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Beckenham

I don't want to be negative but I wouldn't live in Beckenham if you paid me. Probably because I grew up in Bromley and spent a lot of time there and it's just too "suburban hell" for me. Once you pass through Penge it no longer feels like London any more.

Mind you - read The Buddha Of Suburbia for an amusing account of suburban Beckenham life (although dated).
 
gaijingirl said:
I don't want to be negative but I wouldn't live in Beckenham if you paid me. Probably because I grew up in Bromley and spent a lot of time there and it's just too "suburban hell" for me. Once you pass through Penge it no longer feels like London any more.

Mind you - read The Buddha Of Suburbia for an amusing account of suburban Beckenham life (although dated).
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Oh yeh, (IMHO) Beckenham's nice but it's not *really* London :(
 
To echo GaijinGirl, I also grew up round there and shiver a little going back.

Was shocked to see that Langtry's is now the Bridge Bar, but it doesn't seem to have changed that much. I spent my youth drinking in the George and having been back and seen lots of nasty pub fights, almost every time I've been back, I wouldn't be racing back to live there. I'd go for CP, Penge-sur-la-Mer, Sydenham, Forest Hell before the 'Nam. It does however have more charity shops than you can shake a stick at, more restaurants than normal shops and its leafy. Some of the schools are good too.

However you won't have those connotations to the area, and it seems like that place is north of the station up towards Cator Park / New Beckenham and it is only 12 minutes away from Herne Hill! Oh and the night bus stops there, as I found out many times when living in West Dulwich

Good luck. I had to endure sitting in the back of a foxton's mini tonight - hiding from passers by. The shame.
 
snowy_again said:
To echo GaijinGirl, I also grew up round there and shiver a little going back.

Was shocked to see that Langtry's is now the Bridge Bar, but it doesn't seem to have changed that much. I spent my youth drinking in the George
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I used to drink in the George too in the late 80s and some summers in the early 90s - my best friends lived above the Boots opposite - it used to be good on summer evenings...

And as for Langtry's there used to only be there and Biba's in terms of nightclubs in the area - Biba's was over-25.. Langtry's used to let in schoolgirls.. god it was such a shithole...
 
it was laughably bad. My girlfirend has a great story of going up to the manager in there on her birthday, getting the music stopped and her friends singing happy birthday to her. Manager turned round, bought her a birthday drink and asked her how old she was and with out thinking she replied "15!". She wasn't kicked out...
 
zenie said:
Oh yeh, (IMHO) Beckenham's nice but it's not *really* London :(
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Yeah, but what does that even mean? A lack of kudos or something? I don't mind it being suburban... for the money we have it's either suburban, or scary urban. We don't go out near where we live now, it's a train journey or a cab, so that's fine.

Got the train there from work tonight.. 32 mins, bargain :cool:
 
gaijingirl said:
I don't want to be negative but I wouldn't live in Beckenham if you paid me. Probably because I grew up in Bromley and spent a lot of time there and it's just too "suburban hell" for me. Once you pass through Penge it no longer feels like London any more.

Mind you - read The Buddha Of Suburbia for an amusing account of suburban Beckenham life (although dated).
Click to expand...

I can appreciate that... where I grew up is about as 'lovely' as you can get (Henley-on-Thames) and I wouldn't live there if you paid me.

Give me suburban Beckenham over Penge any day of the week!
 
but a cab back to Beckenham? I was dumped at the side of the road coming back from a wedding present gig at subterania, bitd, cos the black cab driver thought it was scary... Its only got a BR postcode cos they thought they was posh and didn't want an SE one back in the sixties I think. But at least in Beckenham you have more chance of an allotment and a shed and a cross Emo kid at the War Memorial. Hmm. Sheds.
 
We only ever go out in Herne Hill, Crystal Palace, Brixton or indeed to a mate's in Beckenham or Peckham ever anyway... and there's always a group going back to Beckenham in a cab or on the bus so that's cool.
 
ChrisFilter said:
Yeah, but what does that even mean? A lack of kudos or something? I don't mind it being suburban... for the money we have it's either suburban, or scary urban. We don't go out near where we live now, it's a train journey or a cab, so that's fine.

Got the train there from work tonight.. 32 mins, bargain :cool:
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Fair enough, it's a tough call, just get used to people saying you live in Kent ;)
 
Also found out tonight that £200,000 worth of maintenance is being done in the next few months.

Cheekily, the current owner mentioned they'd just got a bill through for £1900 for the maintenance, from Bromley council and offered to go halves. What's the protocol here? I'd have thought that as he's the owner at the time of the bill, he is fully liable prior to sale?
 
trashpony said:
Almost ;)

Remind Mrs Filter that what the outside of the building looks like is irrelevant once you're inside it.
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or when you're sitting in your lovely garden ;)

*jealous* :mad::D
 
zenie said:
or when you're sitting in your lovely garden ;)
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It's only little, but it's enough... and very private.

