I don’t really know the Perry Vale are that well, other than there is some heated discussion about calling it Perry Vale Village , but others can comment and I think you have found an older thread which might help.
A couple of other points re schools - you really should factor this into your thinking (unless you think you might move again before your child might start primary school) - catchment areas do change each year and you can go on waiting lists which do move, but getting into a local school can add to the community feel as you wil instantly meet lots of other parents etc. It can be very helpful if you can take a child in for another parent and vice versa and all adds to that nice feeling.
Good luck - there is great support in the community. There is also an excellent local FB Group called SE23 mums (it’s not just for mums but anyone involved in parenting) that is worth joining at some point.
We live on the Horniman side of Forest Hill and love it. It is near to the main two high streets and green spaces and an easy walk/bus ride away from Crystal Palace, East Dulwich Nunhead and Peckham where there is a greater variety of bars, restaurants and shops.
I know you are looking for a “garden flat” but don’t discount purpose built. This area has a lot of decent private mid century blocks of flats. They often have balconies and communal gardens and you usually get more space for your money than with conversions.
We live just off farren road, moved here 1.5 years ago and we never felt far away from stuff. You don’t fall out of your door into a pub (though honour oak pub is just a 5 min walk), but it’s only a 10 min walk to forest hill station, maybe 15 min max to hop high street, ca. 20 min to sydenham high street (not to underestimate) and maybe 20 to catford, for commuting purposes. Otherwise many buses in all directions.
So yes, the immediate neighbourhood is very residential. But otherwise you’re not far away from interesting stuff here, I feel, speaking in London dimensions maybe.
On the other hand, sounds like you would rather be bang in the middle of the action, or at least very close. In which case there are better streets, of course. Good luck!
Hi there, have lived in Perry Vale since ‘95 so know it pretty well. My daughters went to local primary and secondary schools and think it’s a great place to put down roots.
Very happy if you wanted to have a conversation about the area.
I lived in Farren Road for 7 years, probably in the flat above the one you viewed. You are less than 10 minutes from the station and town centre and two good pubs are pretty close - Honor Oak pub is less than 5 minutes away.
My only annoyance with my Farren Road flat was the layout, with the toilet and bathroom through the kitchen, and the distance of both from the front room. But that’s just personal preference.
Farren Road is in the middle is a more residential area, which may be a good thing, and you are still only a short walk from Forest Hill centre, shops on Stansted Road, Brockley Rise and Perry Vale. I think you would be looking at primary catchments for Perrymount, Dalmain, and Kilmorie - all good schools with a bit of variety in the size (they are 1, 2 and 3 class entry respectively).
We are just off Farren Road and moved here 1.5 years ago. we love the area. We will definitely be here for years and it feels like a village. Its quiet, our road is a community and we know 70% of the road. Most are young professionals and every now and then we will have road drinks (not in corona times though). We are very happy here and the closest supermarket is co-op for the odd emergency. 5min walk from honor Oak pub and there is a new deli that opened diagonally opposite the pub that has amazing sourdough bread.
We love the coffee shop in mayow Park and it is conveniently located to go in any direction. Bell Green for a bigger food shop or HO High Street is both a 15 min walk away and Forest Hill is 10 minutes away. It is also a 20 min walk from Catford train station so if the trains have issues we normally go there.
Hello. Welcome to SE23. We’re about 5 minutes from the property you’re looking at. We moved about 5 years ago from the hustle and bustle of SW London as we could afford to buy here. We haven’t looked back.
Yes there is less within your immediate 5 minute vicinity but it’s much quieter at night and we really benefit from the extra steps. Residents are generally really friendly. We have made many friends for life moving here. You’re only about 10 minutes walk from Mayow Park which is really lovely and has a great cafe. Great for kids; spent my whole two maternity leaves there
I walk along Shipman road near Farren Road most days along the alleyway to cut through to Forest Hill centre and it’s really not far via that quick route. There you have so much choice and the lovely Dartmouth Road. If you head directly north for about 7/8 mins you have the new Sans Store, and great Coffee at Number 41. In normal times The Honor Oak Pub is a decent ‘trendy’ London pub or walk a little further and you’ve got Chandos which is equally good with great Pizza. If you want a longer walk you’re only about 15 mins from the lovely Blythe Hill Fields or HOP.
Happy if you want to DM me with more questions. We are on Woolstone Road near Kilmorie Primary. Really glad we bought here as hopefully our eldest will be going to the primary later this year and it has a brilliant reputation (as do most schools locally) and Outstanding on Ofsted.
We live very close to Farren, on Cranston road.
Ours is a much busier road, but I think the area is great. When I first moved here I was also wondering whether I would have been more ‘amongst it’ closer into FH or HOP, but don’t feel that way anymore. This is a great triangle to be equally positioned for both places as well as Catford. Catford is a gem for transport to central london, especially if you’re not into the tube, which I’m not. Also you can get a bus up the road on brockley rise to Crofton park for direct trains to Blackfriars.
