once again - many thanks for this info.

I think what enticed us were the listings under 'under offer/sold' on primelocation which showed houses for £375k-£400k... Perhaps they've been sold/under offer for a year!

Whenever I've mentioned Penge people have either asked where that is, or taken an intake of breath and said 'ooh dodgy' but the Alexandra Cottages area looks nice, if a little lacking in local shops/cafes etc.