14%20Littlestone%20-%20Gdn-thumb3.jpg
 
It's full of cokeheads and chavs.The kids are right cunts around there in the summer.It's full of white trash.Ho hum.I've got quite a bit of racial bollocks around there.I think it's grim,but have spent quite a bit of time around there.

It's probably a great place for kids and to buy a house,but I personally despise it and would rather live in Catford for the rest of my life than move there.

Editied because I felt bad for slating Beckenham because i've got drunk aorund there lots,I just hate the place :D
 
na, good to hear a broad spectrum of opinions. That's the main criticism i've heard, that it's very white. Not ideal, and would put me off sending my kids to primary school there. Having said that, all my mates that grew up there are in no way of that post of white trash mindset-
 
Tank Girl said:
the shame indeed! :D can I laugh at you next time I see you? :D
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You can; I'd cycled to meet the foxton's bloke so I had the hoodie and the snood on me, which I was tempted to put on the face to hide. People look at you with such disgust when they see its a badly logoed foxton's mini. I did chuckle to myself when the the phrase "key the cnut's motor" came into my head. Oh and obv. the house I saw was widely overpriced...

Beckenham - its still got a couple of good pubs and one that doesn't sell just lager. Oh and a sausage shop. And you can emulate Bob Monkhouse by falling into the ponds in Kelsey Park and ponder why such a suburban place created so much 80's pop (in fact, i think i just answered my own question). Can't argue with the coke head comments though.
 
ChrisFilter said:
I think I was being a bit rash this morning. You look at properties in that price across London, with a garden, with 2 bedrooms... and 95% of them are in Woolwich, Plumstead, Eltham, etc. Not places I'd want to live.

Also, I called another agents pretending I wanted to sell a property in that street, but said it was in really good decorative condition, etc... they reckoned £210-£220k easily. I also looked at the number of sales in that area... they fly off the market because of the location.

I don't think £185k for a 2 bedroom, stunning garden, big lounge with garden access, split level and all the rest, is overpriced. Not in Beckenham, nor in London as a whole (well, compared to the rest of the UK and 3 years ago, massively overpriced, but you know what I mean).
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Crazy isn't it that £185 is no longer considered overpriced!

But that assumes they're selling at £210...I bet they go for 10k less easily. I wouldn't believe anything an agent says - if you like the place, the area and can afford it (mortgage wise), then go for it and make a nice home.
 
I know.. but then if you do a search on a property website for 2 bedroom places up to £200k, 95% is in Plumstead and Woolwich, 4% are just fucking horrible, and the last 1% I've been and looked at. Of that 1% 5 have been really overpriced, 5 have been really small, 3 have had no garden (I don't want a communal garden) and 3 have been ok. This one is the only one I've thought 'wow' at.

Even then, it's not exactly a 'wow' kinda house. It'll be wicked for 3 or 4 years while we pay off our debts (assuming we end up buying it).
 
ChrisFilter said:
It's only little, but it's enough... and very private.

14%20Littlestone%20-%20Gdn-thumb3.jpg
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Oooh the cats'd love that bark chipping as an instant litter tray hehehe

Looks nice mate....what's happening then? :eek: :D
 
Dunno... apparently we're head to head with another offer, dunno if ours is higher or lower, but not going to be broekn hearted if we lose out.

I called the agent this morning to find out what to do about this outstanding £1900 maintenance bill, but they're in a meeting and will call me back.
 
ChrisFilter said:
Dunno... apparently we're head to head with another offer, dunno if ours is higher or lower, but not going to be broekn hearted if we lose out.

I called the agent this morning to find out what to do about this outstanding £1900 maintenance bill, but they're in a meeting and will call me back.
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That might be the clincher - say you'll pay 1/2? I thought it was supposed to be a buyer's market at the mo? :confused:
 
trashpony said:
That might be the clincher - say you'll pay 1/2? I thought it was supposed to be a buyer's market at the mo? :confused:
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Well, quite... and the bloke slipped up and revealed they need to have an offer in place this week or his purchase falls through - whoops :D

I'd have thought they'd be responsible for the entire figure seeing as the bill is dated when they own the property? We would pay half, but it does seem a bit of a cheek given we made the offer unaware of this. There's also some damp in one room, but apparently that will be repaired by the council. I guess the solicitor checks all this out though?
 
I kept the offer the same but requested £1200 cash back from the owner payable on completion. We'll pay £700 on the condition the offer gets accepted and wrapped up today.
 
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