Living in Hampstead Garden Suburb

[househunter93]

We are exploring various family friendly neighbourhoods in London, and the latest one we’re debating is HGS. I came across these two houses that I loved the look of:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/145120424

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/145409861

The houses look relatively reasonable compared to other parts of London which I was surprised by, and I couldn’t figure out why.

I’d love to hear from people who are familiar with the area - what are the pros and cons of HGS? Are transport links a pain? Is it a good place to raise young kids? What is safety like?

@househunter93 thanks for the update, you seem to have got to grips with the place, it isn't like anywhere else. You mention North London Collegiate so will you be looking at private schooling? In that case you have lots of choice nearby such as King Alfred, Highgate School and all the Hampstead schools. @sashh is right that there is a big Jewish population in HGS and lots of the kids will go to the Jewish schools so neighbourhood kids may not go to the same schools as yours and will have different weekend patterns/habits. Do keep us updated

I imagine you’re aware of this OP, but Henrietta Barnett is only an option in the sense of an option to attempt. It’s one of the most fiercely selective schools in the country. The academic standard for entry is very, very high. As I said upthread, many of the girls who go there come in from miles away.

But if you have a clever daughter, go for it!

@WhatsTheUseOfWorrying Yes, I’m with you! My cousin’s daughter who is at the top of her class is hoping to apply but we’re trying to maintain a healthy dose of skepticism about her chances as it is SO competitive. I’ve heard that if you’re near the school that you get a very slight priority over someone who lives far away but I could be totally wrong, I think I vaguely remember seeing it on another Mumsnet forum.

@Konfetka oh dear, is that really true? I was mainly worried about the demographic being older, but I have several Jewish friends and would really love to get to know my neighbours so I’d hate to feel excluded from the community due to antigoyism. What makes you say this, is it from personal experience?

I am a bit shocked by this comment. I don't believe there would be antagonism towards anyone not Jewish but many people in the community will belong to that "club" and you won't. Therefore you may not cross paths so readily and you won't share many experiences so it could be harder to network. I think that typical North London Jews are open minded and friendly, in that area they are not usually hardcore and I think you would be fine. If you move there because you love the area then you already share one point of view

@Davros thank you so much, I was also a bit surprised and deflated by the comment as it had not even crossed my mind. I really appreciate you sharing this perspective!

I never had any antagonism. Even when I locked myself out so asked my neighbours if I could use their phone. Totally forgetting it was Friday night.

Oh and we were given matzos near passover.

OP, best to ignore the comment about the attitude of Jewish neighbours. ‘Nuff said.

Houses are cold due to poor insulation and lots of constraints around planning, changing windows etc. We looked here but the houses just didn't feel cozy inside.

I think it’s a factor to consider that if you move to an area where most people are a different religion to you, you might feel/be
a bit left out sometimes.

Beautiful neighbourhood. Brooklands is excellent, lots of Japanese and Iranian families as well as others. Lots of young but wealthy families. People don’t tend to go for HBS. For secondary UCS Highgate Habs not many to NLCS or for state JFS (Jewish) or if you’re at the E Finchley end, Archer Academy.

Hi OP, i live in east finchley but right across the road from hgs so know it pretty well. I think there are more young families in east finchley tbh. I too was priced out of hgs when buying lol.

HGS is pretty to live in but esp past midholm and westholm i would worry about school options if you aren't jewish. I am Jewish and even i worry about that as i am not completely set on Jewish school (dh didnt like it) so don't want to close off my options. In the golders green side of hgs not sure what good secondary options there are other than private and grammar. Also even if we could afford school fees in ten plus years time, i think the good private schools are very competitive so good to have a back up option

Also another secondary school option is archer which accepts children from n2, n3 and nw11. Think the cut off distance for nw11 is one mile so i would keep that in mind. Archer has fairly similar results to fortismere.

A PP said don't go for muswell hill but i have to be annoying here and say for a non jewish person that may be better (though if you are buying a house not a flat that may be more expensive and the money saved could fund private school - depending how many kids you have). The catchment for archer is tiny in n2 hence why i am also looking at muswell hill as a long term option..

@fluffykittens208 thank you so much!! Out of interest what do you think of this location? I really liked the areas Edmunds Walk and Brim Hill near the station so have been looking around there now… https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/145722953

It is a good road.. That house looks like it needs a bit of work but am no expert. Bearing in mind that tradesmen will charge an awful lot and i am unsure if it is the north london factor but i got quoted over 100k for a loft conversion (for a maisonette! ). Seems extortionate but apparently typical of the area, building costs have just increased so much.

hi all, what is price difference between north and south side? We are looking for a detached house on north side. What are the good roads. Thanks