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Living in Sydenham/Penge East - thoughts?

DelB

By DelB
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DelB

DelB

Posted
Posted

Hello all, I'm new to this forum, I have found it very useful over the past couple of months to get proper insights while flat hunting in SE London. I know the area in question isn't ED but given it's in the same general area I thought I'd ask for some local advice. I'm not from London myself.


I have been flat hunting (to rent) for the past couple of months and it is proving really difficult. Due to my work location I am limited to SE London, but I have found that apart from the nice expensive areas such as Dulwich it is very difficult to find a nice area that isn't run-down with reasonably priced accommodation,


The latest place I have been looking at is just off Sydenham Road - Trewsbury/Cator Road to be precise (the road just after Lidl). The flat seems good and in my budget. I took a walk around the area to get a feel for it. While Sydenham Road itself didnt seem up to much it didn't strike me as particularly grotty or unsafe either like many other areas I have been looking in south London. Trewsbury/Cator road itself and the surrounding residential area actually seems quite nice with large well kept detached and semi detached Victorian houses. And its proximity to Penge East station and Sydenham station and Crystal Palace Park is great.


Anyone care to share their knowledge of the area; is it particularly prone to violence/gang culture etc? I know that south London is a tricky one to judge in that nice areas and rough areas are often only a street or two apart. And I am also aware that nowhere in London is really 'safe', but generally is the place somewhere that I would want to live for the next year? Would closer to the Crystal Palace triangle be better or worse?


Thanks for reading, any advice would be greatly appreciated! :)

K&O Pest Control

K&O Pest Control

Posted
Posted

My mum has lived in Sydenham for over 30years, Silverdale rd. not had any trouble, but I agree with OTTA, the further down Sydenham road you go it does seem to get rather bleak, however saying that there is a lot of money being spent to improve the area, new shops are opening next to Sava centre, there will be B&Q (opened) toys r us, next at home, etc, new flats have been built. don't rule it out, you will save money as rents are cheaper in this area.


Hope this helps

Annette Curtain

Annette Curtain

Posted
Posted

I live in Syders and it's gradually changed for the better year on year, I know that end and it fairly quiet tbh


Sydenham Road is never going to be a dazzling high street but it is functional, it reminds me of Walworth Road since the revamp


Gang Culture here's not a big thing, IMO


I'd say move here and enjoy, plus really good connections to East London and beyond


Oh and PFC is a world of joy & where else has a "Chef's Delight"

melvininthepalace

melvininthepalace

Posted
Posted

Lived in Sydenham for 18 months till last year and never came across anything that would have put me off living there again were it not to be closer to family.

We lived in the kirkdale area but was always down on the high street and never had any issues.

My wife slightly misses it now in comparision to the burbs where we now live!

malumbu

malumbu

Posted
Posted

Lived in Sydenham for nine years in the 80s and 90s. Since then they destroyed a historic pub (shame on then), lost a knitting/material shop, a nice Indian restaurant and some other odds and sods. Traffic is as bad as ever, Slatters is as popular as ever but will never be the same since they stopped baking their own bread and got rid of the old photos if Mr Slatter with contestants on the Generation Game (Ken was on the last show ever). The Dolphin has been done up, the Golden Lion will helpfully continue trading, and no one has been bludgeoned to death (sick comment, sorry).


Crims still live in the private roads, Lower Sydenham quickly becomes Beckenham and the nice bits of Penge, there are some nice cycle tracks, they have a Screwfix, The Penge East sevice is excellent, and the houses on that side decent with some traffic calming. And the Old Bath House.


Despite having a Blue Mountain Cafe it is not poncy like East Dulwich, the pubs have not all been turned into Gastros, and not full of yummy mummies. East Dulwich - you know what you are! So go for it.


Never liked the Bell Green part though.

DelB

DelB

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks for the replies, very helpful. So the consensus is good then it seems. It definitely seems like it's getting better, nice to see that money is being put into it..funny how the paving on Sydenham Road is way better than a lot of high streets in more central areas.


