Dulwich Park middle class?

[Louisa]

miga it varies, and depends on the individual in question- are they party animals longing for Shoreditch on mummy and daddy's trust fund? Or a posho family praying for Richmond? Typically, we would be talking about the likes of Islington, Stoke Newington, Clapham, Balham, Putney, Fulham etc.

Louisa.

[Rolo Tomasi]

Jesus Christ.

[miga]

.

[cle]

I love this world of caricatures and ES Homes & Property 'which tribe are you?' quizzes. Everyone else in the area can be broken down, homogenised and debased to fit in a box.

How about you Louisa? Where do you fit in?

How about the 'working classes' who were the blow-ins to the middle class area? Like Jamaicans 'blew in' off the Windrush to a then-middle class Brixton?

Are they are as drab a group as the poshos and trendies, or are they pluralistic, plucky spirits who cannot be pigeon-holed?

[El Pibe]

hardly a great set of definitions, just a couple of made up perosnal stories which reveal your world view rather than shining a light on any semblance of reality.

And nice broad brush stroke with wealthy-ish; presumably somewhere between 'has a moobile phone' to 'has a chelsea tractor'?

I don't even know what 'aspirational uni-educated' means, most of the people I went to university with were a uselss bunch with no particular ambition at all, oh wait, that's me I'm describing ;)

[Louisa]

miga little or nothing can be done about the changes in this area. Unless a natural process of changing demographics occur again, which judging by house prices seems unlikely. What most people would like to see is a healthy mix of shops and services to represent everyone but of course this is not the case. As time goes on, all of the pubs and bars are now aimed almost exclusively at blow-ins, and if you look at the population, a lot of old-school folk are still around and now have nowhere to go as these places are aimed more at food and the prices are pretty high too. Iceland could be gone from here, this will force people to walk a solid mile out of this area to but frozen food in rye lane and then have to walk it back again! Working-class blow ins cle is a bit of a misnomer. The blow-ins who sold up here and moved to new towns and the countryside are spread fairly evenly whereas the zone 2 newcomers are covering specific neighborhood in a relatively small area.

Louisa.

[spider69]

Rolo Tomasi Wrote:

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

> Jesus Christ.

Don't think there is enough money for him in the collection plate to afford the initial deposit to purchase in ED.

So won't be coming

[XIX]

Wow Louisa, it sounds like you are a real expert on the 'aspirational' middle-classes of ED. Have you done in-depth study/research into their psyche (a series of interviews with a spread of specimens in the area perhaps), or are you an anthropologist/sociologist by profession? I'm amazed at how much youn know about these people - their hopes, their dreams, everything. Impressive.

[miga]

.

[Louisa]

XIX I have a PhD in the study of gentrification and the demographic changes it brings.

Just kidding, I used to work in Safeway, Petts Wood for 22 years.

Louisa.

[adonirum]

Louisa As you appear to have fallen out of love with ED, even to the point of hatred it seems, then, if you own a property here, why don't you sell up and cash in ?

[PokerTime]

'I used to work in Safeway, Petts Wood for 22 years'

That explains everything!

[Louisa]

PokerTime "everything you want from a store with just a little bit more"

Louisa.

[spider69]

If it was Waitrose would there be a different explanation. How about Iceland different again

[mako]

pubs have gone to food everywhere post smoking restrictions. This isnt an ED thing

[Louisa]

adonirum I haven't fallen out of love with ED at all. I just miss certain aspects of the old area. I may be cashing in for reasons aside from the changes we speak of, but that's beside the point. I certainly won't be able to afford Chiswick that's for sure.

Louisa.

[adonirum]

I know entirely what you mean, Louisa, and sympathise and empathise with you. Me too. But we're not King Canute and can't hold back the tidal surge!! Surely better (?) to conceed defeat and cash in at the hands of "these types" (whatever that description might mean) as they are so willing to pay. Sadly and regrettably I have to admit that I shortly will be doing just that.

[PokerTime]

What I find hard to agree with from the descriptions of the new arrivals to ED above is any idea that the young affluent families moving in are somehow any different from the older people selling up and retiring on the long term equity of their homes. Isn't that still what most homeowners do? They buy a home in which to raise a family and then later on in life move to release equity for retirement? And that is as true of working class homeowners as it is of anyone. The assumption that yummy mummies have moved in for a short term investment gain doesn't make any sense whatsoever. The rest of course (as pointed out by everyone) being just a reflection of the shifting housing markets of London. Of course money brings freedom (to live wherever) and lack of it traps and limits the choice of others. There has always been plenty of money sloshing around various parts of London anyway.

I would say that many working class people who get good degrees and then good jobs are also now the middle-class. I just find a partisan prejudice against children of home counties families (the home counties being pretty close to London) a bit strange. And the assumption they are all dull, profiteering and self serving little oiks even stranger.

[wavyline girl]

Overheard in my local curry house. Man boasting to manager how he'd moved into the area,

and made a large sum on his house, and now wanted to move back North because; "I don't want my kids speaking with a cockney accent"

Nice!

[miga]

.

[PokerTime]

I'm not sure it is. Look back to Louisa's definitions of a blow-in. Affluence is only the tip of the iceberg.

I don't know where from the North the man was WG, but he'd only be trading one accent for another!

[AcedOut]

Everyone seems to want to call themselves middle class. The truth is that the majority of people are working class of varying degrees (typically based on the brand of the push chair/pram/buggy). If you have to work to live, then I'm sorry to say, you're working class.

[Louisa]

AcedOut indeedy. We are all working class. It's just some of us carry on looking for bargains and fancy a normal down to earth pub, cafe, chip shop, and some others prefer to splash the cash and appear more wealthy/cultured/pretentious.

Louisa.

[El Pibe]

.

bahhh

[Louisa]

Well I for one was shocked to hear the posh couple on gogglebox bad mouth the royal visit to Australia as "not being news worthy" made me chuckle I must admit. I'd have had them down as right monarchy brown-nosers.

Louisa.