Redbridge, Gants Hill, Barkingside?

[anon122414]

I wondered if any posters were familiar with these areas? In passing conversations they seem to get a bad rep but some of the housing stock looks lovely (lots of done up houses) and priced accordingly. Also many lovely parks within touching distance (Valentines Park, Hainault Park, Fairlop Waters, Wanstead Park, Epping Forest).

So what are peoples thoughts on these areas and any reason they get a bad rep?

We moved to Redbrige, cathedral estate, off The Drive in 1972...it was quite posh....a few neighbours owned rolls royce...about 80% Jewish as was the other areas you mentioned....they have slowly all passed away or moved out to golders green or chigwell etc....used to be lots of jewish food shops and restaurants....its now mainly Asian...our road is nearly all gujerati asians from kenya or uganda etc...

Ilford had lovely shops and cafes etc....all now gone....i think once the jewish people moved out they took their money with them so shops all shut down....ilford declined quite badly but now lots of attempts to revive it again....
schools are generally excellent....you get a lot of house for your money....also large gardens and garages where we are....and just a 5 min walk to the station....we no longer live there and rent it out....
we sold a massive house in stoke newington for 4k now worth about 2m to move to redbridge which cost us 12k so a jump....our house now worth about 700k.....if only we had stayed.....!!!

ilford lane is the part to avoid...lots of run down hmo's etc...i think the better areas would be the cathedral estate out of areas you mentioned....gants hill has a lot of traffic and not much going on...barkingside has a little high street....a lot of greeks live there also....not sure who else as havent been in years.

I grew up in Gants Hill and still have family there. I wouldn't choose to live there myself now, but schools are truly excellent and transport links to C. London are fabulous too. Barkingside is a tad more quaint and close to the Essex border.

Valentines Park is a true gem and the jewel in Ilford's crown!

Ilford Town centre has gone downhill unfortunately, probably due to the proximity to Stratford Westfield. I'd stick to North Redbridge - Barkingside, Fairlop etc.

I do Parkrun in Valentine's Park. It's stunning and the houses on the outskirts are amazing. Not crazy about the wider area though. We live in Walthamstow,

@earsup

We moved to Redbrige, cathedral estate, off The Drive in 1972...it was quite posh....a few neighbours owned rolls royce...about 80% Jewish as was the other areas you mentioned....they have slowly all passed away or moved out to golders green or chigwell etc....used to be lots of jewish food shops and restaurants....its now mainly Asian...our road is nearly all gujerati asians from kenya or uganda etc...

Ilford had lovely shops and cafes etc....all now gone....i think once the jewish people moved out they took their money with them so shops all shut down....ilford declined quite badly but now lots of attempts to revive it again....
schools are generally excellent....you get a lot of house for your money....also large gardens and garages where we are....and just a 5 min walk to the station....we no longer live there and rent it out....
we sold a massive house in stoke newington for 4k now worth about 2m to move to redbridge which cost us 12k so a jump....our house now worth about 700k.....if only we had stayed.....!!!

ilford lane is the part to avoid...lots of run down hmo's etc...i think the better areas would be the cathedral estate out of areas you mentioned....gants hill has a lot of traffic and not much going on...barkingside has a little high street....a lot of greeks live there also....not sure who else as havent been in years.

I had to read this twice to make sure I was reading your figures correctly. £4k?! A different world back then...

I like the Cathedral estate, houses are big and Victorian/Edwardian but a little too close to the craziness of main Ilford for my liking.

What is your experience of Clayhall? It seems a lot quieter but retains good transport links, good schools and some nice houses for £700k-£800k.

@ILookAtTheFloor

I grew up in Gants Hill and still have family there. I wouldn't choose to live there myself now, but schools are truly excellent and transport links to C. London are fabulous too. Barkingside is a tad more quaint and close to the Essex border.

Valentines Park is a true gem and the jewel in Ilford's crown!

Ilford Town centre has gone downhill unfortunately, probably due to the proximity to Stratford Westfield. I'd stick to North Redbridge - Barkingside, Fairlop etc.

I do love Valentines Park and the area immediately around it but otherwise not a fan of main Ilford. We are primarily looking around Clayhall or Woodford if we can afford it...

@beguilingeyes

I do Parkrun in Valentine's Park. It's stunning and the houses on the outskirts are amazing. Not crazy about the wider area though. We live in Walthamstow,

It's such an interesting little area... houses immediately outside Valentines Park on Emerson Rd etc are £1m+. Walk slightly further down the road and there's just lots of run down terraced houses. Strange.

