Have you been/lived in Sutton ?

[JulieW]

House prices are more affordable and there seems to be very good schools but is it a nice area to live, especially around Belmont or Cheam? As a family with. 2 young children I am looking for a safe area with good schools and nurseries!

Any advice welcome!!

[Mustard]

My auntie used to live in Worcester Park, which is nearby and was a nice area and still is I think, but I haven't been there for a while. The houses are definitely more affordable there, and often come with garages. Mostly 1930s. Have you looked at New Malden as well? Easy access to Waterloo, and to Wimbledon and Kingston for shopping.

[JulieW]

Hi Mustard, thanks for the tips, will check New Malden. I work in Chiswick so ideally would travel via London Victoria or Clapham Junction. I shall get on with the research!!

[Mustard]

Pretty sure Worcester Park goes to Clapham Junction. Raynes Park goes to Clapham Junction, but don't know about prices. It's in the same area but further in.

[JulieW]

Worcester Park is actually very good for us in terms of transports. Raynes Park probably too expensive for us!

[Mustard]

Yes, Raynes Park is v. close to Wimbledon, with corresponding prices. Saw that Worcester Park and New Malden trains do stop at Clapham Junction. There is a Waitrose in W.Park. My auntie lived in Mayfair Avenue, and there is a 4 bed house for sale there now for 589,950. At that end of WPark, there is a parade of shops with a Co-op, and then further up Central Road, the main shopping area, is a larger array of shops.

[david_carnell]

I grew up in Cheam and went to an all-boys grammar school in Sutton. I now live in SE15.

I can give you my opinions on various aspects. Take them with a pinch of salt. I grew up there and lived there for over 20 years which tends to warp views.

Cheam is effectively 3 different places - the village, North and South. North is the cheapest, has a big Sainsburys but is a little run down and can feel grotty. The Village is the most vibrant and pretty with a good selection of indy and chain shops, a small Waitrose, good pubs and the beautiful Nonsuch Park. South Cheam has the biggest houses on quiet, wide leafy streets but no real amenities aside from a golf course and is a bit dull for my tastes.

I think primary schools will vary according to where you live and ofsted could tell you more than I could.

At secondary, LB of Sutton is one of the few that retains the grammar system. If your child is bright enough, or you can afford endless private tutoring to coach them through the test, then they could end up at some of the best state schools in the country (according to league tables). If the experiences of some pupils that I witnessed are still valid then those schools are very much an academic hot houses and children who don't enjoy that world will struggle. They tend to be good at sports too though. For boys, Sutton Grammar is football, Wallington Grammar is rugby. There are some good comprehensives too - Greenshaw was well-regarded when I was choosing a secondary but, thinking about it, that was 20 years ago so a lot may have changed!

Sutton itself is a larger retail centre but I have little love for it. If the Daily Mail was a town it would be Sutton. The entire place reeks of intolerance, sexual repression and aspirational interior decor. A festering carbuncle that maintains a large population of unsuccessful middle management commuters, who can be seen of a weekend scurrying around town frantically purchasing home electronics and DIY equipment, desperately trying to anesthetize the gaping hole in their miserable existences with rabid consumption.

In terms of safety. Well, Friday and Sat nights in Sutton resemble a cross between the wild west and a Hogarth painting. Otherwise it's pretty much ok I guess. Stuff like car insurance will fall considerably from SE22/SE15 and violent crime is lower although I've always found the suburbs to be more intimidating than inner London.

Anyway, if you have any other questions, let me know. My parents still live there, I visit frequently, so might be able to help. If I had the cash, this place was always my dream home:

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/17508943

[Carbonara]

Beware the Sutton Grammars though, they are the so-called super-selectives that have no distance criteria so take competitive applications from all over S London and beyond. Children travel for miles! So only the tiny top percentage of ability gets in.

The place has no charisma, does it?

Perhaps it will be the ED of the next decade! Buy now.

[Bellenden Belle]

Carbonara Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

nly the tiny top percentage of ability

> gets in.

>

> The place has no charisma, does it?

>

> Perhaps it will be the ED of the next decade! Buy

> now.

Oh Lord - no way will it be the next ED. It's no place to invest in that sense - even the independent shops are dull, with no place we'd ever bother going for a meal. So it's never going to attract the East Dulwich demographic - if such a thing exists.

I spend a fair amount of time there as david_carnell's other half and it reminds me a lot of Southgate in North London where I grew up. There are definite hints of white-flight territory - for those families who believe growing up in inner cities is no place for kids. For me, I feel my world shrink every time I visit.

[DaveR]

Sutton = Croydon, but less exciting

[susyp]

My advice would be to go and visit sutton and w park before looking at houses online etc. very different to east dulwich and I think would be huge culture shock to move from one to the other. Ham in Richmond is fairly affordable for london and in between kingston and Richmond . Near river etc and good schools too

Susypx

[wellington]

We moved to Sutton for the reasons you gave but left after 2 years to live in East Dulwich :)

I agree with what the others have written. We lived in South Sutton in a nice area but there was no sense of community, we didn't know our neighbours well or see them all that often. The town centre is not a very nice place in my opinion. Yes, you can get more for your money but there are other places where you can get the same and are lovely. I wasn't that fond of the surrounding areas either.

If I was interested in moving to that area then I'd look at Banstead although the train services aren't as frequent (or fast) to London.

[inthewoods]

I have a friend in Worcester park. Apparently there is an ongoing wrangle between the council and the Muslim community about a church (?) near the station which would be a good location for a mosque. My friends are concerned that the area would change dramatically if the planning permission was to be granted.

[Pugwash]

I have worked in Sutton and it does not give off good vibes during the day. St Helier Hospital is not very good.

Lots of care and nursing homes in the area. More appealing to older folk than families.

Try Carshalton which a work colleague has recently moved to from Cheam.

[JulieW]

Thank you all for the very useful tips. David_carnell 's quote about the Daily Mail comparison is a cracker! My husband and I enjoyed reading your post very much! We have decided to take a drive towards Belmont/Cheam on Saturday just to have a feel of the area.

Ideally we would rather stay around ED, Beckenham would be our choice if we can afford it but we thought we might investigate further afield. I love the Richmond area but even Ham seems to be too expensive for us.

I might have more questions after Saturday.

Thank you all again!

[scareyt]

My sister lives in Worcester Park, they both work in that area and used to rent in Teddington and loved it but couldn't afford to buy there so kept going east until they could, which ended up being Worcester Park. They are happy there. Houses are affordable, trains go into Clapham and Waterloo and there is a Waitrose but not much else exciting on the high street. You can get to the countryside really easily too. I agree Sutton high street is really horrible though - we used to meet there with our babies as it was easy for us both to get to but it's so depressing that we both now travel further to Wimbledon to meet up instead.

[Carbonara]

BBelle: don't worry, my post was far from offered as serious investment advice, and came delivered with tongue in cheek!

Though to be fair I only know the borough of Sutton as a traffic jam on the way to ghastly theme parks.

[Skeltz]

Lived in Sutton (years ago) and Belmont!!! If it helps, if you live in Belmont, you would really have to get a bus to Sutton for the train links, about 10 mins max along the Brighton Road.

What about Carshalton or Carshalton Beeches?

[JulieW]

And what is Belmont like? Thanks!

[jollyrogers]

Hi, I too grew up in Cheam and David is absolutely right in his analysis of it. I go back to visit my Mum who also still lives there and every time I come home I am glad I live in SE15! Belmont is mostly similar to how David describes south Cheam.