Elephant and Castle

[ED71]

DH and I are looking to move back into London due to work. Our two DS’s are now in their 20’s and at Uni, one at Central St Martins so he’d be moving with us. Elephant and Castle was a very different place when I lived in London - views on life there now, has it had a proper glow up, good roads, bad bits, any other thoughts. Looking to buy a 3 bed with a garden/outside space. The three dogs replace the DC !

I lived in the area a few years ago and loved it. Felt very at home there, even though I’m not a Londoner. Burgess Park is lovely, you can walk into central London, Bermondsey, down to Camberwell, across to Lambeth. Beautiful period houses. I’d have stayed if I had enough money to afford somewhere bigger. I loved the markets and all the different food available. I will say that it stubbornly did not gentrify in the time I lived there, despite being so central. I was always a bit amazed that no one else liked it there, felt like a hidden gem.

this is not a place for the unwary, lol -
we don’t want you to move to the E&C just because it is in easy reach of wherever you are working and CSt.M.
Did you know both stations have only lifts or dizzying stairs, no escalators - look up Burgess Park, do your research, or as you have been asked, where do you need to be, then we scouts can advise more comprehensively.

I simply asked if it had had a glow up as had King’s Cross.When I lived off Lavender Hill in a bedsit some 35 years ago the world was a very different place. I have lived and worked in many different parts of London and the world and just asked an honest question about how places have changed. At 17 years old I thought King Cross and the council estates my mates lived on in Clerkenwell were scary. An awful lot has changed - I’ll be 54 this week. My husband was born in Zambia, we’ve lived in Turkey It may well be an odd choice to some and this is probably the wrong forum to ask.Thank you for your input and thoughts,

@DoloresODonovan I worked at a school pretty much on the estate and remember the classes thinning as the years went on. Lots of the local families were moved out to Abbey Wood and other surrounding areas. The area gradually became a building site and when leaving work late we'd always walk with a colleague as it felt like a dangerous place to be. Above all else it was sad watching the children lose their classmates to gentrification.

yes indeed and not only murders

If you were after a flat I’d say go for it as the new development with the water play area is nice (and security patrolled).
The dealers all hover around at the edges…

But for a house with 3 dogs? nope!

Has all the work been finished yet? I thought they were levelling the place and starting again.

It was home to the mighty pizza Castello many many years ago, does anyone remember that?

I was about to say the same thing! I used to work at Michael Faraday and I got mugged for my phone as I walked past Murder Park.

I think it was to Thamesmead, a renowned dumping ground ( where much of Clockwork Orange was shot remember?) Woolwich and Gravesend.

I have family in Abbey Wood, mostly older houses, established families.

yes I can imagine, bewildered sad children, yes it was dangerous, thank you
for your reply

Yes! I remember Pizza Costello. You could smell the garlic half way down the road. Loved by MPs and students alike. Now long gone 😔

It's not the same as Kings Cross which would be a nicer place to live. For your budget you can find a lovely house somewhere quieter. What made you think of the elephant? Greenwich, Blackheath aren't that far

@ED71 I kind of said it as the joke at the beginning of the thread about it maybe being nice "when it's finished" but seriously it is in a constant state of being a building site.
The giant roundabout is horrendous with all the traffic - it just feels chaotic.
With a £1 million budget - there are just so many nicer areas.

Camberwell? Some of the posh roads around Grove Lane and towards Denmark Hill are lovely, but 1m might be tight.

Omg that place was legendary.

You could (in the 90s) spend about £10 and come out completely stuffed, gorgeous pizza.

@DoloresODonovan I actually have very happy memories of working in Walworth , because inspite of the safety issues in that area , I loved the community. The children were wonderful , so many lovely families lived on that estate. The people were the warmth.

There was a residential home for the elderly around there that had a cafe open to the public on the ground floor. They did the best curried goat. I do hope they're still open and doing well.

Unless your dogs are XL Bullys they really won't fit in.

I currently walk through E&C twice a day and there are some great streets. (West Square is especially lovely.) Away from the main drag - which is easy enough to avoid or skirt around on foot, there are some great little restaurants and cafes. And you could walk everywhere - it's great. I also think Burgess Park is gorgeous and, although I rarely visit it, I've never felt at all unsafe there (or anywhere in E&C, to be honest, although I'm only there during working hours).

There’s still years worth of work ahead. But plenty of people are living in the new luxury flats.

https://www.elephantpark.co.uk/natural-play-area/?

There’s still good south american eateries hidden around too.

This is so sad…and poignant, see what the OP has opened up here.

I cannot say of the residential home, or goat curry, but I hope so too, xx

There are some nice houses on Garden Row just off the roundabout

It has changed massively from the old days of having a bad reputation and only known for the roundabout and that little shopping centre

i studied around there ten years ago and it was starting to regenerate even then

its the most affordable zone 1 area, as well as being central you’re also in SE London with lots going on

Ahh I love the smell of social cleansing in the morning

Also there’s a really nice Ethiopian restaurant.

I've got friends there, senior professionals with DC, and they love it.

Have you looked at Kennington? Just up the road from E&C, decent housing stock, Northern line tube, close to Vauxhall.