Hi everyone
I've just had an offer accepted on a property in Venner Road, and wanted to see if anyone has any insider tips (good and bad) for someone new to the area.... where to go to eat / drink in the evenings, shops, local events, 'secret' green spaces and generally if you think I've made a good choice!
Cheers!
Insider knowledge for new resident!
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Tinksqueak
- Posts: 26
- Joined: 17 Jun 2009 14:52
- Location: Sydenham
Perhaps you should have posted these questions before you made your offer! There are a wide range of places to eat and drink in the area, so it all depends on your tastes and budget, and there are many green spaces to enjoy - well worth trawling through past threads for some tips on what to do and where to go, and you are well placed to travel elsewhere if you'd rather go elsewhere. At this time of year I would particularly like to flag up the Sydenham Music Festival and the Arts Festival.
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Cheese Wotsits
- Posts: 35
- Joined: 6 Jun 2008 17:35
- Location: sydenham
Welcome to the area. Were are not all grumpy gits, infact I find it really friendly here.
Sugahill is a wonderful local cafe.
Kente has a great back garden.
Blue mountain cafe do good food. Their English breakfasts are expensive but are really really good.
Tratorria is a fantastic local italian pizzaria, they make their own bases, the make their own bread and it's really friendly.
Ghurkas is one of the best Indian restaurants I have ever been to and another local Gem.
Blues and Jazz nights at the Golden Lion are great.
The Dolphin and Perry Hill are great local up market pubs.
We have great parks, obviously Crystal Palace is a jewel.
The high street will be done up soon and all the broken railings taken away.
Hopefully more places will be inspired by the likes of 'inspire' in the high street and the what if posts.
We have the Arts festival which looks great.
Transport from Sydenham will get a boost with the East London Line.
If the Greyhound gets done up it could be great. I like the plans they have for it. Hopefully one day we may even get our own identity.
I know more neighbours here than any other place I have ever lived.
It's not perfect and lots of people love to moan. I say, Welcome to Sydenham!
Sugahill is a wonderful local cafe.
Kente has a great back garden.
Blue mountain cafe do good food. Their English breakfasts are expensive but are really really good.
Tratorria is a fantastic local italian pizzaria, they make their own bases, the make their own bread and it's really friendly.
Ghurkas is one of the best Indian restaurants I have ever been to and another local Gem.
Blues and Jazz nights at the Golden Lion are great.
The Dolphin and Perry Hill are great local up market pubs.
We have great parks, obviously Crystal Palace is a jewel.
The high street will be done up soon and all the broken railings taken away.
Hopefully more places will be inspired by the likes of 'inspire' in the high street and the what if posts.
We have the Arts festival which looks great.
Transport from Sydenham will get a boost with the East London Line.
If the Greyhound gets done up it could be great. I like the plans they have for it. Hopefully one day we may even get our own identity.
I know more neighbours here than any other place I have ever lived.
It's not perfect and lots of people love to moan. I say, Welcome to Sydenham!
Welcome to STF & Sydenham!
Should you ever want to leave - you are perfectly placed. Midway between Sydenham Station (17 minutes to London Bridge with the London Overground arriving next year for East London connections giving around 10 trains/hour) AND Penge East (London Victoria). The 176 from the Kirkdale roundabout will convey you at a more leisurely pace to central London for only a quid each way and runs 24/7 so you can save on night taxis.
Shopping wise - you have Somerfield & Lidl on the High Street (actually Sydenham Road - the High Street is actually up the other end of Kirkdale) are convenient. If you need more the enormous if souless Sainsbury SavaCentre is down at Bell Green. My wife prefers the more modest Sainsbury is Penge, but that's another story. If you must have a Waitrose, then its a trip to Beckenham I'm afraid though Ocado do serve the area.
From time to time we have a STF social. Comrade ALIB is trying to organise one now for July so keep an eye on the 'piss-up' thread in Town Cafe. A chance to meet a disparate collection of Sydenhamites of their watering holes.
Is there anything more specific we can help you with?
Admin
Should you ever want to leave - you are perfectly placed. Midway between Sydenham Station (17 minutes to London Bridge with the London Overground arriving next year for East London connections giving around 10 trains/hour) AND Penge East (London Victoria). The 176 from the Kirkdale roundabout will convey you at a more leisurely pace to central London for only a quid each way and runs 24/7 so you can save on night taxis.
Shopping wise - you have Somerfield & Lidl on the High Street (actually Sydenham Road - the High Street is actually up the other end of Kirkdale) are convenient. If you need more the enormous if souless Sainsbury SavaCentre is down at Bell Green. My wife prefers the more modest Sainsbury is Penge, but that's another story. If you must have a Waitrose, then its a trip to Beckenham I'm afraid though Ocado do serve the area.
From time to time we have a STF social. Comrade ALIB is trying to organise one now for July so keep an eye on the 'piss-up' thread in Town Cafe. A chance to meet a disparate collection of Sydenhamites of their watering holes.
Is there anything more specific we can help you with?
Admin
Welcome!
I agree with all of Cheese Wotsits comments
Local transport is fantastic which is why we moved here 7 years ago and is going to only get better. In Venner Road, you have the choice of Sydenham and Penge East/ West which covers all bases
Parks and green spaces are - I love the Palace and the views are incredible
Although the high street looks rough, there are some hidden gems in there.
Sydenham Books is superb and also does great art exhibitions
Sydenham DIY has everything you need and are super friendly
There are good hairdressers such as Master Cutters and now a choice of beauty although I've always used Up To Scratch
The Health Food shop is good and I also love Sugahill. Friendly and lovely food and drink
Eating and drinking I am in utter agreement on - the guys in Gurkhas are lovely and the food good; as is Trattoria Raffaele and the Dolphin.
