Considering moving to Dulwich and need some advice

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

£4000 pcm is a very comfortable budget. Not unlikely that you could live in Dulwich Village in a decent sized house, be close to good state school, be close to North Dulwich station, be close to the park AND be on the P4 bus route. The P4 isn't perfect but it runs 5am to 1am, and connects directly to Honor Oak Park (and Brixton for the tube and Loughborough Junction for Thameslink).

But wherever you end up - agree totally with newresidentindulwich that minimizing the number of car journeys day to day will be a big plus...

[Ginmonkey]

I mean minimising the number of car journies you make is just sensible wherever you live in London. It's not a unique feature of SE London.

[rachp]

I think the whole area is child friendly and as others have said, they just have different vibes which you need to assess for yourself, and based on what you like. I don’t know how much of a concern this is for now but it’s amazing how quickly you need to start thinking about secondary school and I think the options start to get less straightforward than at primary school age. The charter schools in east and north Dulwich are popular but have tight catchments. I don’t know much about other schools. If you want to get your kids settled into a primary and keep them there, it’s just worth thinking about. Good luck.

[malumbu]

I'm glad we didn't worry about catchment areas when we moved before having kids. It all managed to work out OK. The whole selecting schools/location just causes so many issues. I love to quote a radio 4 programme, "the middle class worry most about schools yet have the least to worry"

I know many here won't agree but I've already had it etched onto my gravestone 😊

[CPR Dave]

The High Street in Forest Hill is also known as the South Circular.

East Dulwich is a great place to live with a young family. You and your kids will make lots of very good supportive friends here.

[lenah]

What about Crystal Palace ? Up by the triangle?

 

Crystal Palace has overground + trains, but a bit of a distance from SE23?

[Ella Menopee]

First of all I wanted to say how sorry I am to hear about your wife. You have a lot to bear, especially with young children.

If you live in Herne Hill or Dulwich you would triple your access to train lines as you would have London Bridge from North Dulwich station, and Victoria from Herne Hill as well and Farringdon, City Thameslink and King’s Cross from Herne Hill. The overground at Denmark Hill is also a short bus ride away. That would get you to Canary Wharf.

I think with your budget you would easily find somewhere to rent and then you can reassess after a year. I looked on Rightmove and there is a cottage on Dekker Rd which is Dulwich/East Dulwich for well under your current rent.

Good luck!

[Bic Basher]

What about Crystal Palace ? Up by the triangle?

 

Crystal Palace has overground + trains, but a bit of a distance from SE23?

 

And the 122 bus to Forest Hill which takes around 15-20 mins depending on the traffic. Cycling or driving to Forest Hill would be faster but I wouldn't say it's that far from CP.

[Yz871]

First of all I wanted to say how sorry I am to hear about your wife. You have a lot to bear, especially with young children.

If you live in Herne Hill or Dulwich you would triple your access to train lines as you would have London Bridge from North Dulwich station, and Victoria from Herne Hill as well and Farringdon, City Thameslink and King’s Cross from Herne Hill. The overground at Denmark Hill is also a short bus ride away. That would get you to Canary Wharf.

I think with your budget you would easily find somewhere to rent and then you can reassess after a year. I looked on Rightmove and there is a cottage on Dekker Rd which is Dulwich/East Dulwich for well under your current rent.

Good luck!

 

Thank you.

I will have a look on Rightmove. I am only looking at Dulwich and neighbouring areas now. Getting to my mum's from Blackheath doesn't seem particularly straightforward, so I don't think I'll be looking at properties there.

The kids really want a puppy as well and Dulwich seems like a pet-friendly area.

[alex_b]

The Western edge of S15 (‘Bellenden Village’) is worth looking at e.g. Choumert, Nutbrook, Ogglander. The pros over SE22 are better transport links via Peckham Rye vs East or North Dulwich or Forrest Hill. It’s also marginally cheaper.

The Belham is a good state primary and the Villa is well regarded for pre-school. Peckham Rye is as good as Dulwich Park for outdoor space.

Depending on where in the city you’re based the commute is pretty good. I work on Fleet St and can drop my son at before school clubs at 7:50 and comfortably be at my desk by 8:30 with a coffee in hand.

The Thameslink takes you to Blackfriars, City Thameslink and Farringdon. The overground links to the Elizabeth line for Liverpool St and District line for Aldgate/Tower. Plus you have Southern for London Bridge and a walk/bus to Monument/Bank or on to the Northern Line for Moorgate etc. What I like is the flexibility that if one line has problems then there are alternative routes.

[Yz871]

The Western edge of S15 (‘Bellenden Village’) is worth looking at e.g. Choumert, Nutbrook, Ogglander. The pros over SE22 are better transport links via Peckham Rye vs East or North Dulwich or Forrest Hill. It’s also marginally cheaper.

