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 !

Other suggestions are being made .... but would you actually get a 3 bed house in Blackheath or Kennington for OPs budget?

TBH not a lot of houses in E&C at that price either. If I were the OP I would look further out. Especially as she wants a garden and space for three dogs.

Plenty of sub 1mil 3 bed houses around Brixton near the Brockwell Park.

Been looking at near Tulse Hill and Streatham Hill also as easier for DS to get to King’s Cross, DH currently works in Blackfriars. Grown out of yummy mummy areas so looking at more interesting and gritty options. A single commute without changes is something we need to consider for DS. Thank you for all the comments.

Have a look at West Norwood, OP

It sounds like anywhere on the Thameslink line would tick the boxes. Why does your son need a commute without changes? It's fairly normal to have to make one change when you commute in London. He's not a child and presumably won't be at the college for very many years, so it's a temporary situation that's probably not worth basing a property purchase on. Moving is so expensive these days, especially stamp duty on £1m properties, I'd buy in a location you really love as work locations can change at the drop of a hat (you change jobs or your company moves offices).

What about Camberwell ? Denmark Hill station has trains to St Pancras and is close to Peckham, Brixton and Brockwell Park

I’m just going to add that any area in London where life ‘revolves’ around a massive roundabout like Elephant& Castle is an immediate no from me. Having lived near Hammersmith roundabout and Old Street, it just gives me anxiety thinking about all the crossings, cars, bikes, buses and pedestrians, all day, every day. Hated my walk to the tube soooo much. I complained to my husband every day until he had enough of me and we moved to an area with a tiny tube station & peaceful and green stroll to all amenities.

Hell No, OP

I don't live in a great part of SE London myself but even I would not feel at ease living up at the Elephant..
With your budget there are many options of far nicer places.
I have seen Dulwich mentioned, and agree re the properties and look it has now
and Forest Hill is on the up, by all accounts..
Personally I would not live at the Elephant.

Its a shame what became of Thamesmead

My Uncle and Aunt were among the first tenants there, and it was lovely originally
I, being little at the time, was particularly impressed with the under floor heating. Very state of the Art at the time

@MaloryJones - the rejuvenation of Thamesmead has been underway for a while, I’m sorry I havn’t worked out how to link newspaper articles - there is now an award winning library, the lakes have been cleaned up, Crossness Engines now a tourist attraction! new homes built, many sold to foreign investors, a new demographic, taking full advantage of Crossrail, Elizabeth Line, at the new improved AW railway station, large Sainsbury, still scruffy parts, but a different feel to it altogether.

I frequently change buses in Elephant and Castle.
You have to play a fantastic game called "where the hell is the bus stop I want" 😂
It's just chaos.

@Needmorelego and knowing which tube building you need and hoping the lifts are working !

I wonder whether you might consider renting in London or a year before purchasing. It sounds like you've not lived here for many years and a lot has changed. Lots of places are much better than they were and would surprise you. Others are exactly the same and some are worse. I think you need to get to know the city again, and I mean by living in it rather than just commuting in and out.

I'm not normally one to advocate renting, as it has a number of pitfalls (contracts, cost, not to mention the pets issue). However, it seems a massive commitment to drop a million on a property in an area you know next to nothing about. I think the fact you opened with Elephant & Castle is a red flag that you've read something online about how E&C is up and coming, when the reality is quite different. I think the fact you are posting on forums is good as you will get real views from people who live here rather than estate agent & developer marketing speak. It would be helpful to know how you arrived at E&C as a starting point and which other places you've dismissed & why. I think people are trying to understand a bit more about where you are coming from as currently the information you've shared wouldn't normally lead one to Elephant & Castle.

As I mentioned earlier one of my DS’s is Autistic and cannot live independently, I am his carer.

I haven’t read anywhere on line that Elephant and Castle has had a glow up… my original post asked if it had.

You can walk to Blackfriars from E&C, or there are good cycle lanes separate to the roads. Kings Cross is a bus ride (63) away. E&C would definitely be a strong contender if I were in your position.

Just wondering how many people responding to this post actually know what the area is like now? Lots of very unhelpful, derogatory comments. The upside of the Elephant is that it is under-going regeneration and the value of your property could escalate, and it is central enough to walk into the city. The downsides are that it is still a bit of a building site and there are not many houses in the area, so you will struggle to find what you are looking for. If you have 3 dogs, you would be better off being closer to Burgess Park rather than right on the Elephant, and there are a few (not many) streets of houses around the Peckham side of the park. If you are looking to buy a place that will surge in value, look at where the stations will be built for the Bakerloo extension, which I believe now has the go-ahead. If you want to stay reasonably close to central London, eg zone 2, and want a 3 bed house with a garden, you should look at Peckham.

I live in E&C.. Lambeth side. It is a FANTASTIC place to live. Honestly, we have lived here over a decade and now have small kids. It is great! So central, easy to walk everywhere or get the bus / tube.

My apologies. I thought I'd read through the whole thread, but somehow missed this comment.

Not sure what you mean by more gritty options @ED71 but I know Streatham Hill and Tulse Hill well. You would definitely get a lovely Victorian 3 or 4 bedroom terrace for £1m.

Tulse Hill has the Thameslink direct to Blackfriars although the service is jam packed during rush hour. Great transport links. Tulse Hill near the beautiful Brockwell Park. Streatham has an interesting high street but lots of independent restaurants and cafes.

By “gritty options” I meant the E&C area and surrounds. Many thanks.

I am not sure I understand what "gritty" means.

You want space, a house, an easy commute and somewhere that is interesting. How much grit do you want - traffic choked roads, local characters, knife crime, shabby shops? My view is E&C isn't actually that interesting and getting less interesting with every new expensive block of flats that is thrown up.

Camberwell, Peckham and Catford can certainly serve up a lot of interest alongside urban grit is that is your bag.

It's kind of having a glow up. It's just not finished yet and seems to be taking years.

With that budget you could be very close to beautiful Greenwich Park or Blackheath. Good transport links to central. Greenwich Peninsula has a lot of new housing, mostly leasehold flats but it's nice for dog walking along the river and it's on the Jubilee line. Dulwich is very nice as is Crystal Palace, Forest Hill. Parts of Kennington are nice, there's a park there or maybe around Brockwell Park. Obviously Elephant is further in than most of these places but is not a nice area really even with the new flats.