Renting in SW/SE London for commute to London Bridge

[PinkPoniez]

Hi all,

I have been offered a job in London Bridge so we will soon be relocating to London from Cheshire. I will need to commute to London Bridge 3x per week, DH works from home and we have a 7 year old son who will be going into year 3 in September.

We are looking to rent a 2 bedroom property, budget is around £2,300 pm (not including tax, utilities etc) but we could stretch a bit further if need be. Happy with terraced housing or an apartment and not fussed on a garden. Would rather be closer to a park or two. Our main priorities are safety, good schools (we are not religious but DS currently attends a CofE school), local amenities we could walk to (restaurants, cafes, gym, lido, pictures, library, playground etc). Prefer wide open (green spaces) which is why I have focused my search south of the river.

I have narrowed down our search to the following areas - Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Chiswick, Dulwich, Herne Hill. Does anyone have any insight into any of these? Or any other areas that we should consider? Would prefer to keep my commute time under 45 minutes.

We will be able to spend a few weeks getting a feel for the different areas but would appreciate if anyone has any insight.

@Wimbledonmum1985 I have been really keen on Wimbledon. Are there any particular areas you would recommend for schools, ability to walk to train/tube stations, shops etc?

A few people mentioned Telegraph Hill (thank you). Is there a high street there? I couldn't see one on Google Maps but may have been looking at the wrong streets (which is very likely!).

I’d pick Herne Hill for the lido and brockwell park but I don’t know a huge amount about the schools. It’s definitely got a lovely London village feel but you’re super close to Brixton and Dulwich too

South Wimbledon is a bit cheaper and you are closer to tubes. Also several parks nearby and good schools. Village prettier but pricier and less handy to stations. Happy to advise on streets if there is anywhere you like the look of.

You’d struggle on £2300 for anything but a small flat in Telegraph Hill. Prices have escalated. There isn’t a high street. But you’re a 5 min walk to Nunhead where there are a number of shops

I’d also be extremely surprised if you would get something in Herne Hill or Dulwich. Does anyone rent anymore? I’m mid way through a purchase after selling my flat and I moved into a rental. I was shocked by the prices.

Bromley/Chislehurst are nice and both have High Streets. Lovely schools and lovely houses

Both Sydenham and Penge have great high streets, lovely green spaces and fab schools. And excellent links to London bridge. I’ve no idea on rent prices but like a pp said Dulwich is madly expensive for purchasing of property so I expect rent is the same!

No. As kirinm wrote. Brockley is one stop down the (Southern Rail) line, more of a high street, a little more affordable generally, but you need to look carefully at schools around there - all the primaries are Good and practically "good", but secondaries are tricky, there are odd gaps in catchment.

If I were in your shoes I would look along the Southern/Overground line (LB-New Cross Gate-Brockley-Honor Oak Park-Forest Hill etc) until you find somewhere with overlapping primary, secondary schools and amenities you like the look of.

My wildcard suggestion is Lewisham (SE13) on the Brockley side: it's not especially lovely but proximity to the wonderful Hilly Fields park, lots of young families, Prendergast School (https://www.prendergast-primary.com/) and Prendergast Ladywell (secondary); can commute from Brockley, St John's or Lewisham into London Bridge. There's a carbuncle of a shopping centre nearby with a lively market, M&S etc albeit all a bit run-down, and a little bit of a high street.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/162676118#/?channel=RES_LET

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/161538971#/?channel=RES_LET

Are there any particular areas you would recommend for schools, ability to walk to train/tube stations, shops etc?

The best secondaries in Wimbledon used to be single sex and some were RC. Not sure if that's still true, there is a Harris now but Harris schools are marmite. I'm not bothered by single sex but some people are.

Quick follow up question (and apologies if it's a silly question), do most of these areas in London have their own high street? We really appreciate having access to a Sainsbury's Local, fruit/veg, butcher etc where we currently are.

Plenty of these places do have a high street but whether you can get a place to rent in budget that also ticks the school entrance requirements will be the tricky part.

You could look at New Malden but again I think schools are single sex.

It's technically Catford (within Lewisham) which few people would describe as lovely but actually, it is! Excellent transport links, Brutalist shopping centre with giant fibreglass cat, all the usual pound shop, charity shop, Costa type places plus independent opticians, yoga place, Tesco, coffee shops, grocers, butchers and cobbler. There's also the theatre, the library, a lovely independent book shop a short walk from the main centre, a bus ride or riverside walk up to Lewisham centre where there's a proper market as well as M&S, H&M, Primark, Waterstones, WHSmith, Boots, swimming pool and a whole other set of transport options.

