Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

Quitting my job to move to glorious SE London!

63 replies

FrenchforHappy22 · 12/02/2023 15:12

Name change for this one because I’m quitting my job!

Hubby and I live in Ladbroke Grove right now. Moving as soon as we can.

Hubby needs to be in Cannon Street, I’ll be moving to a job in East London. We’ve settled on somewhere with trains into London Bridge.

We have a little one so primary schools are a consideration. We’ll probably look for 2-3bed house, around £600k.

Open to going even further out, just don’t know anywhere. Help!

OP posts:
Lockdownmummy · 12/02/2023 15:17

Gosh bad timing on the travel front as the new southeastern timetable is simply awful!

Would you be moving again for secondary school? You do have the grammars in Bexley and also close enough to some of the Kent ones. Fairly run of the mill suburbia so depends on what other things you are looking for?? Shops/restaurants/village vibe??

Original poster
FrenchforHappy22 · 12/02/2023 15:22

Secondary school is maybe 9+ away so not a concern @Lockdownmummy .
Bexley you mean on the train line, not Bexleyheath? Sorry I'm kinda navigating by train map 😝

OP posts:
FunnyItWorkedLastTime · 12/02/2023 15:25

Are you likely to be having another baby? That affects whether you should go for a bigger house further out or a smaller house with an easier commute.

dreamingbohemian · 12/02/2023 15:37

Blackheath? The new train timetable is actually better for you as trains go to Cannon Street now, about 20 minutes.

It's a really lovely and green area with good schools. Personally I would not like to go further out as it gets way too suburban for me. Anything around Greenwich/Deptford/Blackheath will have good links to City/East London.

Shesasuperfreak · 12/02/2023 15:42

Gosh I love Grove. I lived there i would never leave.

manningallplate · 12/02/2023 15:43

How about Crystal Palace/Penge. It's lovely around here. Great community, lovely parks, plenty of independent shops and coffee shops at CP triangle. Good primary schools, good secondaries a bit further out in Bromley. Trains into London Bridge and there's also the overground which goes up to Shoreditch high street.

Lockdownmummy · 12/02/2023 15:44

London Borough of Bexley have the 11+ so that would be Sidcup/Bexley/Bexleyheath/Welling sort of area on a train map.

Blackheath is lovely as per pp but not sure you would get something decent in your price bracket. Chistlehurst is also lovely but again could be pricey.

Original poster
FrenchforHappy22 · 12/02/2023 15:55

Tricky Funny. Yeah we may well have another one.
Blackheath is great and I'd love it. Budget may be an issue. We looked but not much in our budget unless ppl know more.

@Shesasuperfreak Do you mean Grove Park on the train line?

OP posts:
Original poster
FrenchforHappy22 · 12/02/2023 15:56

Hadn't considered Crystal Palace. Looking now. How's the train @manningallplate into London Bridge?

OP posts:
CamilleRose · 12/02/2023 15:59

Or you can go further out into Kent, I have family in SE London and some that moved out and the train links are very good from here. Lots of the communities in Kent are lovely with no pollution, less stress and an ability to know your neighbors in more relaxed communities. An example is Headcorn.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E12203&maxPrice=600000&propertyTypes=&mustHave=&dontShow=&furnishTypes=&keywords=

Coraline353 · 12/02/2023 16:07

Parts of Eltham you'd be able to get something in budget. On same train line as Blackheath. Parts of it are in catchment for Bexley grammar schools but also decent state secondaries and lots of good primaries. Eltham high street isn't much to write home about but you're close to Blackheath and Kidbrooke and 15 mins drive from Bluewater.

Coraline353 · 12/02/2023 16:10

This road is lovely for instance and close to great schools.
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/131391284

Original poster
FrenchforHappy22 · 12/02/2023 16:16

Googling furiously! I like the feel of Blackheath but don't know much about it. Was told to look at Lewisham but it's very built up.
@Coraline353 pretty house. We'd need a bit more house🤔Where might we find that?

OP posts:
Original poster
FrenchforHappy22 · 12/02/2023 16:17

Defo @CamilleRose we're open to kent. Just don't know anywhere.

OP posts:
RoaryLion1 · 12/02/2023 16:25

Have you considered South Norwood? Regular trains into London Bridge in 12 minutes. You’ll definitely get a 3 bed for £600k. Primary schools ok AFAIK - personally wouldn’t stay for secondary given schools but if you don’t want to move out of London immediately could be ok for a few years! Plenty of parks, and you’re close to nicer areas like Crystal Palace. Not nearly as nice as Blackheath or other places mentioned though!

