Moving to Orpington/Sidcup area

[ChildOfThe70s]

We currently live in central London and are planning to move out of town a bit so that we can have more space. DH will have to commute into Cannon Street, and doesn't want to do more than about 1/2 hour on the train. So far, Orpington and Sidcup seem the best places in terms of affordability for us, easy commute, good schools, etc but we don't really know either all that well! Anyone know both or either? Which would you prefer and why?
Many thanks!

Anyone??

Hi there!

I live in Dartford but work in Sidcup and find that it seems to be a lovely place to live. Although Sidcup is quite close to London it has excellent access to countryside parks and walsk, and is right close to the A2/A20 which will get you to the M25 in less than 10 mins. Schools are brilliant and if we could afford it we'd move there like a shot! Hope this helps

xx

Petts Wood is nice and is on the same line as Orpington (one stop before i think). Also Sevenoaks is lovely but futher away. Knowl Park is located in Seveonaks where you can take a stroll through the park and see the deer. If it were me i would go Seveonoaks but if you want to be closer, try Petts Wood or Chislehurst.

Thanks both, Sevenoaks is definitely a bit too far for us although I know it is really lovely. Petts Wood does look nice though, and also like you said slightly closer to central London. Somehow Sidcup feels more like the suburbs of London to me than Orpington does, not sure why! I guess we will keep looking for property in both areas and when we find the right place we'll know it!

Sidcup is a nice area, have got lots of friends that live there and go there a fair bit.
Brand new council leisure centre at Lamorbey with a lovely pool suitable for children. Great schools. Good access to parks.
Selective school system for senior school, close to Chis and Sid Grammar school. But then a lot of children in Orpington succumb to taking the 11+ too.

I went to school in Sidcup and found it pretty dire tbh --no way I would move back. Think it would be a bit of a culture shock from central London (I used to get spat at/name called down the high st for looking a bit gothy).

Orpington to me means industrial estates but I think there might be some nice villages around there.

Chislehurst and Petts Wood are quite nice but pricey. What's your budget?

Both have nice areas but also pretty grotty areas too. Sidcup is in Bexley which has the grammar school system (if you're interested).

Chelsfield, has it's own station aswell.

I have to say I did not have great times in Sidcup. I got punched in Sidcup High Street once and people were quite hostile compared to other places I have lived.

My son went to school in Bexley ( pre-prep) and I tended to head into Bromley etc for socialising and shopping.
If it were me I would go further out - Orpington or Sevenoaks

Orpington is a good commuter town, Chislehurst and Petts Wood are more up-market and this is reflected in house prices.. There are some great primary schools and it has a couple of grammar schools as well.

We are in a village near Sevenoaks and can thoroughly recommend it. I have friends who have older children who go to St Olave's and Newstead Woods in Orpington, both of which are very good secondaries ( selective grammars ).

We moved from Blackheath 5 years ago and whilst at first it was a bit of a culture shock, I am very happy here now. Its not exactly a cultural melting pot round here, but links to London are great, gorgeous countryside, good schools and Bluewater for shopping make it all very easy.

My inlaws live in petts wood and my other half grew up there. It's not too far out from London there's not much to it. Good for trains though.

What's your budget? Beckenham is 30 mins from cannon st/cha cross, 20 mins from London bridge and victoria. It's got some really nice properties, only zone 4 but feels further out. Also easy to get out a bit further for walks via train or car. It also has loads of good schools. Town centre is small but a few places to eat, good supermarkets and Bromley/Croydon/bluewater are not far to drive either.

Thanks everyone, sorry not to have come back to this thread before now! Iggly, had not thought of Beckenham, will have a look. We want to spend about £450k, 3-4 beds which seems to be about right for Sidcup/orpington. Wouldn't want to go as far as Sevenoaks, although it is nice, just because of travelling times etc.

Hello Child of the 70s!
Have you moved yet? We are currently looking at moving out of out beloved Blackheath as we're running out of space and can't afford in this area. We've had a look at Chelsfield and Green Street Green so if you made the move into the Orpington area it would be great to hear how you're settling in!

I lived in Sidcup for a few years and my adult son lives there now. Be careful where you choose your house in Sidcup. DA14 is far better than DA15. The Blackfen part of Sidcup (which is DA15) is rough!
Roads within walking distance of the high street and Queen Mary's Hospital are the best. Look at the maps on Rightmove.