Blackheath, Greenwich. There are also less expensive areas surrounding it like Eltham, Charlton, etc that are lovely with lots of green spaces, nice 1930s houses, etc.

Have a look towards Hayes (in Bromley), West Wickham and Orpington.

I'm a fellow northerner and have lived in a few places in my first few years in London including Wimbledon, Greenwich, Clapham, Hampstead before settling further out.

I wouldn't advise Wimbledon for a quick London Bridge connection, unless I'm missing something?

Hayes, Bromley - direct line to London Bridge in around 30 mins, last stop so you always get a seat and trains every 15 mins. Lovely high street with a Sainsbury's Local and lots of coffee shops and restaurants, plus the 'Hayes Old Village' with the Village Hall, gorgeous library, more shops and cafes and The George Pub. Excellent schools (we recently sold our house here and 95% of the people who viewed it were moving purely for the secondary school). Lots of parks (Husseywell and Norman Park) and green spaces. Really great community feel too - think Easter Egg hunts in the library gardens, Summer Fairs and Christmas Light events. Only downside is having a quick look there doesn't seem to be too much on the rental market here at the moment but may be worth keeping an eye out.

West Wickham - one stop closer to London on the Hayes train line, lovely high street which is bigger than Hayes with 2 Sainsbury's (no idea why they need 2?), M&S, Lidl, Boots and lots of coffee shops and restaurants. Cheaper than Hayes - this looks nice, is 0.6 miles from the station and has a study room upstairs for working from home. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/163667642#/media?activePlan=1&id=media0&ref=photoCollage&channel=RESBUY

Orpington - really quick connection to London Bridge in as little as 15 mins. Big town centre but looking a little tired these days but still some nice bars, cafes and has a big Tesco, Sainsburys as well as a B&M. Also between Hayes and Orpington is Locksbottom which has a lovely little high street.

Ladywell has a brilliant high street that has a post office, florist, DIY store, barbers, hairdresser, dry cleaners, fish & chips, Indian restaurant, award-winning deli, eco refill shop, two cafes, gift shop, pub, high-end restaurant (Wilson's), bike repair shop, Sainsbury's local, greasy spoon, independent greengrocer, and the usual estate agents and newsagents. You are also ten mins walk to Lewisham shopping centre for Boots, H&B, bigger Sainsbury's, H&M etc.

@Wimbledonmum1985 what are your thoughts on Colliers Wood? I see they have well rated primary and secondary schools there?

@PinkPoniez Colliers Wood is good location wow as you are close to Wimbledon's and Tooting which have better high streets/amenities. Not sure what the good secondaries are though? maybe a Harris one?

How about Sutton/carshalton Beeches or Wallington. 30 minutes trains into London Bridge, great schools both primary and secondary and plenty of parks and green spaces.

Schools are good alright - primary anyway - but it’s a bit concrete and busy. Not my favourite spot.

Does anyone know about the Denesmead flats in Herne Hill? Looks like they are in a good area...

Thank you! I'll make a trip out to South Wimbledon and have a look around the area :-)

We live on the border with Colliers Wood. Which schools are you looking at?

Singlegate is an outstanding primary but personally I didn't like it when we went to visit for DD1. Its massive, three form entry plus nursery. It was totally the wrong environment for our DD. The other local schools are all ofsted good but in my opinion, much nicer schools. All primaries in Merton are good or above. All Saints was our second choice and a lovely school (our first choice will be too far towards Mitcham for you if in CW). I've heard Garfield is nice. Then there's a couple of schools that were not doing so well but have improved since being taken over by an academy - obviously remains to be seen if its a genuine improvement.

For secondary, its very relevant if faith or single sex is important to you. Harris Wimbledon is state coed but obviously lots of people dislike the Harris federation and on the local FB group, there is often talk about bullying at Harris Wimbledon. Theres Rutlish for boys. Wimbledon College is Catholic boys. St Marks in Mitcham is CoE coed and technically outstanding but local reputation isnt great. Plus there's the grammar stream at Graveney if you think your DS would suit grammar. You can do the Wandsworth test and look at schools into Wandsworth (lots of MN threads about these - Ark, Ashcroft, Burntwood) but you'll need to check the distance data carefully. You can also do the Sutton grammar tests for Wallington / Carshalton / Sutton schools.

The grammars & Graveney stream are very competitive though

Yup, it's very nice. I think Dulwich might be out of your budget. Beckenham also absolutely lovely. I do love Herne Hill too. South London girl through and through.

Yes absolutely! Which is why faith / single sex is so important because if you don't want either of those, Harris is basically the only option. We have some neighbours who have a DD that is enjoying it but there's definitely been an uptick in posts about bullying in the last year.