Step99 · 12/02/2023 16:26

Beckenham? Lovely houses and parks.. great schools too.

manningallplate · 12/02/2023 16:36

FrenchforHappy22 · 12/02/2023 15:56

Hadn't considered Crystal Palace. Looking now. How's the train @manningallplate into London Bridge?

Trains from Crystal Palace to London Bridge are pretty regular I can't give you the exact times I'm afraid but it takes around 20 mins. It's also easy to use tue overground for that route as you change at Canada Water and get onto the jubilee line for two stops. There are also trains from Penge East to LB and from Norwood Junction it's the Thameslink and goes direct to LB without stopping. Basically getting to LB from around here is pretty easy all trains seems to head that way. There are also trains to Victoria and you're well connected into south west London as well as east from CP and can easily get to places like Balham or Clapham.

Heading a bit further out you from CP you could have a look around South Norwood lakes there are some nice houses there (plus the actual lakes are lovely) and a good popular primary school called Cypress or around Elmers end which has some some really nice houses plus Stewart Flemming school which is another very popular primary.

FunnyItWorkedLastTime · 12/02/2023 16:43

Crystal Palace/South Norwood are very attractive with small children - we visit there a lot and I fantasise about the lifestyle, which seems nice but realistic, not ludicrously aspirational like Between The Commons. Dunno about schools though.

Coraline353 · 12/02/2023 16:46

FrenchforHappy22 · 12/02/2023 16:16

Googling furiously! I like the feel of Blackheath but don't know much about it. Was told to look at Lewisham but it's very built up.
@Coraline353 pretty house. We'd need a bit more house🤔Where might we find that?

You can get 3 bed semis nearby for a little more than 600. We paid 680 for a 4 bed (1930s Semi but with a loft conversion) but similar can be found for a little less and less that for 3.beds.

CamilleRose · 12/02/2023 17:01

@FrenchforHappy22 when it comes to Kent I would look at the train lines that you would need and the stations, and then look around those communities, take a drive out on a sunny weekend and look around. My brother has a business he owns in the City and takes the fast train to Cannon St. Many areas have fast trains so you may feel you are quite far out, but for 600k you can get a detached 3-4 bed house with a good sized garden and a two car garage in many places. I used Headcorn as an example as many houses are walkable to the station and the good selection of shops on a very pretty High St. there are older historic homes that are more pricey and then lots of new builds. Lots of families with young children, many who moved out from London and enthusiastic about building the local communities. My family that moved out there are very happy and wouldn’t move back in. You are a short drive from lots of very pretty villages which are thriving and yet London and the SE is very accessible still, as well as the coast.

I grew up in Greenwich/Blackheath so I know the area very well. It depends what you are looking for, if you want more kids and space for them to run around and ride bikes etc. I think Kent is lovely. I understand the trendiness, eclectic environment and buzz of London but if can also get wearing, gloomy in the winter, crowded, polluted etc. I like the quality of life you get as a family when you have more space and a healthy environment in Kent and I loved growing up in London. I also like being somewhere where the roar of traffic is not always present. You get so used to it in London.

I now live on the West Coast of the USA.

AnotherSpare · 12/02/2023 17:06

Are you set on SE London? Overground trains are just so awful at the moment!
As an alternative you could look further east? District line will take him to Cannon St, or central line will take him to Bank, only a few mins walk to Cannon St, both take you through east London. Lots of nice areas further out east on these lines.
I'm out that way!

CamilleRose · 12/02/2023 17:25

I think ease of commute is huge for quality of life, so you may want to do some research into areas round the capital, not just Kent. Some commutes have recently got a lot worse and others have new stations. Wherever you live you need to take into account the cost of the commute, season ticket etc. if you are so central that may not have been much of an issue for you up to now. Will your other half ever work from home? Are they plenty of places (shops, station) within walking distance? etc.

www.commuterguide.co.uk/counties/kent

www.london2country.com/where-to-live/kent

CamilleRose · 12/02/2023 17:30

Ok noticed this on one of the links, not suggesting it’s necessary and it’s pricey ($500!) but it could be worth it if prevents you spending lots of fruitless time searching for a good location. I would ask for a copy of a previous report they had produced and see if it’s detailed enough to be worth the money.

www.london2country.com/our-unique-service