Muswell Hill v Crouch End (and v Barnes)

[Cardamom1]

Hello,

We are looking to move from our flat to a house to give space for a toddler and a baby. We'd been looking at Barnes but a friend mentioned Muswell Hill and Crouch End and the housing stock looks pretty good. We have about £1.4mn and would like a 4 bed with a garden and close to good state schools (which can be Catholic). Does anyone have experience of MH or CE and could advise whether we could get something good there, and any places we should be looking at particularly within them or avoiding? Bonus points if you also have experience of Barnes and can compare the area to Barnes. Thank you all so much.

It depends on where you need to commute to. Muswell Hill is rubbish for transport, Crouch End is better if you’re near Haringey station as it goes into Moorgate. I don’t really know Barnes as I’ve always been a North London girl! The state schools are good, but I don’t think you’ll get into Fortismere with the house you want with your budget as the catchment area is about 5m from the school now!! Unfortunately £1.4m won’t get you much around those parts, have you thought about a three bed and possibly extend in the future when you can save up a bit?

Have you thought about Southgate, a bit further up north from Muswell Hill and has some excellent state schools (Ashmole Academy is an outstanding school for example). That budget would go further in Southgate compared with Muswell Hill and the area is well-connected to central London via the tube. Here are a couple within your range

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/123344453#/?channel=RES_BUY

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/125882393#/?channel=RES_BUY

Don't listen to the above poster saying Muswell Hill is crap for transport it's not. There might not be a tube right in the village but that keeps it nice. The Northern & Piccadilly lines are 5mins away by bus, and the main line station at Alexandra Palace is close by. You will struggle though with your budget a bit. The going prices for houses in catchment for the schools is 1.6 & up. Many are now asking 2M which is a shock. That said, if you don't mind one of the back streets you can probably manage to get something. I'm not very fond of Crouch End. It's ok but the shops in MH are nicer. If I were you, I'd try and make Muswell Hill work because house prices never drop here in the long run & you'll make a good investment.

Here, buy THIS quick. It's a great house in budget & right by Fortismere..

The other really good state school in MH is Alexandra Park, and you would get more for your money on that side than the Fortismere side. Plus you’d be in catchment for Rhodes and maybe some other good primaries, depending on exact location. Crouch End is nicer than MH in lots of ways, but I think secondaries are probably better in MH.

I know both very well. CE has great primary schools, fab high street, very family friendly. Depending on where you are You can get the train to Moorgate, walk to Highgate for the northern line or get the bus to Finsbury Park for Victoria/Piccadilly.

MH probably better for secondary if you can get into Fortismere catchment (although Highgate Wood school in CE isn’t bad). Again a great high street and family friendly.

Both fab for green spaces. And proximity to the Heath and ally pally. Very happy to answer any specific questions.

Oh but Southgate is hardly Muswell Hill is it? There's not much liberal north London going on in suburban Southgate - and Ashmole, although it gets excellent results, is very strict and driven, unlike eg Fortismere where they don't wear uniform. And Southgate sometimes returns a Tory MP 😱
They're not far from each other but not remotely the same in vibe.

If you’re referring to me, I was born and raised in Muswell Hill and the transport is crap!

I know both well. CE and MH broadways are similar. CE has good primaries but MH has both good primaries and secondaries. Don't really understand PPs saying £1.4m won't buy you a house in catchment. Of course it will. Catchment has been expanding, as families move out of London. With MH, consider N2 as well as N10 - you'd be closer to East Finchley tube, and prices might be a bit lower. The county roads for example will definitely have semis and terraced houses around the £1.4m mark.

Bargain! And right next to Fortismere.

Barnes and MH are fairly similar. Lack of transport in MH would bother me. OTOH, while Barnes has 2 train stations, the bridge situation is pia.

1.4 will get you somewhere round First Avenue or up towards Hammersmith bridge.

It really depends if you’re a north or west Londoner - where your friends and work are located.

Afaik Fortismere has a much better reputation than Richmond Park Academy.
But Barnes is super well situated for private secondaries - St Paul’s, Harrodian, Ibstock, Latymer, Godolphin, Putney High, King’s etc.

That house has been on the market for ages because it’s overpriced and has no garden. The one across the road sold for about £1.1-1.2m recently. MH is fine for transportation depending where in MH you are. Highgate tube is only 15 min walk or a few minutes bus ride away. I prefer MH to CE but they are so close I often go to CE. £1.4m won’t get you much in the central MH plus there is hardly anything for sale. Ally Pally side might get you a nice house for that and it’s close to good schools but then you need to track to Bounds Green for tube and is far from the broadway.

It has a pretty garden. According to the internet a house on that road sold earlier this year for 1.33, and one in 2019 for 1.29 so it depends on the house. Nothing to stop an offer of 1.2.

You won’t get a house in Barnes for that price.

There are good Catholic schools in the finchley area (single sex at secondary stage). East Finchley is on northern line which is fairly speedy into central. .

I’m from Muswell Hill and the transport situation was a real pain. Lovely area if you don’t need to commute to central London, but if you do, by the time you’ve waited for a bus, got stuck in solid traffic, finally made it to Highgate and forced your way onto the overcrowded tube, spent 45 minutes on delayed trains inching towards the centre… I don’t miss it.

Fantastic cafes and parks though. Many beautiful Edwardian houses.

If you can live within walking distance of the overland station in Ally Pally that goes to Moorgate (and work near Moorgate) that would be good.

Door to door commute to Bank takes 42 mins. Less if you catch a bus. I don’t find the commute so unbearable.
No houses in MH stay on the market for that long. That one has been on the market for a while and for MH that’s not a garden but a court yard. That road is a bit funny too - a bit too far from the tube and I don’t think a bus goes by it - maybe further down the road there is one. A nice cafe close to it though. There was another house across it for sale - listed with KFH for £1.2m -3/ 4 bed but can’t see the details of it being sold bower they have already started building works on it so it must have sold.

A courtyard is something very specific. It’s a small paved garden. Some people don’t want large gardens that require maintenance.

I've lived in MH for about 8 years and me and DH have worked all over London, we really didn't find the commute a pain. It takes us 8 mins to get to Highgate station and the buses come every 2 mins.
At the end of a night an uber back was about £16 from central London.

At the weekends we walk everywhere so many green spaces on the doorstep and places like Kenwood house. We love it here

Muswell Hill is crap for transport. Don't let anyone tell you different. The Northern Line isn't called the misery line for nothing then you have to wait to catch a bus home. Beautiful place but just bear in mind the commute.

I used to live in both MH, Crouch End and Highgate. I would say that MH could work if you can find a place towards the East Finchley side, and then you could walk to EF tube for your commute. Bonus of that option is you get a seat on the tube in the morning (as it gets packed at Highgate).

I find the transport fine. Buses come every few minutes & the journey to the tube is short. EF tube is not too bad in the daytime but there's a lot of bag/phone snatches in the evening around the station.

I agree with this! Literally be prepared to either drive or bus it to Highgate underground station for transportation. Lovely high street in MH though, and you could get a house with the most beautiful views of London (not that it’s a priority at all)

If you need to commute into Central London I would avoid Crouch End and Muswell Hill for the reason other posters have suggested. I haven’t lived in either place but stayed with friends there on occasion and I’ve found it a pain. I have lived in Barnes and it’s a lovely area with better commuter links, but expensive.

Yes in rush hour buses are frequent, but the crowds getting on them are not exactly small. What about when you are out late at night.