This location has come into its own even more since my daughter started at Kilmorie, it’s a really friendly school in a pretty residential area, so a lovely little stroll for drop off and pick up.
And agree with all the nods to the coffee shops and Sans store.
Good luck with your search!
Thank you everyone I really appreciate your responses. Where does Perry Vale begin and end? It’s rather confusing!
Also, completely off topic, for anyone on Farren road…we saw a possibly sick/ elderly but rather lovely ginger cat towards the bottom end yesterday. Not sure if the chaps in need of some TLC! Hopefully a known character.
Perry Vale is both a road (from Forest Hill station down to a affectionately named shops at ‘Perry Village’ before it turns into Perry Rise), and also a council ward.
Perry Vale actually starts at it’s junction with the South Circular(A205) number 2 Perry Vale is the New Island Fish Bar, number 1 Perry Vale is EJ Carpets.
We live on the Horniman side of Forest Hill and love it, The Sylvan Post is a great pub within a 5 minute walk and you have The Signal and Dartmouth Arms all very decent pubs with food the same distance.
Honor Oak is walkable as is Lordship Lane and East Dulwich, Dulwich Village.
Christal Palace is also walkable.
having spent my life living in W2 (where I grew up and lived until 20),SW10 and W10 when we moved here I was scared it would feel Suburban and isolated but Shorditch is a 25min train ride away or theres always nearby Peckham if you feel like a more urban vibe or going out to a bar or somewhere buzzy.
I really value how many lovely green space there are here and that came into its own in 2020.
The only negative for me is the dependence on the overground station as I find the bus routes here aren’t that great for going anywhere other than deeper into South London
but I dont think I’ve heard anyone else complain about that as much as I do so I guess its what you’re used to! (I was lucky enough to get through life rarely using the underground or trains in general until I moved here so I think that has some baring on my feelings about local transport!)
We’ve lived here 10years and other than my afore mentioned gripe its a great area.
Ha ha! Where I grew up we had two buses a day and one train an hour from the next village.
I have lived in South East London since I moved to London in 2000 so am very at home with buses and Overground trains. Train to London Bridge and then Charing Cross is still a great and underated way to get in to central London.
I think your bus woe is more to do with us being a bit more suburban that it being South London. When I lived in New Cross and then Camberwell I pretty much used the buses to go everywhere, that is not really possible here.
Thank you for your reply! Yeah, I think I definitely love forest hill it seems pretty cool. I guess I’m trying to work out where specifically as there seem to be so many areas within it - horniman ways/ Sydenham ways/ perry vale/ towards catford/ honor oak. Finding it quite confusing to navigate, particularly as right now it’s hard to get a normal sense of anywhere. Love the idea of being 5 mins from sylvan post - whereabouts are you? (Without sounding stalkerish).
I think both sides of FH (Horniman’s side and Perry Vale side) have different pro’s/con’s. From a cost perspective you are probably likely to get more for your money the further towards Bell retail park or Catford you go, with the more expensive properties closer to FH high street and East Dulwich.
Last year I had to weigh up whether I wanted a bigger property further from the station or compromise on size with a quicker commute. As I work long hours and am not WFH it has been a blessing that we opted for the “staying close to the high street and transport” option. A colleague of mine has just moved to the end of Perry Rise (the Bell retail park end) from Greenwich and feels quite cut-off from any kind of “buzz” or hub in comparison to where they previously lived. I guess it depends on what type of lifestyle you are seeking, as some parts of FH may feel quite sleepy in comparison to previous locations you’ve lived.
But FH is a lovely part of London, very underrated and not too far from the edgier and louder parts of the city as previously advised by others (Peckham, East Dulwich and Shoreditch).
The things I personally like about where I live are… the period properties, the leafy streets, the beautiful green areas, the proximity to social spots Peckham & ED, the overground, the lack of knife/gang crime, the community, the independent shops on the high streets (HOP & FH).
Many of my friends who lived in East London and turned their nose up at the area years ago as it was “too sleepy” and not central enough are now moving to the area to start a family. Many of my colleagues are also moving to the area after recently discovering it too. So it’s definitely becoming more popular in my opinion.
Just off London road near the Horniman museum.
Personally I prefer this side of the station because it feels more lively in a good way
and somehow more ‘connected’
We moved here because of price (couldn’t afford to buy in West London despite that being where we’d both lived for years),My Boyfriends job was over this side of town, and also because we had our hearts set on buying a 1960’s townhouse which are plentiful round here and significantly cheaper than Victorian properties of a similar size.
, but others can comment and I think you have found an older thread which might help.
