Moving to Clock House / Kent House - thoughts?

[Southlondon84]

Hi all. Currently 32 weeks pregnant and live in Streatham Hill. Live in a 2 bed top floor flat and in desperate need of some more space for when the little one arrives. Always lived in SW London - Earlsfield, Wandsworth.

I work in Kingston and my husband, central London. Must haves - x3 bed, garden and side access for our bikes! We don’t need to be in the office full time.

We originally started our search in Teddington but it’s expensive (!) and the gardens are pretty naff. We’ve ruled out Twickenham as an alternative but like Strawberry Hill as it’s a little quieter and schools are better.

We are now exploring South East London. Not a lot in Crystal Palace it seems. We’ve since discovered Clock House which ticks a lot of boxes - good schools, parks nearby etc. Beckenham close by but we would probably use CP for shops etc as an alternative.

Does anyone have any views on the Clock House and Kent Road areas? Culture? Dining scene? People living in the area? Does it feel like you are in an area taken over by kids? also any favourite quiet roads and festivals etc. Also any South West Londoners made the move to South East and if so any comments - good or bad.

The huge downside would be my commute time to Kingston when I return to work but think I can get it down to just over an hour.

any views much appreciated!!!!😊

thank you so much

our friends used to live there. It was lovely and schools were quite good I think but that was a while ago now and schools change.

Thank you!! It

Hi there - I live in this area (having relocated to Beckenham from Tooting a few years ago). Really like it.
Have easy access to Penge, CP, Beckenham and Bromley for shops, lots of parks, choice of train into LB or Victoria, nice neighbourhood cafes and restaurants. Our street and surrounding ones are full of young families (couple of nurseries and good primary schools nearby).
I'd happily recommend it, though your commute does sound like it could be a long/tricky one - would you need to go up to Waterloo and change to head out again?

Thanks for this, maybe it’s a case of not overthinking and just taking the plunge. we did think about renting maybe initially to suss things out but we will see. The commute is a big downside and yes, Waterloo is an option and then onto Surbiton…..

We live in that area and my husband works near Hampton court and I’ll say please don’t under estimate the commute, it’s really awful! How many days are you in the office?

I lived there and the commute nearly killed me.

I moved to this area just over two years ago, and love it!

In answer to your questions:

1. culture is liberal (don’t let the Tory Bromley borough put you off - this end feels much more London than suburbia) and family friendly but not overrun with families
2. dining scene is fantastic - so many independent restaurants (san Vito pizzeria, el molino, pizzeria Sicilian art, Himalayan kitchen and bistro chez yvez are some of my favourites…and that’s before you even get to Crystal Palace or Sydenham which are also within easy reach)
3. people living in the area are friendly, feels like a community
4. no we don’t have kids yet and it doesn’t feel happy valley (but we did also buy with one eye on having kids soon so we feel it would suit us then too)
5. depends if you want to be nearer the Crystal Palace Penge end or nearer Beckenham but I wouldn’t say any roads to avoid - just the main roads for usual reasons like pollution. I would work out your commute and if it’s best to be near the tram, the Victoria train line, the Charing x train line, or the Penge west orange overground line.
6. we have festivals/stuff going on all the time. Penge tourist board (Twitter account) is a good place to look. Crystal Palace park and Beckenham place park always have music stuff on. So does Croydon Rec. There are also weekly food markets at both Crystal Palace park and beckenham place park. The theatre in Penge (bridge house theatre) is fabulous for Edinburgh festival comedy acts and plays.

Only downside I can see for you would be your commute, but honestly I love here and don’t want to ever move!

Ps for your commute how about getting the tram to Wimbledon or something then a train to Kingston? sorry don’t know that route well!

I would definitely try the commute before you decide on this area.
Driving there are lots of bottle necks to get through and there will be heavy traffic. The tram to Wimbledon is not a short journey and will take ages then swapping to the train.

I don’t know about the commute to Kingston, but apart from that, would happily recommend this area.

We’ve recently moved here from another SE London area. It’s great. There are some very pretty streets around Cator park, Kent House station and Cedars, Elms and Queens Road are also lovely. Previous posters already mentioned the excellent links to central London, nice coffee/food places. I think that this area is still relatively under the radar (for how nice it is) but suspect this will change in the coming years.

Sorry to hear that. No set or fixed days that I need to be in the office which is helpful but I’d like to be in 1-2 times a week. That’s very manageable now but obviously that will change when the baby arrives. My new find is Surbiton which seems to be a better location to meet both commutes. Dilemma!

Lovely area, don’t worry about that. But agree with others re your commute - it’s a long one, and if you’re against the clock (for nursery pickups) it won’t be fun.

I came on to ask if you'd looked at Surbiton. Never lived there myself but know of families who've moved there and love it. I've got young DC do keeping an eye out on decent areas.

Surbiton is great. Personally for me I’d pick Surbiton over Kent House Clock House etc.

Nice area and a good commute for both of you.

Im from Earlsfield and Clapham like you. We moved further into Hampshire but if I was doing your move Surbiton would be top of my list. Good area, close to the river, great train links, A3 access into countryside and coast. Nice High Street, easy access to Kingston for shopping. But it’s pricey.

I lived in clock
House/Kent house and moved for senior schools (it's not in the Langley/hayes catchment so people with older kids do love). Loved it, really easy to get to London and lots to do around there. I want to move back to that area when we can.

Don’t ignore the tram as this may help the commute!?

Tram to East Croydon station for Clapham junction and then (run to get to platform 5?) to pick up the train to Kingston? I wouldn’t want to do this everyday though!

Langley is highly overrated imo!

Oh and best restaurant in walking distance is Friends of Flavours!

Clock House is fab. Lots of stuff for families, lots of beer/dining places, easy to get into London. Short drive to rural bits of Bromley for country walks and pubs.

Kent House station is my nearest one. Rasplolly above seems to have captured most of my thoughts. It's a really good area. Loads of transport options, lots of restaurants and cafes a short walking distance away. It's an absolute gem for having a variety of craft beer bars and gastropubs within walking distance too. Beckenham Spa is near Clock House station and has swimming baths, yoga, gym, etc.

Funnily enough we live in Bromley/Beckenham area and looking to move to Teddington/Surbiton (also considered Eastbourne).

Beckenham is lovely with lots of cafs and restaurants but can be rough at night. As you move closer to Bromley it gets more rough and dirty. I lived in Richmond for years and only realised how privileged and safe my life was after moving here. If I could do it again I wouldn’t move to this borough.

Beckenham town centre is lovely by day with its cafes and restaurants and niknak shops but does get a bit rowdy on Friday and Saturday nights as it becomes a hotspot for night life and late bars. Kent House and Clock House are far enough away from all that for it not to be an issue

I lived right by Clock House for 12 years until a few years ago. I commuted 3 days a week to Twickenham for 6 months (via Waterloo) and it was a right royal pain. Don't underestimate the commute.

The area is a brilliant corner of London though in my opinion. You're so close to Central London on public transport. It doesn't feel very suburban at all at the Clock House end amd there is always a lot going on locally. I would highly recommend it.

I know this area well.

Clock house is Ok some nice and very expensive houses towards Beckenham direction. Couple of nice cafes and a great tapas place called El Molino. No decent pubs.

Kent house very nice near the station.

The further east you go the worse it bets. Penge and Birkbeck are pretty grim, as is Elmers End.

I would aim for around Clock house and a couple if streets either way.

People seem nice.