Yes 4k....4 storey cold damp house...one gas fire....!!!....miserable....I think you are thinking of the Commonwealth estate....that is earlier...Cathedral estate was build in 1929....ours was ....Clayhall also used to be majority jewish....not sure how it is now...havent been for years....cathedral estate prices are a bit lower these days....you could get a huge 4 bed for about 700k...garage and drive....some have massive gardens....esp the corner houses....cheaper than woodford possibly....?

I used to live in Woodford Green. Nice place, very leafy.

I grew up in Redbridge and still have family in the area. Some parts are better than others.

Personally, I wouldn't live in the Gants Hill/Ilford area. Though as above the transport links are good and there are some brilliant schools if those things are priorities for you.

Barkingside is marginally better, although IMO Barkingside now is how Ilford was maybe 25ish years ago.

If Redbridge is where you're considering, i'd opt for around the Hainault area as it borders with Chigwell. It has the same central line transport links, it's still only around 15 minutes from the very good secondary schools (some wonderful primary schools locally) and the houses tend to be cheaper than Gants hill and Barkingside. I personally also think it's a nicer area over all. Plus you have Hainault Forest on your doorstep, Hainault farm, Epping forest and Fairlop waters 5 minutes away.

@Galacticat

I used to live in Woodford Green. Nice place, very leafy.

Very nice but the prices reflect it!

@winstonsfinger

I grew up in Redbridge and still have family in the area. Some parts are better than others.

Personally, I wouldn't live in the Gants Hill/Ilford area. Though as above the transport links are good and there are some brilliant schools if those things are priorities for you.

Barkingside is marginally better, although IMO Barkingside now is how Ilford was maybe 25ish years ago.

If Redbridge is where you're considering, i'd opt for around the Hainault area as it borders with Chigwell. It has the same central line transport links, it's still only around 15 minutes from the very good secondary schools (some wonderful primary schools locally) and the houses tend to be cheaper than Gants hill and Barkingside. I personally also think it's a nicer area over all. Plus you have Hainault Forest on your doorstep, Hainault farm, Epping forest and Fairlop waters 5 minutes away.

That’s interesting, reading elsewhere online people seemed to suggest that Hainault is a little rough (although clearly Chigwell is lovely).

Hainault....!!! a huge sprawl of 1950's council housing...some purchased but its so monotonous in parts.....sorry but i find hainault depressing..!!

Even woodford and chigwell have small pockets which are a bit rough !!

Woodford is easily much nicer than Gants Hill but significantly more expensive.

Look at South Woodford which is sightly cheaper than Woodford Green but dearer than Gants Hill/Barkingside.

Chingford near the station is lovely. Cheaper than Woodford and has a nice high road and lots of open land.

Hainault isn't at all rough compared to Gants Hill or Ilford. It's rougher than it was but so is the entire area as London has expanded.

There are some council estates around (even Chigwell has Limes farm) The majority of houses now seem to be privately owned though as houses were sold off over the years.

If you look at the Grange Hill end, you're more Chigwell than Hainault.

@earsup

Hainault....!!! a huge sprawl of 1950's council housing...some purchased but its so monotonous in parts.....sorry but i find hainault depressing..!!

I did find it a little depressing driving through there, notably a lot of council houses and estates. Which is fine, no issue with it but isn't always pleasant to live right by it.

@Mosaic123

Woodford is easily much nicer than Gants Hill but significantly more expensive.

Look at South Woodford which is sightly cheaper than Woodford Green but dearer than Gants Hill/Barkingside.

There are a few which popped up on the border of Woodford/Clayhall which took our fancy but they're almost always snapped up immediately.

north chingford is nice....station road....forest etc.

Gants Hill is fine, if you're looking to buy it depends on what kind of property/vibe you're looking for. I know the south side of the station really well, it still feels like London to me, up towards Barkingside and over in north Redbridge feel more suburban.

The Garden City Estate next to Valentines Park is the best area (Holcombe, Emmerson etc). Houses don't come up for sale that often, there are some big Edwardian semis and some Arts and Crafts style houses. Valentines Park is right next door.

The triangle of 'Gardens' - Redcliffe, Ranelagh, Vaughan etc, between The Drive and Cranbrook Road are big Edwardian terraces with cast iron balconies - these houses are good value imho.

The Cathedral Estate is also nice, it feels a bit more suburban as it's mostly extended semi detached properties with driveways and big gardens.

