Should we move to East Dulwich

[richyH]

Hello everyone,

First of all, apologies if I have posted this in the wrong area, I'm new to this forum thing. I have never came across an area with such an active residents forum online.

Anyway, we are posting to ask about ED. Myself and a friend have landed graduate jobs in SE London, and ED seems to be the most appealing area. We have both worked in London before for our placement years. Can anyone enlighten me as to what it is like. Due to the nature of our work (Events Managers) we will regularly be travelling home on the night bus, is it relatively safe (I lived in Brixton previously)? Any areas to avoid/concentrate our search on? We would be looking to live near the station.

What we are looking for is a general insight into the area really, what is it like for young professionals (22-23). Also if anyone knows of any 2 double bed flats in the area that would be great.

Much appreciated

Rich and Kerry

[EDOliver]

For a young professional it's a brilliant place to live. There's lots of great places for a night out in a relativaly small area and during the day there's lots of brilliant shops on and around Lordship Lane. I've always felt like it's a hidden S.London gem compared to the much hyped Clapham which everyone is constantly barking on about.

As for safety I've never had a problem. As long as you use your noddle a bit and dont draw attention to yourself I'm sure you'll be fine. Unfortuntaly this is a big city and there's crime whereever you are.

ED rocks - do it.

[davidh]

east dulwich is a great place. you could not do better. lordship lane is an oasis of independent traders, great cafes and bars and a fantastic deli, amazing boutiques etc. do not hesitate!

[amydown]

Absolutely fab. Previously lived in central London (Russell Sq), Elephant and castle, Greenwich and Balham. ED is by far my favourite and as long as we live in London, we wont be looking anywhere else!

[cashewnut]

East Dulwich (to me) feels like a little haven away from the city with nice parks and friendly streets full of families. Is that what you're looking for?

I absolutely love living here now, but I'm not sure I would have wanted to live here when I first came to London as a graduate. If you're into pubs and cafes then it's great, but if you want to feel a part of the big city and/or want to be out all night clubbing then have a think about whether you'd prefer somewhere different. We are pretty well connected here with buses but there are parts of London where you can walk home from central London if you need to or go out to more exciting venues locally. More expensive though so you make a trade-off in terms of space. Also I admit that since moving here I haven't explored the local nightlife fully!

[richyH]

Thanks for all the input. Much appreciated.

cashewnut, I completely understand what you are saying, which is why I posted in the first place. When in London previously we lived at the end of Brixton hill, so rather far out, but it was affordable. Yes we will most likely go out central at the weekend, but have no problem just hopping on the nightbus for 30mins.

Our main reason for choosing ED is, as I said, due to work commitments. I'll be working at Eltham Palace and Rangers House, and will regularly need to travel home on the night bus (It's about 45mins from Eltham Palace, with a change if I remember rightly) Admittedly we have only just started looking, but so far, ED seems to be our best bet, and is definitely one of the nicer areas in SE. Due to working so far out of London, we both sort of need a stepping stone between work and the fun to be had in central.

If you have any suggestions for other areas that would be great too!

[Pickle]

I agree to some extent with Cashewnut. I moved to the area in my 20's and even though I loved it in terms of affordability (at the time!) and local bars/restaurants I did feel a bit like I'd moved to a "grown up" area before I was fully ready to be a grown up!

I had previously lived in Clapham South, and then near Canary Wharf (which was fab, easy transport links and full of young singles). The difference between those areas and ED is that despite living in an apartment in Canary Wharf on a floor with 4 other front doors, I didn't know my neighbours. Within a week of moving here we had been to a pub quiz with our neighbours. Depends what you're looking for!

Then I drank the East Dulwich water and before I knew it I was married and joined the ranks of the grown ups complete with Bugaboo. Stick to bottled water as long as you can ;-)

Good luck.

[kabekay]

I love ED, and have been living here since my early twenties!

I would say, though, that if you know you will be night-bussing home from work on a fairly regular basis, it would be much wiser to live somewhere you can get to without changing bus. Changing night bus is always time consuming, and some night buses only come every 30-60 mins. Not good on a cold and stormy night, at a quiet and lonely bus-stop...

That said, many employers put their staff in taxis if they work past mid-night (I know that in some lines of unionised work it is compulsory, including theatre ushering) so night buses home from work may not be so frequent after all.

[cashewnut]

This was our first stop South of the river so I don't know many secret corners, but you could think about Borough/London Bridge/Bermondsey? Looks like the night bus Eltham Palace goes through London Bridge, and not sure about daytime transport but seems likely you can get out that way easily by train. It's a lively area and a short hop into the centre... You'd probably be looking at a much smaller pad compared to ED though.

[Ukjoncollins]

I'd say if you can find a suitable house here (we really struggled) you'd love it! ED is awesome with so much going on, just check out the whats on section on here! On top of that its only a night bus away from central london so we still manage to go out clubbing. The pubs and bars are awesome too although it does all shut down at mid night.

[simonethebeaver]

I would say if you're coming from Eltham at night, you're better off in Greenwich, which has a direct bus. Quite a cool place too, and good transport links to central London through DLR.

