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What's it like to live in Forest Hill?
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Gep


Posts: 60
Joined: Aug 2007
Post: #21
23-01-2010 02:13 PM

I've been in Forest Hill for 4 years and it has been a positive experience, nice pubs and restaurant (All Inn One my favourite), corner shops (the Coop seems to be always open), the highest concentration of hairdressers in the world, and now the Energie gym, which is great.

If I have to find a negative aspect for me is the distance from the city centre and it only bothers me when:
- I have to take the night bus home and there is only one number... "this is the 197 to... penge"...
- I ask friends to come over to mine for dinner and it always seems like I live in the middle of the Saharan desert
- I arrive at or I need to go to Stansted/Luton at one of those Ryanair/EasyJet ungodly hours

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Weenox


Posts: 1
Joined: Aug 2010
Post: #22
16-08-2010 04:35 PM

I am thinking of moving to forest hill.It seems it may be one of the few places where I could possibly afford a one bed flat to rent on my own.
I'm getting to an age (44) where to find a shared house seems much less appealing and have a cat,and one beds are so darn expensive most places and some of the slightly cheaper studios are appalingly dismal.They just seem to be bedrooms with everything and the kitchen sink thrown in.
I've lived in new cross gate for around nine yrs and have seen/experienced more crime than I would have liked to and imagine forest hill has to be better,yet still has the overground train I get to work,just two stops down the line.
I've been in one pub that was really nice and the shops look quite decent and the woods and green feel is lovely.E Dulwich,as has been said,is only a short bus ride away and that gives you a load more shops and restaurants to play with.

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PVP


Posts: 271
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #23
17-08-2010 12:09 PM

I have lived here since 2000, back in the day when south east london wsa definitely a no go area for the uninitiated. In all that time I have never seen any crime, and the only thing I can recall hearing about was a car stereo stolen about 5 years ago.

Quite good I would say!

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Penguinoid


Posts: 4
Joined: Aug 2010
Post: #24
18-08-2010 10:40 PM

Hope nobody minds me co-opting this thread, but I'm also considering a move to Forest Hill soon. It's actually a big move for me - all the way from the East Midlands. The area has been recommended to me by several people and from what I can gather it looks very nice. Hopefully I'll get to check it out in person tomorrow evening.

However one thing I was wondering is where's generally regarded as the centre of the area? I'll be commuting into the city so in that respect being closer to Honor Oak station would be slightly more convenient. What would be the down sides of being further North, if any? Would somewhere between Forest Hill and Honor Oak stations perhaps be best? With London being a continuous sprawl it's difficult for country rube like myself to know where good areas end and bad ones start. Wink

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michael


Posts: 3,255
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #25
19-08-2010 07:05 AM

Penguinoid,
By train it is less that 2 minutes from Forest Hill to Honor Oak Park, so it does not make a big difference which station you are closest to in terms of time taken commuting. What really matters is whether the flat/house is right for you and if you are happy in the street. The proximity to local shops, parks, and how much you like hills (and views) are also worth considering.

Personally I'm very happy living close to the centre of Forest Hill. It takes me less than five minutes to walk to the Horniman Museum & park, the station, cafes and supermarket. But I have lived in houses and flats in the area that are much further from the centre and you get used to walking for 10-15 minutes to get to a wider variety of different places.

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NewForester


Posts: 379
Joined: Feb 2008
Post: #26
19-08-2010 09:41 AM

There is no real centre for the area, however each neighbourhood tends to define its centre by the local station / parade of shops. Having said that, I don't think that there are any areas you should avoid around here and there is little difference between being east or west of the railway. This part of London is well served by open spaces with Sydenham Wells Park, Mayow Park, the Horniman gardens, Sydenham Hill Wood, Dulwich Park, One Tree Hill, Honor Oak Sports Ground, Blythe Hill, Peckham Rye and other smaller spaces.

The main advantage of commuting to Forest Hill used to be (a) that you could get on the train in the morning (although sardines in a tin had more space) and (b) trains used to run fast to Forest Hill. Neither of these apply anymore since the arrival of London Overground in May. However, Forest Hill arguably has better bus service.

One aspect you might like to consider (if a night owl / late night reveller) is the proximity of a night bus.