I wouldn't touch anything south of Beaufort Gardens and nothing west of The Drive that isn't on the Cathedral Estate. There are some big double fronted houses west of The Drive (Kensington, De Vere etc) but a lot have been converted to flats and are rentals.

I've lived locally for 8 years and the demographic has started to change slightly. It was a desolate land of chicken shops and nail bars when we came here. The area around the station is changing, there are more restaurants, more people around in the evening eating out. Due to the demographic there are not a lot of bars/pubs, unless you fancy a night out in Faces

We came from Walthamstow and saw a similar pattern there. We're getting hand written letters asking if we'd consider selling and Foxtons are sniffing about

Yes, I suspect some gentrification is happening in Ilford now, it's inevitable, like Walthamstow-- which I would have considered a right dump 20 years ago - now up and coming.

Redbridge's time will come!

Hainault-- that had terrible rep when I was growing up, especially for schools, but I may be doing it a disservice now.

I grew up on the Woods Estate which is a decent one, roads nearer Barkingside are nicer still.

It felt as though the area was undergoing a population transition around 15- 20 years ago, very new communities etc. I'd say it seems more settled now. Diverse, with a south Asian majority population would be my perception.

@earsup

north chingford is nice....station road....forest etc.

I love Chingford but we'd really like to be close to tube lines for work and social purposes. I know Chingford has good links into London but I imagine less frequent and more expensive.

@PoopySalata

Gants Hill is fine, if you're looking to buy it depends on what kind of property/vibe you're looking for. I know the south side of the station really well, it still feels like London to me, up towards Barkingside and over in north Redbridge feel more suburban.

The Garden City Estate next to Valentines Park is the best area (Holcombe, Emmerson etc). Houses don't come up for sale that often, there are some big Edwardian semis and some Arts and Crafts style houses. Valentines Park is right next door.

The triangle of 'Gardens' - Redcliffe, Ranelagh, Vaughan etc, between The Drive and Cranbrook Road are big Edwardian terraces with cast iron balconies - these houses are good value imho.

The Cathedral Estate is also nice, it feels a bit more suburban as it's mostly extended semi detached properties with driveways and big gardens.

I wouldn't touch anything south of Beaufort Gardens and nothing west of The Drive that isn't on the Cathedral Estate. There are some big double fronted houses west of The Drive (Kensington, De Vere etc) but a lot have been converted to flats and are rentals.

I've lived locally for 8 years and the demographic has started to change slightly. It was a desolate land of chicken shops and nail bars when we came here. The area around the station is changing, there are more restaurants, more people around in the evening eating out. Due to the demographic there are not a lot of bars/pubs, unless you fancy a night out in Faces

We came from Walthamstow and saw a similar pattern there. We're getting hand written letters asking if we'd consider selling and Foxtons are sniffing about

We quite like the suburban feel of Barkingside/Clayhall as it doesn't feel like inner city London but the action is only a few tube stops/a drive away.

Interesting that none of the Garden estate come on sale - original owners and their descendants must know when they've got a good thing. The area is really lovely.

The area around Gants Hill station looks to have quite a few restaurants opening but still an overall vibe of chicken shop/nail bar land. I wonder when the high streets will start to change?

We checked Walthamstow but the prices are just ridiculous now and most of the housing stock is terraced Victorian with no driveways and mini-gardens - we both have big families so looking for something a lot more spacious.

Interesting - are the hand written letters anywhere close to what you'd consider market value for your area?

@ILookAtTheFloor

Yes, I suspect some gentrification is happening in Ilford now, it's inevitable, like Walthamstow-- which I would have considered a right dump 20 years ago - now up and coming.

Redbridge's time will come!

Hainault-- that had terrible rep when I was growing up, especially for schools, but I may be doing it a disservice now.

I grew up on the Woods Estate which is a decent one, roads nearer Barkingside are nicer still.

It felt as though the area was undergoing a population transition around 15- 20 years ago, very new communities etc. I'd say it seems more settled now. Diverse, with a south Asian majority population would be my perception.

You say it's inevitable but I can't help but feel that gentrification went from Whitechapel through Leytonstone through Wanstead and Woodford and then basically hit a brick wall at Redbridge/Ilford. I've been around the high streets and they're all pretty much identical with very little going on except for your usual (chicken shop, nail bar, betting shop, butcher).

The population does seem very diverse, more-so than our original areas but we quite like that. And it seems to have translated into some very good schools in the area.

Have a look at Highams Park. Cheaper than Walthamstow with bigger houses and still Zone 4.