Places with similar vibe to East Dulwich

[philosophie]

I absolutely love living in East Dulwich and have done so for ten years. But I have a baby now and need to make a move eventually! We really can't afford the houses here. Saying that, every time I visit somewhere to scope it out, it just doesn't feel the same. I'm worried I've been completely spoilt.

Are there any towns or particular areas in cities that strike you as having an East Dulwich vibe? Pref in the south-east, south-west or East Anglia? I know the area has its downsides too but I have always loved the unique and independent shops and cafes, the big green spaces, the community feel, the arty and artisan, the food and the gorgeous streets where I can nosily peek through all the big bay windows...!

Help!

[????]

Lewis, Leigh-on-Sea, Whitstable are the normally mentioned ones

[MrsR]

Bexhill on sea is nice

[NewWave]

whitstable, Leigh on sea or Westcliff on sea, also Worthing is good-great transport and near Brighton-we have friends who brought there (couldn't afford Brighton) and I loved the cafes and vibe

[Froglander]

Totnes.

[Seabag]

I loved living in ED, twice.

I?ve lived in CP & Sydenham too. All felt special in their way. But, and a big bit is it?s frikkin impossible to settle with children in these places without a certain compromise, which is space.

Anyways, wind forward. My fianc? is from Sevenoaks, we have an 8 month old baby, we just moved again (after living at her small house) in Sevenoaks and I?m really happy. It just takes time and a lot of curiosity to find all the things you like again. Sure I miss a few things, but I?ve gained a whole lot more.

We moved into a 5 bed semi last week. It is the nicest place I?ve ever lived in. And I?m 24 minutes from London Bridge by fast train. I can drive in in about an hour , as I still have my business in Bermondsey.

The air is cleaner, it?s safe. It?s conservative with a small c. But I?m liking the proximity to the country side very much. Plus we?ve got many friends who?ve moved here from Putney, Penge, Ealing, Clapham and such like. Lots of Londoners here for sure.

I?ve adjusted, and I wish I?d done it sooner.

Great butchers etc here too.

Oh yes, and we have a Waitrose in walking distance.

[PeckhamNicola]

St.Ives, Norwich.

[malumbu]

What is the East Dulwich Vibe? Thinking more of the village, there are probably more ostentatious places, Hebden Bridge for example.

[philosophie]

Never said thank you for all these excellent suggestions. Hoping that one day soon I can actually go and visit some of them!

[Pugwash]

Lived in ED since 1950s, had spell in Forest Hill for about 4 years, but moved back in the 1970s. We love our house, which is really too big for the 2 of us now the family have moved out (Orpington, Harlow, Worthing) but with 8 grandchildren and one great grandson. who in non covid times would stay over, we do not want to move.

There will come a point where we need to move to a smaller property due to mobility issues, but would still need 2 double bedrooms and a single room, a small garden and good car parking.

We like ED - hubby grew up in West Dulwich, but spent time with grandmother/aunts in ED. We do community and voluntary work in ED, our friends for the most part live in ED and surrounds, we have good GPs (The Gardens). We are not in the posh end of ED (when our daughters were young we were not in the catchment area for Dulwich Village and Dulwich Hamlet schools)Nor could we afford private education. We also frequent the Bread of Life cafe and Fair Trade Centre when they are open.

I like Orpington as has a mixture of housing (bungalows/large houses/flats etc) good shopping centre but does not have the community feel of ED. Our daughter having lived in Orpington in same house for over 15 years only knows a couple of her neighbours as most people keep to themselves.

[Steven Taylor]

There is plenty of wealthy and pretentious areas like East Dulwich outside of London- although unlike the Champagne Socialists round here, you'll find most of them will vote Tory and be quite right wing.

[malumbu]

Wouldn't put it as blunt as that but yes, it feels more parochial, lets diverse and conservative with both small and large c's. Then you will have the people who tell you how they had to move out because of the schools.

In the pretty country areas you also get the clash of old money vs new.

