Wanstead, Walthamstow or Highams Park for family life?

[Move2EastLondon]

My husband, toddler and I are considering a move to East London to be closer to family who live in East Anglia and are looking into Wanstead, Walthamstow and Highams Park.

From what I've gathered Walthamstow has the most going on in terms of restaurants, the market, coffee shops, galleries etc followed by Wanstead. Highams Park seems to have less in the way of coffee shops/restaurants than Wanstead and Walthamstow, but you get a lot more house for your money and are on the doorstep of Epping Forest. From what I can see, all three areas seem to have excellent state primaries.

Our plan is to move somewhere and stay put through the primary and secondary school years and while all three areas have great state primaries, what are they like for secondary schools?

Also, what is your experience of the safety in these areas? I know that in London there will always be some level of crime, but I'd like to live in an area that is safe enough for a teen to have some level of independence (though I am conscious that we have a decade before that becomes relevant).

Any and all opinions on family life in these areas would be very much appreciated :)

This us beyond inaccurate of Highams Park. Laughable. OP I live very nearby. You should also look ar South Woodford.

I'd consider North Chingford too - nice high street and lovely period properties and Epping Forest on the doorstep.

Wanstead is lovely - so ££££ though.

We used to live in HP. It was nice. Lake is beautiful.

Walthamstow always seems congested to me. Parking is a nightmare but good transport links and lots going on.

Wanstead. Particularly when secondary school comes around. Or South Woodford in the church fields catchment!

I didn’t know there was a Fringe- how lovely! Great to know that you’ve had a really positive experience :)

We’ve gone to South Woodford and the housing stock is beautiful plus the high street is very nice - we were unsure of being so close to the North Circular re noise, though almost everywhere in London has some level of noise whether that’s cars, planes or trains

I agree that I don’t see a huge cost difference between HP & Walthamstow (excluding the village of course). I came across HP from an article in the Times so I assume this has influenced house prices

We didn’t go to South Woodford for similar reasons (lived in wanstead until we left London) and tbh it seemed fairly daft once we were there as the divide was fairly academic

We can afford all three areas or we wouldn’t be considering all of them. In HP you do get a bigger house for your money, though I wouldn’t say the prices are that dissimilar to Walthamstow. Wanstead seems to have a greater range of houses (and prices) from mega mansions to normal terraces

Oh that’s interesting- I didn’t realise there was such a difference with the schools. I will definitely add South Woodford to the list. Thank you for the tip!

We are close to wanstead and walk in most days to meet up, its lovely but has become the target of thefts and atm fraud as thieves know there are wealthy people around. The Boots and Tesco now get robbed daily. walthamstow is plagued with road works and bad traffic and lots of dodgy mafia cafes along hoe st with leering blokes and phone snatches. The market is now grim and full of more dodgy cafes and chicken shops, i dont like the area and rarely visit. HP is nice, we have many friends who moved from w,stow several years ago when it was underpriced, now not so cheap. If you want a large house in quiet area near the station then look at the Cathedral estate in redbridge, The Drive, its cheap compared to other area, good schools. no crime or fly tipping like w,stow.

What's your budget?

The primaries in Wanstead are excellent but not sure about the comp? Lots in the area go private and the high school has its issues. Lots of current primary parents are considering moving elsewhere, including to Highams Park!

All crap holes, over priced and rife with crime, Walthamstow is meant to be this great place with lots of hip places … you can’t polish a turd. Couldn’t pay me to live in any of the areas, Chingford,Loughton Woodford all the same.
ive lived w/stow, Chingford and Woodford and would never go back.

Highams Park is a great area. It’s close enough to Walthamstow to make use of the amenities but a much safer and better value for money area. It has a real community feel. Parts of Walthamstow are great, especially the village but is still has a real edge about it and lots of anti social behaviour

Personally I am not keen on Walthamstow. I never felt particularly safe there. All the other places are near enough to visit it easily, but I wouldn't want to live there.

Wanstead and South Woodford are both really nice. As long as you don't buy a house right by the north circular you won't hear it. Even a few streets back is fine. If you want to get a feel for the area join Wanstead Community Hub on Facebook. They are very close together and lots of nice properties equidistant between the two high streets.

I would avoid getting too close to Redbridge tube.

Personally I think North Chingford near the station is nicer than Highams Park. Station Road has a real community feel. The kind of place where the cafe and restaurant owners get to know you by name and remember your order. Loads on for families. It also has the advantage that you always get a seat on the train in the morning as it is the end of the line. Also Overground = air con. Bliss.

Phone snatching is an issue all over London.

Highams park is lovely and very much undervalued even today. Nice houses, things to do, near enough to stansted, lots of transport options. If you work in the city, the train to Liverpool Street is a godsend. Main issue is not many houses come up for sale - once people move here, they don't want to leave!

Oh this is interesting- I’ve heard that Bancroft’s & Forest are quite competitive. Do you know if many kids go private for secondary in Highams Park as well or is the local secondary school better there?

Thank you for this- it seems that Walthamstow may be off the list then! We’ll add North Chingford to our search

Walthamstow Village is lovely. Outside of this strangely preserved middle class bubble the surrounding area is deprived and sketchy. So, depends if you can afford the village. Otherwise I’d opt for Wanstead, nice old houses and shopping street and good walks, ponds etc. plus easy tube ride into central London.

That’s really reassuring to hear! I’ve also found that in Wanstead there isn’t much available & when things come up they go quickly.

Walthamstow village is duller than dull and whiter than white in terms of demographics, if that's your thing. Not to mention totally overpriced. Nice for a stroll but I wouldn't want to live there.

If you prefer not to live in proximity to the great unwashed/or anywhere too 'urban' you are probably better off moving out to Wanstead or even further afield.

Yeah we live in the area and a lot of people are either planning on trying to get their kids into the privates (Forest, bancrofts, Chigwell) or moving further out to areas with better schools - including Highams Park which I think has a better rep. The best I’ve ever heard anyone say about WH is “it’s fine” - it definitely wouldn’t be a reason to move to the area. Primaries are great though.

I think Wanstead is the nicest but now v pricey, S Woodford is a good alternative with better supermarket shopping and you can easily walk to Wanstead.
I agree HP is not cheap now. We did look there some time ago and houses within budget were a bit depressing...rentals etc. Didn't get much sense of a vibe in the centre but it was a winter weekday! HP shares the E4 postcode and some of the houses on Rightmove are really South Chingford.

HP and Walthamstow both horrible - we moved away as no chance we wanted to bring up kids there!!

Most kids will go to the state secondaries in the area. Highams Park school is regarded as a good school, and there are a couple of others locally so there is choice. Some kids will go for Latymer grammar school in Edmonton, although it's a bit of a schlep.