Share your secrets of lovely villagey (and affordable!) places to live in London, please!

[PiperG]

Having ummed and ahhed a lot about moving out of the Big Smoke, we have now realised that we are not quite ready to give up London life, so are looking for somewhere to move in London that will give us a bit more space. Can anyone recommend places in London that have a friendly, villagey feel - good independent shops etc (I long for a decent local butcher!) - and lots of green space nearby - and good primary schools - where we could get a 3 bed house for around 350K?? seems a tall order! We are currently in Zone 2 east London and ideally want to stay north/east ish London so we are not moving too far from everyone we know around here. However we realise we'll have to move a bit further out to get more for our money. We've been looking at Walthamstow but there seems to be a bit of a dearth of green space. Any suggestions v welcome!

Oh! Try again

Knickersandvest - Colby Road. The house I lived in was on the railway side and the railway was literally at the bottom of the smallish garden. Our bedroom was at the back and you could hear trains quite loudly - you also get a fair number of heavy goods trains during the night. Don't get me wrong you get used to it and its not the same as being by a tube line but I'd have to think v carefully before buying there - all the other stuff on price/location/schools/access would need to be right.

PiperG - looking again at your OP I'd think more about South Woodford or Wanstead although both zone 4. Both have some good local shops, reasonable primaries, green spaces. Budget would be tight but you'd probably get close to what you want. Depends though which tube ines you want - they are on the central line but very quick into town - about 20 mins to Liverpool St.

Why are we all still talking about it?

Why hasn't someone bought that house in Dulwich Village that I linked to?

If someone else doesn't I may not be able to control myself....it's such a bargain....I can't stop looking....I could become a Dulwich mother....buy a Volvo.....get an alice band....I have goose bumps

Roehampton, 3 bed detached: www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-22424302.html

You would be next to Richmond Park

Kingston Value is particularly cheap, due to distance from train station (get a bike!)

Try this 5-bed detached with 2 receptions + conservatory + study, with 70 foot garden for £400k

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-21970691.html

We were trying to buy in East Greenwich but a 3 bed (with tiny 3rd bedroom) in catchment for the only decent school was 489k! And backed onto a railway line.

Blackheath might be slightly cheaper but not do good for commuting. We had an offer accepted on a house in Charlton (4 bed for 390k) but it fell through.

I went to school in Dulwich - the thought of living there turns my stomach!

yes the East London line is going down Brockley/Forest Hill/Crystal Palace way, you can see the details here

..so you can go and visit your friends in East London on it as well (when they finish it )

...except you probably won't bother cos we're all so damn nice down ere

"It's more Wood Green, so no idea what it's like there - bit grotty?"

Please don't go anywhere near Wood Green if you want nice and villagey! It's got all the rubbish bits of urban living without any of the good stuff. My friend and her family were forced to move out of Wood Green as her son was brutally attacked in the street by a local gang, for being obviously gay, and the family were subjected to intimidation, burglaries - even her 8 year old was threatened - by them, for over 2 years. The gang were a bit older - in their late teens / twenties and knew my friend's son from school - it was basically a very serious extension of bullying which had started in a local school. The police were slow to act and the neighbours felt too intimidated by the gang to give statements. My friend had to move her family to get away from them.

I don't expect you'd have an experience like this, but you would find it full of schools at the bottom of the league tables, and none of the good bits that an area like Hackney has to offer. At least in Hackney you have some great primary schools, and lots of arts and culture to take your mind of the local crime! Wood Green on the other hand is just shit.

I do understand your desire to leave Hackney though. I am Hackney born and bred, and loved living there as a young adult. I don't want to bring my DS up here though. I can't afford to live in affluent Stoke Newington and the reality is I have blatant crack dealing on my street. Although they don't trouble me particularly I really don't want my DS going to school in the midst of this. Close friends of mine on the other hand are choosing to bring their kids up here (but then they're in Stokey!) They think I'm coping out to leave, but each to their own.

We're leaving London entirely.

Lowrib - I would have to agree - I live on the edge of Wood Green! Its not nice - off to Enfield I think for us.

Hello, we are about to buy (if we ever bloody exchange) our small 3 bed (+ loft room)house with (huge) garden by Lloyd Park in Walthamstow. I think they are doing up the park soon- and Epping Forest is nearby too...

Anyway, if we had our choice we would stay in Stokey but our budget is less than yours so it's either South London (can't/won't. got family in North,though Crystal Palce seems ok, don't think we can afford anyway), Tottenham, or Walthamstow. Or not London. Grew up in Barnet and considered Enfield though, again, our budget is very small.

