Do you live in Sydenham?

[mrsbee]

I know this isn?t East Dulwich related but I have noticed that some forumites have moved to Sydenham so hoping you can help.

We are looking to move and have found a lovely house near the high street but I?m unsure of the area ? only because I don?t really know it, as it was never on our radar.

We?ve wandered around and although the high street isn?t up to much it has enough and I love the parks and the transport makes it a good option. But what is it really like?

Schools seem good, given the information I have got off the internet but are there any to avoid? Or any blackspots where there are no school options?

Any advice, recommendations would be gratefully received.

[RachC]

Yes we do!

We moved here about three months ago from West London and love it here.

I agree about the high street it is a bit run down and obviously isn't comparable to ED but it is quite a useful high street. Having said this we rarely actually go to the high street. One of the things we love about it is the proximity to the surrounding areas. We are just off Kirkdale and can walk to Forest Hill in 20 mins which we often go to for a coffee or the horniman or the great butchers. 10 mins to the new swimming pool which is great for kids. 15 mins walk to crystal palace park and then a nice walk through the park to shops and cafes in CP. 5-10 min drive to Ed where we also go quite a lot.

Also the area is trying to improve check out the portals pilot scheme www.see3.co.uk

Regarding schools I haven't done extensive research yet as eldest is just 2 but I checked ofsteds of the nearest ones to our house and would be happy with any of them it's such a lottery that it wasn't the most important factor for our move.

You also get more house for your money and the links onto London are great with the quick train to LB and the overground.

Hope this helps feel free to PMme if you want any further info

[kemurf]

I think the High Street is improving but it's never going to be East Dulwich!! Still oodles of pound and charity shops, lovely!

If you are thinking of schools then there are 2 areas for schools; Lower or Upper Sydenham. If you are near the high street or lawrie park your choice of schools potentially is not as good as you are further away from both areas for schools. Potentially.

I think the website is schoolsfinder, if you want to check distances.

Lots of dulwich residents move to sydenham, but Forest Hill is better for shopping, coffee etc...

[crescent]

I live in Sydenham Hill area- a kind of lost area ont he edge of Sydenham, Forest Hill, East Dulwich. I agree with the other poster: while Sydenham High street isn't a destination in the same was as Lordship Lane, you do get more bang for your buck on terms of housing, and you can easily walk/ grab a bus/ drive to all the great things on your doorstep: Crystal Palace Park, Horniman Museum, beckenham and the Odeon cinema and Minor Injuries Unit is not far!

Re schools- really, choice is an illusion, but most of local primaries are OK- but these things chcan change quickly. A couple years ago, Haseltine (sorry Haseltine) was the school everyone seemed t want to avoid... But now It is in federation with Fairlawn (uber outstanding school in se23), and word on the street seems much better (for what it is worth). If you are Catholic, I have friends who have been very happy with St Philip of Neri. Check out the local sydenham forum too for more feedback.

[chrismar]

We've lived in Sydenham for a few years now and really like it. There's a lot of investmnet going into the high street so it won't be long before it improves. And with Crystal Palace and Forest Hill changing fast, it won't be long before investment trickles down the hill. Until then, CP and FH are nearby.

Transport is excellent, especially if you get somewhere near Penge East station which will give you the option of getting into Victoria in 17 mins.

Lots of parks, lots of activities for children. The area is changing a lot - many people moving down from east and west London for the excellent housing stock.

I don't know the latest on schools but there are definitely some in Upper Sydenham that are very popular. The three in lower Sydenham are all rated good, except Haseltine which has a new head and will improve fast.

[Mrs TP]

My hubbie is always banging on about how Sydenham High Street is like Lordship Lane was 15 to 20yrs ago. You get loads for your money up there and its definitely on the up. Also a very family settled area and not as far away as you might think.

[Otta]

I'm from East Dulwich, and love the place. However, I moved to Sydenham in 2006, and have been in our current house since (Near Kirkdale) 2009. If someone offered me a free house in Sydenham or East Dulwich, I'd choose Sydenham without a shadow of a doubt.