The Belham is a good state primary and the Villa is well regarded for pre-school. Peckham Rye is as good as Dulwich Park for outdoor space.

Depending on where in the city you’re based the commute is pretty good. I work on Fleet St and can drop my son at before school clubs at 7:50 and comfortably be at my desk by 8:30 with a coffee in hand.

The Thameslink takes you to Blackfriars, City Thameslink and Farringdon. The overground links to the Elizabeth line for Liverpool St and District line for Aldgate/Tower. Plus you have Southern for London Bridge and a walk/bus to Monument/Bank or on to the Northern Line for Moorgate etc. What I like is the flexibility that if one line has problems then there are alternative routes.

Thank you.

I usually travel to Bank station. Moorgate is also a short walk.

[malumbu]

Lots of advice on commuting; I hope you consider cycling both for work, and family. We have great routes into central London, 98 percent of my commuting is by bike and I also used this to ferry young children to child minders. Some of the local schools are very pro bike. Electrically assisted small people carriers are now all the rage in the area.

[malumbu]

Just to add on physical activities the wider area is good eg kids' football, park runs and the like

Have a look at the What's On section of this site to get a good idea including cultural activities, much will be family friendly

[Earl Aelfheah]

If you do want to catch the tube at Brixton it’s very easy to cycle there (around 10 minutes from the village). You can take a Lime bike (electric hire bike) for the same cost as a bus ticket)

[Bic Basher]

If you do want to catch the tube at Brixton it’s very easy to cycle there (around 10 minutes from the village). You can take a Lime bike (electric hire bike) for the same cost as a bus ticket)

 

23p per minute on Lime works out at 2.30 plus a £1 unlocking fee for 10 minutes, a bus fare is £1.65 with unlimited changes between buses for 62 minutes. The Lime ride passes work out better value for money, 60 minutes for £4.99 which are valid for three days or £9.99 for 120 minutes with no unlocking fees.

[zork]

As someone who grew up in Hammersmith have now lived in East Dulwich for 12 years, commuting all over town for work, I can tell you how much easier and more pleasant I find taking the trains, and buses than the tubes. And if you work in the city, how much more accessible it’ll feel from here.

All the areas mentioned are great places to bring up children, we are so happy we have done so with ours. Though I would say Blackheath won’t be as convenient if your reason for moving is mainly to be near your mother.

Good luck. I’m sure you and your family will be very happy here.

[Spartacus]

Getting to Bank area is fairly easy

Train from East Dulwich or Peckham Rye to London Bridge the a short walk across the River via monument and you are at Bank.

[NewWave]

The Western edge of S15 (‘Bellenden Village’) is worth looking at e.g. Choumert, Nutbrook, Ogglander. The pros over SE22 are better transport links via Peckham Rye vs East or North Dulwich or Forrest Hill. It’s also marginally cheaper.

The Belham is a good state primary and the Villa is well regarded for pre-school. Peckham Rye is as good as Dulwich Park for outdoor space.

Depending on where in the city you’re based the commute is pretty good. I work on Fleet St and can drop my son at before school clubs at 7:50 and comfortably be at my desk by 8:30 with a coffee in hand.

The Thameslink takes you to Blackfriars, City Thameslink and Farringdon. The overground links to the Elizabeth line for Liverpool St and District line for Aldgate/Tower. Plus you have Southern for London Bridge and a walk/bus to Monument/Bank or on to the Northern Line for Moorgate etc. What I like is the flexibility that if one line has problems then there are alternative routes.

Thank you.

I usually travel to Bank station. Moorgate is also a short walk.

 

To Get to Bank from Forest Hill I get the overground to Shadwell then the DLR to Bank.

The advantage of Forest Hill over ED is that you have two choices of Overground trains there and back those from/to Crystal Palace and West Croydon

Of course if you caught the London bridge train instead then you can change to the Northern Line.

My advice if looking around the SE23 Horniman Gardens area is to look into the 1960's town houses lots of light, a good size and in nice 'private' feeling roads that are access only.

Also for some reason they go a lot cheaper (to rent and buy) than Victorian and actually having owned a Victorian terrace before I much prefer the layout and light in these (we actually were specifically looking for a 60's townhouse when we moved here for this reason)

Good luck!

We found our house through Pedders and they were excellent

[Sue]

Getting to Bank area is fairly easy

Train from East Dulwich or Peckham Rye to London Bridge the a short walk across the River via monument and you are at Bank.

 

It's also an easy walk to Moorgate from London Bridge if you don't want to take the tube, and probably quicker.

[hellosailor]

Have sent a DM