There are also wonderful places nearby - Crystal palace has good eateries and bars, Penge has Bridge House which I love and is almost Sydenham and Beckenham has lots of places to eat too. And ED has everything else.
Everything you need that you cant get here you will certainly find in one of the other outlying places.
I agree with all of Cheese Wotsits comments
Local transport is fantastic which is why we moved here 7 years ago and is going to only get better. In Venner Road, you have the choice of Sydenham and Penge East/ West which covers all bases
Parks and green spaces are - I love the Palace and the views are incredible
Although the high street looks rough, there are some hidden gems in there.
Sydenham Books is superb and also does great art exhibitions
Sydenham DIY has everything you need and are super friendly
There are good hairdressers such as Master Cutters and now a choice of beauty although I've always used Up To Scratch
The Health Food shop is good and I also love Sugahill. Friendly and lovely food and drink
Eating and drinking I am in utter agreement on - the guys in Gurkhas are lovely and the food good; as is Trattoria Raffaele and the Dolphin.
There are also wonderful places nearby - Crystal palace has good eateries and bars, Penge has Bridge House which I love and is almost Sydenham and Beckenham has lots of places to eat too. And ED has everything else.
Everything you need that you cant get here you will certainly find in one of the other outlying places.
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scott.l.hamilton
- Posts: 120
- Joined: 28 Jan 2008 11:51
- Location: SE26
Welcome. Lots of good comments. There's also a Homebase near Penge West, great when you've just moved in somewhere, not bad pub near called the Bridge.
There's a couple of nice green spaces, Mayow Park, Sydenham Garden, Devonshire Road Nature Reserve, Horniman Museum a couple of bus stops away. Not sure if you'll have moved by then but the Sydenham Arts Festival is in a few weeks.
There's a couple of nice green spaces, Mayow Park, Sydenham Garden, Devonshire Road Nature Reserve, Horniman Museum a couple of bus stops away. Not sure if you'll have moved by then but the Sydenham Arts Festival is in a few weeks.
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Tinksqueak
- Posts: 26
- Joined: 17 Jun 2009 14:52
- Location: Sydenham
living in Sydenham
I moved to Sydenham 2 and a half years ago having lived in Putney for 12 years and was slightly nervous about the contrast but I can honestly say it is one of the friendliest places I have lived in in London in 24 years. Ok so no wine bars etc but great little food shops always open, Penge East to Victoria in 16 minutes and Dulwich village round the corner if you feel the need for something more up-market although it does have a bit of a clic set of people.
Welcome to STF Tinksqueak!
I certainly hope it all goes thru now that we've all told you about the place!
Hope you've found this thread useful, I think this thread has turned into a great one to refer anyone new to the area to.
Can't let a thread like this go by without mentioning the preponderance of takeaways. A lot of people here hate em, but I believe there is a place in everyone's life for a high calorie dinner loaded in fat once every couple of days....no...oops...I mean once in a while....
If you're gonna end up in Venner Road, you've a couple of greasy spoons either side of the zebra crossing at the end of your road for your fried breakfast to start the day, and you just work your way down the hill scoffing as you go!!!
Selims Kebab is your midnight snack place, it seems to close at silly o'clock in the morning, in fact over New Years Eve / Day I don't think it shut at all! You have a Wimpy and the Chef's Delight....and then you hit the chicken shops....Morley's and Favourite Chicken!
There's more as you go past Somerfield and the Mercedes Van place, but hell, I've never got that far, I believe there's a chippy, another kebab place and a chinese, but as a supersize couch potato up your end of Syd I don't use any takeaways that end unless they deliver (Dallas Chicken) - by the way, make sure you look up and wave next time you're at the end of Venner Road.....you may see me waving back at you from a window....or you may just see a number of passers-by giving you funny looks
If your journey to work will involve using Southern Trains services from Sydenham station I am the Forum's self-appointed Southern Trains guru, just do a Search for "Southern Trains" and you will find plenty of threads where I get my ear bent about their services! In some perverse way I enjoy it
So welcome, and good luck we are an informative, if sometimes sarky bunch, and it's fun here 
I certainly hope it all goes thru now that we've all told you about the place!
Hope you've found this thread useful, I think this thread has turned into a great one to refer anyone new to the area to.
Can't let a thread like this go by without mentioning the preponderance of takeaways. A lot of people here hate em, but I believe there is a place in everyone's life for a high calorie dinner loaded in fat once every couple of days....no...oops...I mean once in a while....
If you're gonna end up in Venner Road, you've a couple of greasy spoons either side of the zebra crossing at the end of your road for your fried breakfast to start the day, and you just work your way down the hill scoffing as you go!!!
Selims Kebab is your midnight snack place, it seems to close at silly o'clock in the morning, in fact over New Years Eve / Day I don't think it shut at all! You have a Wimpy and the Chef's Delight....and then you hit the chicken shops....Morley's and Favourite Chicken!
There's more as you go past Somerfield and the Mercedes Van place, but hell, I've never got that far, I believe there's a chippy, another kebab place and a chinese, but as a supersize couch potato up your end of Syd I don't use any takeaways that end unless they deliver (Dallas Chicken) - by the way, make sure you look up and wave next time you're at the end of Venner Road.....you may see me waving back at you from a window....or you may just see a number of passers-by giving you funny looks
If your journey to work will involve using Southern Trains services from Sydenham station I am the Forum's self-appointed Southern Trains guru, just do a Search for "Southern Trains" and you will find plenty of threads where I get my ear bent about their services! In some perverse way I enjoy it
So welcome, and good luck
we are an informative, if sometimes sarky bunch, and it's fun here