Much greener, nicer housing stock, good schools (and everyone at my daughter's preschool got their first choice). The High Street is okay, and you'll see a lot of change over the next few years I think. And to be honest, it feels a bit more "real" than ED does these days.

Plus ED is 10 - 15 minutes on a bus which runs all day and night, so all the good bits of ED are easily accessible.

My only problem with it is that Estate Agents are calling Kirkdale "Kirkdale Village" and trying to make it more like East Dulwich. I don't want that.

Oh, and the pubs are proper pubs. Some people may find them intimidating at first glance, but actually when you go in people chat to you and are really friendly.

[millsa]

Hi, we moved to sydenham just before Christmas from east dulwich and I agree with the posts above - it is great! yes the high street isn't lordship lane but it is improving (and we remember lordship lane ten years ago, it was much worse than today's sydenham high street) and it is actually very useful - great butcher and fish manger, great fruit and veg shops and the unbeatable 'the penge food shop' on the high street which has just about everything and it s always open. And sydenham is very green, transport is great and you are so close to crystal palace park or to beckenham with its great shops and the spa. We moved without knowing the area at all but found a house to die for, and within the budget which had proven way too small for any east dulwich poky cottage. I'm still slowly unpacking and getting used to the area so if mrsbee, or anyone else would like to have a coffee on the high street or mayow park please PM me :)

[bluesuperted]

We have just moved to Forest Hill (and LOVING it despite living in a bombsite) and I don't know Sydenham well at all but a) loving being somewhere that feels more breathable than Peckham/Nunhead borders where we were and b) spent the afternoon at Mayow Park (as we are in a close by section of FH) and it has such a lovely open and laid-back family vibe. I know this thread isn't about FH but our new street and neighbours are so friendly - feels like a proper sense of community and excitement about the area - and I'm so glad we made the move; we were priced out of ED but like others I wouldn't go back now even if we had the budget. In a nutshell I'd say go for it, have found or invigorating to start laying down roots in a new area and sure it'd be the same in SE26 given the positivity surrounding it on here.

[mrsbee]

Thank you all of this information (from both the posts here and the lovely PMs I have received).

We seem to be the in same situation as a few of you ? we are priced out of East Dulwich and have found and amazing house (that we can afford) in Sydenham.

We?re off for another look around tomorrow and all going well we?ll hopefully put an offer in?.

And if we do move there then it would be lovely to meet in the park/ for coffee at some stage.

[oimissus]

we have found a house just behind the high street too (possibly on the same road as mrsbee!) - does anyone know anything about Adamsrill or Alexandra primary schools?

[Townleygreen]

Alexandra seems to be good.

It is a bit confusing, but Alexandra is two separate schools - the junior in Cator road, the infant in Kent House Road (near the station).

Unless your children are junior age when they apply they'll need to be living close to the Kent House (Beckenham) part of the school which they won't be if you're in Sydenham.

I guess if they are of junior age then you'll have a chance of getting them into the Junior school that's in Cator Road though.

[Townleygreen]

oimissus - have a look at this thread on the Sydenham forum

http://sydenham.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=5986

[mrsbee]

Oimissus - I have done some research into schools. What Townleygreen is saying about Alexandra schools is correct bascially you need to be living very close to the infant school in Kent House to get in. For the junior school all the infant school children get an automatic place and then if there are any free spaces it goes on distance to the junior school.

I haven't looked at Adamsrill as the house we are looking at is a bit far awy from there but I did look at Hasletine which used to have a terrible reputation but is now in a federation with Fairlawn and Kilmorie and seems to be doing really well - just recently received an Outstanding Ofsted.

[oimissus]

mrsbee - yes, I rang Haseltine and it seems that the house we are interested in is in the Haseltine catchment, so we are going to have a look around next week. That's good to know about Alexandra, this particular house would be too far away.

