“Naice” yummy mummy/ Gail’s area london

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Hi

I would really appreciate any help!

I’m expecting my second child at the moment and we are having to upsize to a house. I’m really looking for a villagey london urban area that’s “naice”.

Think yummy mummies, coffee shops, Gail’s, Waitrose… bookshops, speciality shops, boutiques etc … basically I’m painting a picture of Richmond/Chiswick. But unfortunately they are out of our price range.

I came across "Askew village” in Shepherd’s Bush- it’s more within our price range- not far from Chiswick…Hammersmith is in close range for independent schools for secondary.

what do you think? Is it up and coming? Or am I being delusional and it’s actually not what I’m expecting.

any advice welcome!

Thank you.

Took the words out of my mouth there. Is the PP thinking of Lewisham, perhaps?

Well, it’s a matter of opinion, isn’t it?

I think Brockley is quite ugly and depressing, and not a patch on nearby areas. This is evidenced by the fact that it really hasn’t taken off like areas such as East Dulwich, Forest Hill and Crystal Palace (all of which are further out). I have travelled into these areas by choice, e.g. meeting up with a friend for lunch, going to the cinema, etc. but the only time I go to Brockley is if I have to (used to have appointments there).

Well, it’s a matter of opinion, isn’t it?

I mean… liking a particular area is absolutely a matter of opinion. Declaring it chock a block full of ugly flats when two people who know it well don’t know what you’re talking about, makes it sound like you maybe are missing something or thinking about Lewisham about a mile down the road (which is indeed chocka with flats).

Anyway OP - no Gail’s in Brockley. Nothing to see here, no sirree.

Thank god for that, frankly! I like it how it is, although I could wish The Orchard hadn't closed.

For goodness’ sake, I know SE London very well and know where Brockley is.

It’s fine to disagree.

Try somewhere like north Barnes (walking distance to the villagey part of Barnes) yet also walking distance to Hammersmith and absolutely dripping with decent schools on both sides of the Hammersmith bridge.
The area around Askew Road has been up and coming for at least the past decade. It's not quite there yet, and yes you run the risk of getting mugged there just as kids get mugged in Hammersmith every week.

The sandwiches and pastries are totally overpriced but the sourdough bread is great and so are the cheese twists! I do like Gail’s because it’s so fresh and they don’t use emulsifiers or any other additives in their breads.

Agree with other posters though, either stay in your flat in Notting Hill or move to somewhere where you’ll actually get a decent house in the Home Counties. You won’t get that in a posh area of London. Everyone lives in 2-bed flats with shared gardens in inner London, it’s fine, especially with loads of great parks around.

I live near Brockley, I agree it’s a bit of a nowhere place. The only decent bits are really Crofton Park which is a different area imo. There’s not much there and the houses can have a bit of weird layout. When I moved to this house 12yrs ago Brockley was out of price range but this area has now overtaken it.

At risk of this descending into a debate about a little-known part of inner London, I do agree Brockley is a bit nowhere. I can also say that if you were just to go to the high street for an appointment it would seem meh. BUT the housing stock - minimum square footage of which is about 2000 but not unusual to have 3000+ - is hidden in the streets off the high street and around the local park there. No idea what PP was on about with Crofton Park which is full of starter homes (albeit probably nudging £1m). You would only move to Crofton Park from Brockley if you didn’t have £1.5m plus (though would be a reno job) for a proper house in the conservation area and were in a period flat but needed to upsize to a dinky 3/4 bed.

I don’t like Gail’s bread, always tastes as if it’s a couple of days old.

No idea what PP was on about with Crofton Park which is full of starter homes (albeit probably nudging £1m). You would only move to Crofton Park from Brockley if you didn’t have £1.5m plus (though would be a reno job) for a proper house in the conservation area and were in a period flat but needed to upsize to a dinky 3/4 bed.

I was referencing the place. Crofton Park has independent coffee shops, a community library, a number of independent and fab bars and pubs, the rivoli ballroom, delis. Brockley central has….not much. A Wetherspoons.

I think @Streamorwatchlive and I were talking about the area and not the housing stock?

Which I believe is what this whole thread is about. The OP wasn’t asking about value for money and whatnot, but how pleasant (or ‘naice’, though I know that word is triggering) an area is to live in.

Brockley does not fit the bill, IMO, and is not a patch on some of the nearby areas.

the sourdough bread is great sourdough bread in general is dry and hard but Gail’s is particularly dry and hard.

If your budget is £1.5m you absolutely can buy a 3-4 bedroom house in Chiswick. Not one on the prime roads/ Bedford Park, but a very nice Victorian/Edwardian terrace, on a nice quiet road. And i am not talking Grove Park or near the A4. Have you actually had a proper look? Or are you looking for a huge semi/detached with mega garden ? Chiswick is most definitely within reach!