It would certainly be a big adjustment from Clapham where I currently live but I don't mind somewhere quieter once it's not completely dead, relatively safe to walk at night, and easy to get to and from the city centre.

numbers

numbers

Posted
Posted

I really hate the term 'yummy mummies'. It is as offensive as 'chavs' in my opinion.


Sorry, just read this thread as two of my good friends live in Sydenham, one in Lower Sydenham where she say the only thing is there's not as many nice coffee shops to choose from as ED but other than that, its fine.

DelB

DelB

Posted
  • Author
Posted

edhistory Wrote:

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

> Different contractor?

>

> John K


Well, more the fact that it has even been re-paved at all. So many streets in trendy areas of London with a lot of money still have old loose, cracked paving, Clapham High Street being an example as well as many central London streets. Nice to see them revamp smaller places like Sydenham. Makes a huge difference

Voyageur

Voyageur

Posted
Posted

The area you are looking at looks fine being between Sysenham and Penge. Both areas have plenty of independant shops and are gradually tipping the nod towards a small level of 'gentrification', long way to go though which is probably a good thing. Great transport links in the area.


Have a trawl around Sydenham Town Forum and Crystal Palace Life forums - probably worth asking your question there too.

Annette Curtain

Annette Curtain

Posted
Posted

Otta Wrote:

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

> Yep, I regularly eat my dinner off of Sydenham

> High Street.




It's Sydenham Road I believe you are referring to there Otta


I like to iron my best linen on the smooth footways of the manor


I'm that taken with it, that i'm inclined to perambulate its inclines over the coming weekend

KJJ

KJJ

Posted
Posted
We live on Lawrie Park Avenue and love it - it's the top end of Sydenham (personally preferable to the bottom end - but that looks completely different to what it used too regardless). Close to the park for the kids/gym/picnics/fireworks/runs etc, close to Crystal Palace Triangle and it's many wonderful places to eat and various eclectic shops, Sydenham High Street is fine for popping into for bits and bobs (PFC for their fabulous turkish pide bread, sundried toms/olives/pickles at quarter of the price of the high street), and Billings the Butcher for real British meat - close to Sydenham Station, Sydenham Hill and CP Stations - overland and east london, lots of buses including night buses if you are crazy enough to need to go out late in the city, easy to get to Kent/coast for weekend breaks - and more affordable than ED for those of us families that work hard, pay our taxes and still struggle to make ends meet with two children.
  • 2 weeks later...
rosa123

rosa123

Posted
Posted

Hi there,


I moved to Penge (near to the Alexandra Conservation Area) earlier this year partly because some friends from both N London and E Dulwich had moved here too, and I am very happy here. It's 'up and coming' but affordable with some excellent schools and transport links. Alexandra school is excellent and both Malcolm and Royston primaries have just become academies. We are sandwiched by Crystal Palace and Beckenham which at the moment have more choice in terms of nice shops, restaurants and pubs but there are some gems in Penge too. Alexandra Nurseries is great for a light lunch/tea and cake, we have a Blue Mountain Cafe on Maple Road. The Bluebelle cafe is well known locally for a fab breakfast and The Bridge House is a nice gastro pub. Friends of Flavours is a very authentic Italian Restaurant (v child friendly) which is new, but already very popular. There is a new market every fortnight on the High Street which will hopefully become well used too. Transport is excellent... Basically it is a really nice area; great for families but with a few more nice pubs and caf?s it could be even better. House prices are still relatively cheap but I guess that will change at some point. I would recommend the area to young families who are priced out of ED and other areas.

millsa

millsa

Posted
Posted

we moved to sydenham last Dec from east dulwich and really like it here, we are on the forest hill side. great transport links and very functional high street which is improving pretty much weekly.


Anette wrote: 'Sydenham Road is never going to be a dazzling high street but it is functional' - if you had seen Lordship Lane ten years ago you would be surprised - it was much grottier than the sydenham high street currently is. Just wait for Foxtons to open a new office here ;-)


good luck with the move!

PM me if you have any questions :)

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