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Penguinoid


Posts: 4
Joined: Aug 2010
Post: #27
31-08-2010 03:12 PM

Thanks for the advice! Touch wood I've got a flat in Forest Hill sorted now, so will be a resident of SE23 in a month's time. Exciting! Smile

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davhel52


Posts: 54
Joined: Jun 2009
Post: #28
14-09-2010 09:06 PM

FH is served by a good night bus route which goes up Sydenham Hill from Lordship lane and HOP starting I believe at Kings X along the 63/363 route.
Its only a short walk from Lordship lane to Forest Hill town centre.So all in all not a bad service at night.

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sussexgirl


Posts: 2
Joined: Sep 2010
Post: #29
15-09-2010 05:09 PM

Ooh, the joys of the internet! I'm a new member and have been doing my research on the area which is how I found this site. I visited a frend in FH last week and realised that it's much nicer and cheaper than East Dulwich. I'm trying very hard to sell my beautiful cottage in East Sussex and buy a 2 bed terraced cottage in the Forest Hill area. Trilby Road, Vestris Road and those other little streets near there look absolutely beautiful, do cottages there come on to the market very often does anybody know? Also, if anybody wants to move to a lovely Grade II listed village cottage and maybe wants to swap let me know!
Perhaps I should have given this message the working title "Escape from the Country!"Laugh

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Penguinoid


Posts: 4
Joined: Aug 2010
Post: #30
15-09-2010 11:02 PM

Did a whole bunch of posts disappear from this thread? We ended going from discussing night buses to pubs. If there's some moderation rule I've missed then sorry, but it seems strange for things to be there one day then gone the next with no explanation.

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Penguinoid


Posts: 4
Joined: Aug 2010
Post: #31
15-09-2010 11:07 PM

Okay, ignore my last post, I've seen the last few posts I mentioned have been spun off into their own thread, which makes sense. Smile

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Belle


Posts: 88
Joined: Dec 2009
Post: #32
16-09-2010 10:37 AM

Hello Sussex Girl, there is a two bed house on the quiet part of Stanstead Road for sale. It's early Victorian and looks pretty from the outside. We bought nearby recently. Our neigbours are all friendly and we often can't believe how quiet it is. Plus we're less than a five minute walk to Forest Hill station so it's very convenient. It's for sale by KFH. Anyway, just putting it out there! Good luck with your search and happy moving!

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roadie


Posts: 17
Joined: Nov 2007
Post: #33
16-09-2010 12:28 PM

Good luck with the move Sussex Girl. You might also like to consider nearer Honor Oak, which has a lovely high street but is perhaps a little bit quieter than Forest Hill. It's still in SE23 :-). Lots of two-bed half houses are for sale at the moment on Bovill and Ebsworth Street. Neighbourhood is very friendly and safe.

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ForestHillier


Posts: 490
Joined: Jul 2010
Post: #34
16-09-2010 12:42 PM

Yes good luck in your search Sussexgirl, so what part of East Sussex do you reside, Rye ?, Winchelsea ?, both very nice areas

Like I said before, FH,HOP, SE23 are very nice places to live, yes there are problems, however, a very good place to reside

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Novels


Posts: 83
Joined: Apr 2008
Post: #35
16-09-2010 02:25 PM

there are beautiful and conveniently located areas of london, which look run down and dull.
there are other areas which, for no apparent reason, are cool and buzzying, despite being cut off.
Come on people, FH could be really quaint. It's got all the right cards. It's the people, we, who make a difference!!

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Herbert


Posts: 63
Joined: Apr 2010
Post: #36
16-09-2010 08:56 PM

I actually live on Trilby, i'm moving away for a couple of years but decided to rent the house out. It's a really nice road and houses do come up. Two have been sold in the last 6 months. I'd recommend it Thumbsup

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sussexgirl


Posts: 2
Joined: Sep 2010
Post: #37
20-09-2010 11:38 AM

Hi, thanks for your responses, very useful. I live in Ticehurst at the moment, which is about 30 minutes further on from Tunbridge Wells. If it wasn't for a change in lifestyle I wouldn't move, it's the most fantastic little village, every shop you need, a great pub and a real sense of community. I just want to move it closer to London because I'm addicted to Argentine Tango and it's all "oop there". My son and his girlfriend bought last Autumn in Bromar Road in East Dulwich which is nice, but expensive! I've definitely got Forest Hill and Honor Oak in my sights - just got to sell, sell, sell!

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