And (maybe less so now) I've had occasions where people tell me how they 'had' to move away from inner London because of 'them' in a hushed tone ie 'ethnics'.

But that said these are my biased opinions, formed in part as I grew up in such an area, and on the odd chance I do go back that part of middle England still feels as it is from another era - and they hate London and Londoners too.

[KidKruger]

I'm sort of in the same process, I've bought 4 acres with a 3-bed detached bungalow (I prefer houses but..), garage, several car parking, and 11x dishevelled corrugated outhouses (big enough for small tractors, livestock, feed, but all requiring replacement one-by-one) for ?250k + 40k renovation (running gas to property, installing central heating for first time, re-wire, new/first double-glazing, new ceilings, replaster throughout, new flooring and carpets, new basic bathroom and kitchen, the works). 2miles from nearest beach.

Probably head-off in summer. Ventnor outskirts.

ETA (in respect of OP): I'd like to maintain some elements of the 'ED vibe' when I go, but each place is different to some extent and you're never gonna recreate/will have to compromise. My (our) needs are changing, so more space, cleaner air, a field for the dogs, I can build a studio and a workshop and we can grow some of our own food, is part of the vibe we're after now !

Seabag Wrote:

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

> I loved living in ED, twice.

>

> I?ve lived in CP & Sydenham too. All felt special

> in their way. But, and a big bit is it?s frikkin

> impossible to settle with children in these places

> without a certain compromise, which is space.

>

> Anyways, wind forward. My fianc? is from

> Sevenoaks, we have an 8 month old baby, we just

> moved again (after living at her small house) in

> Sevenoaks and I?m really happy. It just takes time

> and a lot of curiosity to find all the things you

> like again. Sure I miss a few things, but I?ve

> gained a whole lot more.

>

> We moved into a 5 bed semi last week. It is the

> nicest place I?ve ever lived in. And I?m 24

> minutes from London Bridge by fast train. I can

> drive in in about an hour , as I still have my

> business in Bermondsey.

>

> The air is cleaner, it?s safe. It?s conservative

> with a small c. But I?m liking the proximity to

> the country side very much. Plus we?ve got many

> friends who?ve moved here from Putney, Penge,

> Ealing, Clapham and such like. Lots of Londoners

> here for sure.

>

> I?ve adjusted, and I wish I?d done it sooner.

>

> Great butchers etc here too.

>

> Oh yes, and we have a Waitrose in walking

> distance.

[Sue]

Hope you aren't moving just yet, KK!

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/12/army-helicopters-may-be-sent-to-evacuate-covid-patients-from-isle-of-wight-amid-surge?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

[KidKruger]

Ha ha Sue ! I think people down there took it easy due their very low infection rates, then with Xmas they messed up.

A lesson to us all.

Sue Wrote:

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

> Hope you aren't moving just yet, KK!

>

> https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/12/army

> -helicopters-may-be-sent-to-evacuate-covid-patient

> s-from-isle-of-wight-amid-surge?CMP=Share_AndroidA

> pp_Other

[SpringTime]

Kandahar is nice. Transport links a little

underwhelming but lots of lovely independent boutique shops. Amazing events on at the soccer stadium too. Schools are fantastic.

[KidKruger]

When are you off ?

SpringTime Wrote:

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

> Kandahar is nice. Transport links a little

> underwhelming but lots of lovely independent

> boutique shops. Amazing events on at the soccer

> stadium too. Schools are fantastic.

[SpringTime]

Here now KK, listening to Woman's Hour. Mask adherence not too bad circa 50%

[philosophie]

Ha! I've been here a while and do agree with some of the above that e.d. can be pretentious and stifling and it's definitely changed over the years, not always for the better. But on the whole I've found it an amazing place to live. I grew up in the suburbs so think I have a bit of a phobia of conservative with a small c (and general uniformity) but might have to get over that. I can't afford Sydenham etc either so almost certainly need to get out of London, I think. Anyway, once again, thank you for the suggestions! Leigh on Sea, in particular, has made me daydream about the seaside...