For example this one

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/138129431#/?channel=RES_BUY

5 min walk from Chiswick Park station, minutes from Acton Green& Chiswick Back Common & 10 min to the high road and the INFANOUS Gail’s

For 1.5 in Chiswick itself it will be very small.

There is nowhere in London you won’t get mugged - Notting Hill has some tough estates. Kids get mugged in Hammersmith because it’s a transport hub with 4 well known private schools nearby.

Brockley has 3 independent coffee shops around the station (Browns, Good as Gold and Broca), a yoga studio, a therapy/massage studio, a lovely park in the conservation area with a free play club for children, a nice restaurant outside the station, a brilliant pizza place too.

I live here and agree that the high street itself is not up to very much. But the comment about it being full of flats is odd. There’s an unappealing apartment block immediately outside the station but very few purpose built flats otherwise in the area. Most of it I would say is Victorian terraces (some have seen better days, but plenty of lovely roads), other than the conservation area which is really beautiful. The houses around the park are particularly stunning.

I think the people speaking negatively about it are only familiar with the area around the high street.

However I completely agree that Brockley is not going to come anywhere near to meeting the standards of the OP.

Not to mention the fact that Brockley has much better transport connections than Crofton Park and is in Zone 2, plus being in easy walking distance of the DLR at Lewisham. Having lived in both areas, there's no comparison from this point of view, and for commuters this makes a real difference to quality of life.

Personally I preferred SW London with little kids. Liked Wimbledon and Southfields. You’d get a good house in Southfields for your money.

Some tips for living in these areas. If you’re going state schools research catchment areas down to the nearest street. Do not believe estate agents when they say there are good local schools. You need to know whether you’ll get into one of them. There’s information on council websites. Despite having good schools my ex local area had several dead zones where you wouldn’t get into them.

Start thinking about secondary school quickly. If you want private secondary better to move the kids early (yr 4 or 5) into the private system if you can afford it. Otherwise definitely tutor from about year 4 and aim for a range of options and tutor specifically for those schools.

Be prepared to fight and be a mistress of admin for everything! If you live in an area like that everything is oversubscribed. Private schools have kids registered at birth, nurseries have kids registered before the woman is pregnant (not a joke). 2 yr waiting list for swimming lessons. Waiting list for brownies closed. After school clubs/ nannies pretty impossible.

Also be prepared for crime- even very naice areas have regular car thefts, road rage, muggings of kids on their phones, burglaries, bike thefts and stabbings. If you stay in London you can’t really escape it or buy your way out of it. Get your kids streetwise. If they ponce about in the street on a phone with a private school uniform on they are a target.

And then be prepared to hanker after a move to the Home Counties when all of the above becomes too much!

Askew Village? Such estate agents speak!

As for no tube, if the 'village' is anywhere near the actual Askew Road then you are near Stamford Brook tube in one direction and Shepherd's Bush in the other.

I loved having primary age children in Teddington. Like a village but with direct links to Waterloo. And crucially the wonderful Bushy Park to let off steam in. Lovely library too. Hope it's still there! We moved around 2007.

Do you actually like Orchard House though? That's not exactly top of everyone's list. Ravenscourt preferable IMHO. And of course for girls Bute House. Maybe Latymer Prep at 8+. West London free school could be an option if you get close enough.

Look, I have lived in "Brackenbury Village" and now live in Brook Green and I know the areas. I get what you are trying to figure out. Askew rd was kind of the area you buy in if you can't do Brook Green or Brackenbury. It's "adjacent". But in London it's all a bit silly because it's a five minute walk to the other more expensive areas...and subsequently the less expensive areas as well. It's all central ish. That means it's diverse and can combine extraordinary wealth with extreme grittiness. As you currently live in Notting Hill you should be well familiar with that concept. If this is a house on Ashchurch Park Villas in hen yand ah go for it. Close to RP is great.

Askew rd is fine, but it's still London. If you want to feel a bit more posh maybe you should look in Brook Green or Brackenbury. Budget won't stretch as far though. Still...not a far walk. We have a Gail's in Brook Green. No chicken shop sadly. 😂

It's fine. You would probably just end up heading into Chiswick. It's chaos first thing in the morning down Askew road with all the vans unloading and people and buses trying to get around them. There are a few ok shops and cafes. I can kind of see why estate agents would say it's up and coming, I guess because Gails just opened but it hasn't changed that much in the last 5-10 years. I feel like it's just Chiswick overflow for people who can't afford Chiswick.

It honestly isn’t from our local Gail’s or I wouldn’t buy it. Do you get yours from the bakery or from Ocado/online shopping? Each to their own I guess.

I certainly wouldn’t buy a house based on proximity to it but it tastes good and is soft and squishy where we are.

If you go to Rightmove you can filter by ‘Gail’s Bakery’ proximity