagey @Gemma2019

Have you looked at the bit of Walthamstow that’s between Wood Street and Highams Park? It’s not at all hipstery, just lovely neighbourhoods, with strong community vibes and good primary schools. Transport wise, both Wood St and Highams Park are on the Liverpool St line, and the Central line is within striking distance (South Woodford). Wood St has loads of new cafes, bakeries, delis etc. It’s an often overlooked area.

@Gemma2019

I live in HP and love it here. Lovely village feel, good community, great schools and green spaces. Decent enough shops in North Chingford and lots of community events. My commute to Liverpool Street is very quick, and there is also Woodford Central line nearby. I can get to Stansted and City airports in 30-40 mins when I need to travel for work. I think it's a great location.

There are no teens in hoodies smoking weed in the area, and certainly not in Tesco's car park!

just relaying what a friend says hence the move to suffolk....she says there is a lot of hoody activity and weed late at night around winchester road area.

I don't know about weed activity but Winchester Road has always seemed like an awful road to live on, definitely not built for the buses and traffic that pass through it! I'm not sure Suffolk is a safe haven from drug dealers, the county lines activity seems very high there at the moment. I think hoodies and dealers are part and parcel of anywhere in East London/Essex, it's just some areas are a bit worse than others.

Agree with a PP that the roads just behind Wood Street station are worth a look. Larger houses and Epping Forest is literally on your doorstep.

North Chingford is lovely.

Have you considered Ilford/Clayhall? Still considered as undesirable by some but you get a fair amount of house for your £££ and the schools are decent.

Parts of Ilford are grim...HMO's etc....Ilford lane....avoid....lots of issues...look near redbridge station the Drive...lovely part...huge houses and about 30 to 40% cheaper than wanstead...one stop on tube away !

Gidea Park?

[quote BakingACake87]@Gemma2019 do you feel there's a villa get town centre to HP or do you head elsewhere for your shopping/ coffee stop etc? [/quote]

There are loads of shops in Station Road Chingford as well as the ones in Highams Park. If I meet people for coffee we normally go to Helen's Coffee, or if I'm walking around with friends or with the local walking group we go to Humphrys in the Park. But there is Costa too and a few others.

If you want to visit and get a feel for the area, the annual picnic in the park is this Sunday

https://highamspark.london/community/news/the-picnic-in-the-park/

I agree with the previous poster that Winchester Road and some of its side roads would not be somewhere I would choose to live, mainly for the terrible parking and through traffic. And the low quality of weed on sale there

We made this move about three years ago and have been very happy in Woodford Green. There's a good parade of shops including a couple of decent coffee places on the High Road, but I'd agree with PP that it's not exactly a town centre. Of the places you mention, South Woodford is probably the 'busiest' high street but we didn't love the smaller houses that were in budget down there. Also it's hard to avoid the noise of the North Circular.

School-wise I'd check the admissions data carefully as some primaries have tiny catchments. I know less about secondaries but they can change a lot over five years so I'd be cautious about making them the main focus of your decisions. I get the impression there are more to choose from in Higham's Park/Woodford Green than South Woodford but not 100% sure.

Feel free to PM me with any questions!

Oh - and on the convenience point - it is an adjustment. Nothing is as convenient as Hackney. The buses run every 10 minutes, not every 2. The walk to the station is 15 minutes not 7. Last-minute birthday presents you have a choice of 1 shop, not 5. The only thing I really, really miss is cold brew coffee - and I can still get it, I just have to travel a bit further than I used to. In return, you get big houses, gardens, open spaces... at this point in my life it's worth the trade-off.

Hackney is incredibly convenient, it's true. You can get whatever you need, legal or not, pretty much 24/7. I don't really appreciate it until I stay somewhere less 'dynamic' and am shocked that corner shops are not still open at 11pm (the Turkish shop opposite me doesn't seem to close?!) and what you do mean you don't stock sourdough bread and organic Cashew milk?.

Now I have kids I just can't deal with the busyness and crime though. I just want a garden and peace!

Have you considered Ilford/Clayhall? Still considered as undesirable by some

Possibly because it IS undesirable. If you’re looking at Woodford/Highams Park, I would not touch Ilford/Clayhall with a bargepole. It’s cheap because it’s an awful area. DH lived there for many years and knows it well, plus still has friends there and it’s really gone downhill. Honestly, avoid.