East Dulwich or Honor Oak Park?

[Tinkelbell]

We have seen two flats we like, one in East Dulwich, almost equidistant between Peckham Rye and Dulwich Park, 20 mins walk from station but close to bus stop to Peckham Rye, and one in Honor Oak Park, 2 minute walk from station.

The ED one is 20% more expensive than the one in HOP, although only marginally bigger in terms of size! Can anyone help me see why ED as a neighbourhood is worth the premium?

On the basis of historical posts, it feels like the consensus is ED = Lordship Lane buzz, restaurants & boutiques, big parks, but shit transport (slow and infrequent) vs. HOP = much quieter / much less to do, but better transport (more frequent), potentially better long term investment?

Anyone experience with either area? What do you think? Does the above still hold true? Why (not)? And where would you move to?

@sellotape12 there are state single sex secondary schools - Forest Hill School (boys) and Sydenham School (girls).

There are also two private schools Sydenham High School and St Dunstans College.

Forest Hill Boys has gone through a tricky patch but several friends have boys there and are very happy with it. Sydenham Girls is doing really well. If your child is 15 months I wouldn’t worry at this point - both those schools have had turns of fortune over the last decade. There are also several other schools that kids from Forest Hill attend into Deptford, Catford, Telegraph Hill, Lewisham etc. Admissions policy, distances, trends very year on year but the people who say there are no schools there are IMO looking for very specific sorts of schools. There is also Kingsdale which has a lottery application system; both application process and school are quite divisive but it’s a decent school.

I find ED a bit wanky if you’ll excuse the saying. Nothing awful just slightly smug and up itself

Wanky, smug and up itself IS awful.

My fairly ordinary road has been transformed with paved over front gardens all now housing a black Audi, Tesla, or Volvo estate, with a tiled front path and 2 olive trees on either side of the front door. Not forgetting the plantation shutters.

You forgot the unnecessary woodburning stove and unoriginal choice of dog breed

Yeah I echo this. Lived in ED for five years and saw the turn, now been in Crofton Park for 5 years. We do miss East Dulwich sometimes, especially the layout. It feels like a mini town, with lovely streets you can wander around. I don’t think Lordship Lane is all that. Some of the nicest bits, e.g blue brick café, French café and The Great Exhibition pub are not on LL which I fear is going to become an identikit yummy mummy high street soon. But I don’t miss East Dulwich that much either. I found the mums groups really type A, boringly judgmental such as anti bottle feeding and pro-montesssori and all that stuff. And the Saturday markets whilst cute is also insane in prices. A pair of hand stitched lovely baby leggings for £30?! Get to f. There again I come back to ED for things you simply can’t get in Crofton Park or Honor Oak park: a good hairdresser, a Superdrug, decent pharmacy, swimming baths.
Crofton Park is more diverse. There’s more of a community here and the population is more varied (anyone seen many people over the age of 60 on East Dulwich? No me neither). There are some stalwart businesses where everyone knows everyone, plus some new trendier stuff like hipster coffee shops and a pubs that do aged beef and natural wines. The worst bit about Crofton Park and Honor Oak is the main road, Stondon Park. Just one bit, ugly long route thick with traffic and notorious for joyriding. Only an issue if you live on it itself. Roads off of it are surprisingly peaceful and family oriented.
Hope you make the right decision for you, OP. X

A friend used to live in one of the big houses on Stondon Park. The rooms were massive, much bigger than another friend’s house who lived on an adjacent side road. I expected the road noise to be terrible in the house, but with decent double glazing it was barely noticeable.

Her garden was surprisingly quiet too.

Just to give a different perspective in case the OP is considering a property on that road.