[lozzyloz]

Move to ED? Fab place but be warned if you're of a nervous disposition and happen across a fantastic little gastro cafe which isn't always open when it purports to be. You've been warned ;)

[????]

I like East Dulwich a lot - but would I have wanted to be here in my early 20s? Nah, it's pretty trendy-lite safe 30 something territory surely. I don't see any bar etc I'd have come to in my early 20s certainly. I've never felt it's a 'cool' area tbh. And even less so than maybe 5-7 years ago with more chains etc than then and less quirky bars such as Drum and Inside whatever

[Jeremy]

I think it's a good place. Not sure it's the best place for a 22yr old graduate, but there are plenty of bars which can be quite lively, and it's not that far from central London.

However, the transport is poor (the trains often don't run on weekends), and commuting by bus from Eltham in the small hours sounds horrific. You'd really have to get a car or motorbike. Greenwich/Blackheath would sound like a much better bet, and is probably a better area to live in (albeit more expensive).

[Ukjoncollins]

I wouldn't say Greenwich is a patch on East Dulwich tho... Its nice yer but nowhere near as cool as ED.

[RosieH]

I'm with Jeremy and Quids. Really like ED, but liked it more when there were places like Inside 72 and The Drum to go to. I'm a 30-something and sometimes don't feel grown up enough to live here.

Kind of depends what you're after though, if you want a bit of SE London hipster cool then you could look at Peckham (out-cooled Dalston and Hackney on a recent infographic doing the rounds), or New Cross, or Camberwell. All have a younger crowd.

But if you're more Balham, and comfortable around lots of prams and would like a nice home that smells lovely, then ED could be right up your street.

[anonymous_third_part]

id move to east london if you are younger. east dulwich is fine, but its a bit dull.

the thing is its cheaper than east london here.

[RosieH]

Hmm, I'm unconvinced of that, maybe it depends where you mean in East London. I pay more rent for a similar sized flat here than my boyfriend does on Shoreditch High Street. And that's zone 1.

[healey]

When one considers the leafy surroundings with the reasonable (for London) housing costs then East Dulwich is a brilliant place to live. It's far more pleasant than many super-expensive parts of North London like Crouch End thanks to the more limited transport. As I am your achetypal "nappy valley" thirty-something with a baby on the way, this suits me just fine. ;-)

I used to live in East Dulwich in my 20s before moving to Bethnal Green (Globe road, Brick Lane etc) for a few years with my then girlfriend (now wife). I liked living in both areas, but made a mental note of ED as a good place to return to with a family when I was older.

Given you are both Event Managers I guess you'll already have alot of nights out as part of work, so ED might just be the ticket to escape from all that.

However, there is another option you might seriously consider - Brockley. This area still has reasonable prices and is now on the East London line which takes you into Shoreditch.

[Dorothy]

Hmm, I wouldn't say ED is cool or trendy at all. It is a pleasant suburb which has the big attraction of two beautiful parks, an interesting High Street and very attractive housing stock with not too much bomb damage from the War. It is relatively safe and quiet but increasingly (because of enormous house prices) becoming the domain of the very middle class and middle aged. That makes for a certain bland uniformity, I find - I am sure you can find far more interesting corners of London within commuting distance of Eltham Palace.

[graemewood]

East Dulwich is a lovely place (although beware the distance between E.Dulwich station and many of the houses advertised as being in East Dulwich - the station is at one end of a big area), with plenty of parks, cafes, etc, but it might be a little on the grown-up (ie dull) side for you. (not to criticise East Dulwich - i lived there when i was 24/25 for 6 months before moving to Brixton. I moved back when i had kids).

Depends a bit on where you will be socialising - if you'll be heading Central/East for nightlife you might want to be closer to the E.London Line (New Cross?). Might also be worth looking around Denmark Hill for the direct trains to Eltham - Dog Kennel Hill side of E.Dulwich gets you better station access, so less buses, and edgier Camberwell bars as well as Lordship Lane's nappy valley

[naomijaynehicks]

Highly recommend - also a late 20 something professional working in the city and love E Dulwich - its a safe haven to come back to, feels like you're out of the city, with plenty going on in its own right - but only 10 minutes by train into central London. As an ex north londoner I was v. nervous of lack of tube - but can honestly say I havent missed it in the slightest!

[jane1]

i was born in East Dulwich and have never moved away, i love it here,the people are lovely and friendly, you have some lovely shops and cafes and bars around here also, i wouldnt live any where else...................

[Jah Lush]

Just do it. If you don't like it move. I wouldn't be happy anywhere else.

[DulwichFox]

Welcome to the Hotel California

Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)

Such a lovely face

They livin' it up at the Hotel California

What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise)

Bring your alibis.....

.....Bit more goes here..

.....

Last thing I remember, I was

Running for the door

I had to find the passage back

To the place I was before

"Relax, " said the night man,

"We are programmed to receive.

You can check-out any time you like,

But you can never leave! "

Fox