[P&J]

Hope all went well for you Mrs Bee in your Sydenham house hunt. I thought you may be interested to know that Sydenham featured in The Times a couple of weeks ago as a sleepy suburb that is stirring........

Details are on the Sydenham Forum:

http://sydenham.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9376

I hear this is start of things to come for Sydenham, a great time to move before prices increase any more from the East Dulwich overspill! The high street is changing a lot at the moment and there is investment in the local parks e.g. Mayow Park pavilion...

[oimissus]

well, we've been doing some mooching about Sydenham, and the parks are lovely, Sydenham Wells is fantastic. Went round Haseltine too and whilst it was impressive and the HT was so enthusiastic etc, it did feel relentlessly urban - it's sited on the junction of 2 busy roads and all you could hear in the playground was the roar of traffic. Which makes me feel slightly better about missing out on the house we liked!

[mrsbee]

I did see the article in the Times - all very positive. We do like the area but (like you oimissus) we also lost out on the house we liked as well. So back to the drawing board for us as not much else on the market at the moment. Fingers crossed something comes up soon.

[verds]

Just bumping this thread as we're thinking of moving to Sydenham. We love Wells Park and would love to move from a flat to a house, but we've just sat on waiting lists to get a school place in ED and of course we love it round here too. Anyone else got pros and cons of moving?

[Mellors]

I live opposite Wells Park with my three children. Its lovely - really nice space for the children (new tennis courts, and table tennis), good community feel (we know all our neighbours) and we walk through the woods to our school in ED which is loads of fun. Also 12 mins on train to Victoria from Sydenham HIll, and overground to everywhere else. We swapped a v small space with no garden in ED for twice the space and a big garden here for the same money - seems like a no brainer to me.

Cons - it costs a fortune to move, you don't have trendy bars/restaurants/shops on your doorstep, and its easier with a car (although parking not an issue).

[se22newmum]

Hi- I am also bumping the thread because we are moving to Sydenham (near Penge East area/Alexandra Park). Id love to hear more about the great things around the area! Thanks :)

[mrsbee]

I had forgotten that I started this post. It is lovely to see all of the great advice that I was given.

As an update we moved here in October and are also near the Alexandra Rec so not far from where you are looking.

Like you we found an amazing house with a big garden that we could afford but wasn't sure about the area.

However I am so glad that we made the move as I do really like it here. There are a some good parks that can easily be walked to (a necessity with 3 young boys), the high street is good (I agree it's not the prettiest row of shops but there is a bakers, butchers/ fishmongers, stationers, book shop, Boots, Penge Food Centre and a couple of nice cafes) and up the road there is a big Sainsburys and a Toysrus. There is also the Dolphin and Golden Lion pubs. One thing Sydenham is missing are a couple of nice restuarants but Crystal Palace up the road you don't have far to go to find some.

Transport is good with both Penge East to Victoria and Sydenham to London Bridge and Overground.

Beckenham is also really close for cinema and more shops and Waitrose (and Gambados if you can bear it).

Do ask if you want to know anything specifically.

[dbboy]

http://sydenham.org.uk/

[Beagle]

We are in Penge east near Alex Rec and it is a lovely area. Both Sydenham and penge high streets are improving all the time and agree with MrsBee although low on restaurants both Crystal Palace and Beckenham have both in abundance.

I loved my many years in East Dulwich but haven't ever felt I am losing out ( although no equivalent of EDF which is why to many of us gatecrash)and in terms of doctors surgeries am better off.

Any specific activities you are looking for SE22newmum?

[cashewnut]

I'm also moving to that area in late spring and would love to get some advice on things to do (will have a toddler and a newborn so anything that will keep the toddler occupied without too much involvement from me is good!) and also find people to meet with little ones of a similar age. I have seen at least one good thread on the Sydenham forum about activities there as well.

http://sydenham.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=10108&sid=e5c4bfa53934246cdfa9cc007547a39c

I won't be around for a while but maybe we could do a meet-up at the playground in Alexandra Rec in the summer?! I'll try to remember to bump this thread when I've moved.