Location, Location, Location - Thurs 5th Sept - East Dulwich

[PN33]

Otta Wrote:

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> Personal taste I guess, but I'd pick Forest Hill

> over Nunhead in a heartbeat!

Nothing against Forest Hill, I guess it's just personal taste. I really like the fact that Nunhead is zone 2, close to Peckham and the nice green open-ness of the Rye, The Old Nuns Head is a cracking pub and the vibe just seems perfect... Peckham has become too hipster and we're possibly a bit young for ED/Honor Oak (we're only 26!) so Nunhead seems like the perfect compromise.

What do folks think about Catford? I know it's got a bad reputation (although I've never actually seen it for myself).... it's never been on our list of desirable places to live but we can't ignore the fact that a beautiful, 2 bed period property in Catford will sell for about as much as a grotty, ex-LA, one bed flat in Peckham

[midivydale]

PN33

We have just started exploring catford as well. I dont know much about the area but have started looking at houses and schools. It reminds me abit of how Nunhead was when we moved here in 2006 (before the BMW's and Range Rovers came to Ivydale). Along with some other more obvious choices Beckenham, Bromley, Sydenham etc Catford is def an area we are considering. I think it is the only area in London where we could afford a house with a garden:)

[Jeremy]

Catford... it's a little ropey, but the KFC loving cat puts a smile on my face every time I drive through.

 

[red devil]

Jeremy Wrote:

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> I quite like the shed. Kinda small though...

...would make a good rehearsal room ;-)

[MrBen]

> Peckham has become too hipster and we're possibly

> a bit young for ED/Honor Oak (we're only 26!) so

> Nunhead seems like the perfect compromise.

Funny, as 8-10 years ago ED was filled with an influx of 20 somethings. With house prices what they are it's effectively created a demographic barrier. SE22 is now essentially a family dormitory with a few bars that come to life at weekends. It now feels more sleepy than buzzy in the evenings as a result.

[red devil]

MrBen Wrote:

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> Funny, as 8-10 years ago ED was filled with an

> influx of 20 somethings. With house prices what

> they are it's effectively created a demographic

> barrier. SE22 is now essentially a family

> dormitory with a few bars that come to life at

> weekends. It now feels more sleepy than buzzy in

> the evenings as a result.

Northcote Road : The Second Coming...

[MrBen]

Only few years ago there was a certain smugness amongst some to being within SE22 boundaries. Previously ED had a less contrived bar/pub life and rather a bit more soul. I'm now rather envious of Peckham, Camberwell, Nunhead and Forest Hill and find myself spending more time in all of them. I'll often walk to Nunhead rather than LL to do my Saturday shop as I get to cross the park, buy great fish and meat and return with an extra tenner in my pocket. Peckham and Camberwell are now just more fun places to go out too.

[El Pibe]

normally I'd have leapt on use of the 's' word, but in fairness I concur with all points made. Obviously having been a 20 something who now has a family, I do find that we tend to head out unless we're meeting one of about 2 remaining friends here.

Otta will be glad to know that even Sydenham's looking rather spruce these days!!

[richardblack]

PN33 Wrote:

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> Otta Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Personal taste I guess, but I'd pick Forest

> Hill

> > over Nunhead in a heartbeat!

>

> Nothing against Forest Hill, I guess it's just

> personal taste. I really like the fact that

> Nunhead is zone 2, close to Peckham and the nice

> green open-ness of the Rye, The Old Nuns Head is a

> cracking pub and the vibe just seems perfect...

> Peckham has become too hipster and we're possibly

> a bit young for ED/Honor Oak (we're only 26!) so

> Nunhead seems like the perfect compromise.

>

> What do folks think about Catford? I know it's got

> a bad reputation (although I've never actually

> seen it for myself).... it's never been on our

> list of desirable places to live but we can't

> ignore the fact that a beautiful, 2 bed period

> property in Catford will sell for about as much as

> a grotty, ex-LA, one bed flat in Peckham

We moved to Catford (very central) because getting onto the ladder wasn't even a goer for us in East Dulwich unless we wanted a box room bed sit type place. Ok it's not as pretty, we don't really have 'posh' shops. But we use the ones within 5mins walk of us now far more than we did the ones 5mins walk from where we lived in East Dulwich. It's just London though, its the cycle that happens, eventually all places become unaffordable for certain segments of society and become more places to visit, than places to live. Who would have thought that Brixton would have ended up how it is today when I moved to London 11 years ago. If you were lucky enough to have already been here before 'it started' then good luck to you, but don't be amazed when people have to move away.