But seek me out if you do move to E17 - am terrified that it might actually happen now!

Hello from SE14 (nunhead borders). It is lovely here. New CRoss Gate will be on the tube now, and its a 12 minute walk, but from Nunhead centre you have the option of Queens Rd (5 nins walk) or Peckham Rye stations (15 mins walk) (5 mins to london bridge) or Nunhead (Blackfriars) (2 mins walk). The trains are really frequent during rush hour and these will also come on the tube during the second wave of the east london line extension (so house value shld go up!). Lovely parks and opens spaces. Lorship Lane (east duklwich, (15 ins walk) is beginning to get like Northcote rd in clapham with its chichi bars and delis and kiddies shops. Schools - primary Edmund Waller, and secondary Haberdashers Aske's.

the only part of walthamstow i would rate is walthamstow VILLAGE. my best friend lives there and says the primary school is rated outstanding wih excellent girls secondary. orford road is great - has all independent shops including a butchers, deli, tapas bar italian deli, bakery and several yummy mummy cafes and arty shops - would come in well within budget, station is about 15 mins walk away. there is a beautiful church and cemetry and a museum with lovely gardens, loads of nurseries/playgroups - i would move there NOW if my dh were not so immobile

Oh well, can't afford the village (think you could OP) so Lloyd Park it has to be for us! (still waiting to exchange mind)

oh forgot to add that the local park (within the village) is excellent (tho not exactly green) and the common (with a boating lake) less then 15 mins away - it is v poular with families and you can walk through it to get to the duck pond at the other end - dont forget epping forest provides more green space than you would ever need and is practically on your doorstep. pubs are excellent in the village and a new hairdressers has just opened too. when i have visited, my friend tends to stop to talk to local friends every few minutes; yet it is still london so not claustrophobic

missing comma, sorry

Barnet has all you have asked for (3 beds for under 350k, lots of green, good primaries, villagey feel, local shops, 15 to kings cross); only thing is some would argue is not really london anymore.

Axisofevil- No way would op get a decent 3 bed in wanstead or s.woodford for 350, probably could in woodfrod green or woodford though.

Used to live in Walthamstow Village. Was v uncool when we moved there (we loved it because of proximity to Epping Forest and easy to get into Central London; lovely cottagey houses and quiet, family area) but by the time we moved out (3 years later) it was all v trendy (and expensive) but might still be worth a look...

hi, we moved from stepney to harrow a few years ago. mainly cos we have family here but it's really unfashionable so v cheap, really nice harmoniously mixed community and loads of transport options quite green. we cam here cos of family but would have looked at walth/lewisham/crystal palace otherwise. have you looked at hte span estates in blackheath? otherwise out towards essex is good vfm. really dont like wood green personally but my experience of it is from about 12 years ago so may have got better.

I used to live in East Finchley and I liked it. You're 20 minutes walk from Highgate tube/village (slightly different directions though). You're also walking distance from Muswell Hill.

East finchley has its own tube, a few shops, a butcher I'm sure1! and you can get a bus to brent cross/golders green/camden/islington

Loved living there. Not sure it's cheap exactly but it would be less than highgate or hampstead/muswell hill/crouch end.

Thanks all for such useful comments. Zebramummy Walthamstow Village does sound really lovely - would like to go and have a look at it - but think we are now veering towards SE London as it seems you can get much more for your money - north London soo much more expensive unless we go further out, which I don't want to do. We have family in SE London too so that makes sense. There seems to be tons of parks too and from what I remember of living in SE London a few years back it does seem somehow more open and relaxed than North ... Forest Hill is really appealing at the mo, sounds lovely - also Brockley/Nunhead - seems more affordable here, I think, than Crystal Palace, which I also like the sound of ... just need to find out a bit more about schools!

I like East Finchley, but it's not villagey. It doesn't have that local-shops-sense-of-community thing going on (yet). No doubt it will do in years to come, though, as Finchley in general attracts all the 'We cant afford Highgate/Muswell Hill' peeps.

You'll deffo get more for your money south of the river, but you will also get a helluva lot more bluffing from estate agents about 'Village life' and will need to do your research if you don't want to end up in some charming little 3 street enclave bordered on all sides by crack dens

Yes Forest Hill is nice. when you come out of the station it's like a small town. Lots of shops and cafes. If I am thinking of the right plac.e