The other part of Sidcup is down Sidcup Hill, a bit dingy.

Orpington is not all that good, frankly.

Chislehurst is nice, even the bits near New Eltham Station but you do need to drive around any area you fancy, day and night, to get a feel for it.

All the best with your search.

This thread is 8 years old ffs @Rebecca36

still useful, actually looking to move to sidcup from peckham.

For what it’s worth we live in Sidcup (DA15) and really like it! It is suburbia without being too far out and despite what was said about DA15 above we are close to the station, parks, schools and shops/ restaurants. A few nice new places and micro pubs have popped up recently too which Is good and means there are reasonable options within walking distance. We have found it to be a really nice community with lots of people having lived in the area a long time. We’re very happy here!
(Realise it’s an old thread but just in case it helps someone else?!) x

In the middle of a house purchase in Sidcup at the moment (also DA15). Really looking forward to moving in assuming no last minute hitches.

The blanket comment about DA15 being rough seems a bit misguided. Lamborey Park/Marlborough Park/The Hollies/The Oval and surrounds are nice. Up towards Blackfen Road gets a bit more rough and ready but that's a very small part of the postcode.

The Sidcup area has changed since these posts began in 2010. More and more people have been priced out of areas like Blackheath and Greenwich. You can get a small two bed house in DA15 for £300K and there are some lovely 3 bed victorians in DA14 for around the £375-400K mark.

Sidcup and New Eltham stations have trains that take 15 minutes to London Bridge and 23 minutes to Charing x/Waterloo and the housing is very affordable for London. It's also only a 15-20 minute drive to Blackheath. There isn't as much diversity but this is changing as the demographics are changing.

The Grammar Schools in Bexley have a very good reputation and it's safe and Green.

The nicer part in my opinion is the Lamorbey district (DA14). The Bexley Borough in general suffers from its past association with the BNP (they had their headquarters in Welling many years ago).

This is all really helpful for me too. We’re thinking of moving to Sidcup as our children need access to Sidcup & Chislehurst schools, other half works in Bromley, & I work around the Beckenham/Bromley/Orpington/Petts Wood & sometimes Sidcup areas.
Is the area around Foots Cray any good? Our budget is ideally max £400K for a 3 bed.

FootsCray is the less nice side of Sidcup in my opinion but good for transport and there's a giant Tesco there. Properties seem to be cheaper there as it's further from the stations. There's a 3 bed for sale on Main Rd which is in the nicer Lamorbey District of Sidcup for £400K that looks quite nice but think it has a downstairs bathroom with an upstairs loo. It's been on for a few weeks so you might be able to make an offer if you like it.

Lived in sidcup for quite a few years now..absolutely LOVE it...currently live in a 4 bed semi with massive garden ..walking distance from 3 really good senior schools .....one is a grammer school ....i previously lived in a 3 bed then before that a 2 bed all in the same area ...so have moved up the ladder to buy my 4 bed house ...Waitrose and a newly revamped morrisons nearby ...variety of independent restaurants and now 3 micro brewerys in sidcup...sidcup price tag has gone up considerably in the past few years though with 4 bed in my area near lamborey price are around the 650 price tag....and some houses way in excess of that...I also like central London for shopping etc ...so sidcup is a great location to just pop on a train ...and in less than 30 mins your there ..sidcup was not so long ago voted as one of the best places in London to live and is within bexley which is the second safest place in London to live in 2019...safety for my family is sooo important.....and incidentally bexley has more parks and green spaces than any other london borough....I prefer sidcup to most surrounding areas...ie bromley ...orpington...New eltham ....there is only a tiny part of sidcup that is a little rough leaving about but 85 per cent which is lovely which is massive compared to other places where the divide is much bigger .... I have also lived in north london and east London ..and Essex and Hertfordshire in the past....and sidcup is the place I have lived for the longest and plan to stay.......some people mention ...sevenosks.and places like tonbridge .which are meant to be nice.etc but these places are remote and are too far outside of London ..and have become somewhat unfashionable due their remote ocation ...so enjoy sidcup.. it's safety..it's schools, restaurants and quiet life ..and it you want mad hustle and bustle jump on a train into central.london ...... it is the perfect place in every way...enjoy ..