[PN33]

Ok great, interesting points raised. To be fair we have enjoyed living in East Dulwich for the last couple of years but there are elements of it which just don't suit our age group/situation. I think it's a fantastic place to live as a young family but we're not there yet and won't be for a good 5 years. I run a club night in Brixton and DJ/produce electronic music, and ED just doesn't have that arty creative edge which I like about Peckham and that seems to be apparent in Nunhead to a (refreshingly) lesser extent.

I think I'm probably just going to hold out for something in Nunhead/Forest Hill, whilst potentially having a look out a bit further to Catford and the other way, to Deptford. We have been assured by several estate agents that we will have no problem moving to these areas with our budget and that it's just a case of waiting for more to come onto the market after the summertime lull.

[NewWave]

At the risk of inviting a torrent of abuse, I do find ED somewhat smug, And visiting any cafe during the day or for brunch more often than not feels like I'm crashing a kindergarden or Mother and baby group.

The only reason I visit Lordship lane tends to be for SMS Healthfoods and Roullier White.

[Jeremy]

NewWave Wrote:

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> I do find ED somewhat smug

I don't want to agree with you... but yet I kind of do. I think it's unavoidable now that ED's labelled a "desirable" place to live. However, countless areas of SW/W/N London are far higher on the smugness scale.

[Earl Aelfheah]

How can an area be smug. What does that even mean?

[Foxhelp]

How can you not understand rahrahrah?

[LondonMix]

People use the word smug in London in a way that's totally ridiculous. It's supposed to mean "having or showing an excessive pride in oneself or one's achievements". In what way do people around here do that? Smug has just become shorthand for -- people have money.

[*Bob*]

I think it means that the last round of incomers (who moved here several years ago) now feel that they've been here long enough to trot out the same kind of stuff that they've forgotten people said about them back when they arrived.

The king is dead. Long live the king.

[Too Good To Be True]

I quite like the Time Out description of East Dulwich: "A parody of urban middle class living"

[BrandNewGuy]

And the non-parody urban middle class living area(s) would be where?

[LondonMix]

Exactly-- where you live in London is so fraught with emotion I feel like people are excessively sneery about changing demographics.

[LondonMix]

Exactly :) and I say that as someone who's been here for pushing 10 years...

*Bob* Wrote:

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> I think it means that the last round of incomers

> (who moved here several years ago) now feel that

> they've been here long enough to trot out the same

> kind of stuff that they've forgotten people said

> about them back when they arrived.

>

> The king is dead. Long live the king.

[*Bob*]

The people who paid a very reasonable 500k for their little house are ok.

It's the ones who paid 800k who I can't stand.

[Vik]

elloriac Wrote:

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> Speaking of Rightmove & insane prices, has anyone

> seen this shed for sale on Forest Hill Road?

> http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope

> rty-42812591.html

>

> It's on the corner of Forest Hill Road & Brenchley

> Gardens - attached is 2 photos of what it looks

> like from the street. ?350K, one bed 'mini house'

No way! I grew up in a flat in the big house that this 'mini house' is attached to, it was a garage for years, a garage! Now it's up for ?300k. Unbeliveable.

[Too Good To Be True]

Sorry that was a misquote...

"Somehow, since the millennium, East Dulwich has gone from being a relaxed, vaguely bohemian secret to a caricature of middle-class urban living. The online East Dulwich Forum is one of the most active local area forums in the country, where people get hot under the collar about unsightly advertising hoardings, noise after 10pm, and whether chain shops are welcome (Waitrose only, it seems)"

Plenty of places don't fit that description: Battersea, Nunhead, Camberwell?

It is still a pleasant enough area to live in!

[edd]

Roaring at Time Out.

from a (secretly very smug) FHer.

[*Bob*]

Oh how I wish I could have lived in ED back when it was a 'bohemian secret'.. It sounds diviiiiine.

What a bell-end.