What's it like living in Sydenham?

[Rex]

Hi everyone

My friends just moved into Sydenham and he has a room to rent. Can anyone tell me what its like to live here?

Some people have referred it to a fast food junkies heaven. Some people have said it's really rough and not safe for a single girl in her late 20's...

I dont know the area at all and just need to know if it is safe?

Can anyone local give me their views
Thanks
)

[user100]

fast food junkies heaven = yes
really rough = no

What street are you considering? Like everywhere Syd has good and bad.

I reckon Syd is reasonably safe, but depends whether you think you can / should be able to walk around after dark / with a few bevvies on / both of the above.

Not too many places in London where that is a good idea for a young woman on her own IMHO.

Whether you decide to live here mostly depends what you are into / what you look for / your budget / how nice the room is etc etc.

Only you know the answers to that.

Have a search thru this site, you will get a feel for the area (and a sore head reading the conflicting views).

Come down a have a look, most of us on this forum think its a good place to live.

Hope you decide to go for it - let us know what you think.

[Rex]

Hi User 100,

Thanks for your reply.

The street is Sunnydene Street, and the flat is really spacious & homely.

Also difficult to make a decision when you don't know what the are is like. I will definantly check the area out over the wknd.

Thanks
Rex

[Jules]

I can't imagine there are any places in London or any other big City that don't hold a danger for women out late at night on thier own. You just need to be careful and on your guard.

I would never decribe Sydenham as being gough though.

I've been here for 30 years.

[lizzie]

Hello,
Sunnydene Street is very close to where I bought my flat. I do not find Sydenham unsafe at all - I walk home alone late at night by myself and it's fine. In fact, Sunnydene Street is a good place to live if you are often walking home alone as it's busy main road virtually all the way from the station. I don't find Sydenham rough - I lived in Brixton for 12 years before moving here and it's a pussycat compared to that!
Hope that helps,
Liz

[Nickerbockers]

Personally, I won't walk anywhere late at night on my own being a female in my early 30s, but I grew up in Catford and I'd be more wary over there than in Sydenham. Like the others say, there's good and bad parts of Sydenham, I did walk alone down Lawrie Park Road a few times a while back and felt on my gaurd the whole time. But honestly I don't know many places that a lone female - or male for that matter these days - can feel safe and sound at night on their own.

I do like Sydenham though, Sunnydene Street is in Lower Sydenham which personally I don't like as much as upper sydenham (no prejudice there, just a personal opinion), but I don't think Sydenham as a whole is any rougher than any other London areas, and definitely not as rough as a lot.

[Thomas]

How can anyone really know how safe or unsafe any particular area or street is? There are some absolutely lovely parts of Sydenham as well as some rather grotty parts, but how can anyone really tell what their chances of being mugged at a particular time or day are? And if you do decide to get a cab, well there are also some unlicenced cabs about that might also be dangerous!

[Richie]

I live near Sunnydene Street and have never felt unsafe. Sydenham is not at all rough although as you say it does have a lot of kebab shops and the like. Sunnydene street is about equal distance between Sydenham and Lower Sydenham stations, it is very close to Mayow park too.

Walking home at night from Sydenham station is fine, you can either walk down the high street which is always busy with cars, or come the back route through a couple of residential streets. Lower Sydenham station is on the trading estate so walking home at night is a littel more intimidating, though I have never had any issues (touch wood!).

I have lived all over London, North and South and am very happy living in Sydenham.

[Dee]

Hello there, Rex,

I'm a lady in her thirties, and have lived in Sydenham for over 12 years, now. I love it here, and have always felt safe and comfortable walking around. Can't say that I venture out a great deal at night, by myself, but on the few occasions when I have, common sense has been a good guide! Just the usual stuff about being aware of your surroundings, staying close to main thoroughfares that are well lit...that kind of thing.

As said, I love it here in Sydenham, and hope that you consider becoming a resident!

[yummymummy]

Hi,

I am in my early 30's with 2 young children and love Sydenham. As some say there are good and bad parts but on a whole its a nice place to live. I am about to buy a place in Sunnydene Street, and at first was unsure about moving from the top end of Sydenham down the road, but since talking to people who live in the street and reading this forum I am really looking forward to it.
Sydenham has a really nice community feeling and I cannot walk the highstreet without saying hello to at least 2 people (and thats without going in any of the shops of which I have used since I was a child myself where I am always asked how I am etc).

I hope you feel that Sydenham is right for you and I look forward to being neighbours soon.

[dickp]

I've never understood this concept of "not feeling safe", unless it involves suspicious people directly loitering in your path, and taunting you in a way that has the potential to turn violent.

In my ten years in London (seven in sarf london) I have never once been directly threatened, even though I regularly walk through unlit parks at night, down long alleyways and in "rough" parts of town. It just doesn't occur to me that I shouldn't go somewhere because it might not be "safe".

Is it a euphemism for being scared of the dark? (as my dad always said - if you can't see them, they can't see you) Or scared of either people, or the unknown in general?

If you avoid eye contact, notice what's going on around you, and generally don't flash your valuables around, you can generally become invisible, wherever you are.

[Nickerbockers]

I envy you, some of my friends are like that - why shouldn't they go through that park/down that street/walk home at 2am?? Me personally, if I am out and about when it gets dark and late, I've got an imaginary news story in my head that will be on about me, a young woman being stabbed/attacked/beaten up right until I make it home safe.

Unfortunately, I've been unlucky enough to be followed at night on a couple of occasions, and I just wouldn't invite danger by wandering around alone at night as a female - have you SEEN the amount of big gangs of male youths that are about, they're always trying to break into Mayow Park at night for instance. I hate it tho coz I don't drive and it stops me from having evening hobbies etc, but I'd rather be sensible than take the chance and have something awful happen - I don't know how people do it, walk on the streets late at night, when every day in the news you hear of awful things happening to people. I think you're either brave or silly... (bit of each maybe).

[dickp]

mebbie....

In my home town, we had a solution to people breaking into parks - none of the parks had any fences. They were used day and night as thoroughfares (with decent lighting to boot).

Rowing boats, ornamental gardens, park facilities - none of them were vandalised - there wasn't time. OK, gangs hung around in the evening (including me), but we were basically harmless - you don't mess up your own patch.

It's a pity London parks don't work that way.

[Juwlz]

I agree with you dickp.

From what I saw of the recent exhibition - it looks like under the new plans Crystal Palace park will be open 24-7. Brilliant plan I reckon.

[Keef]

I wouldn't call Sydenham rough at all. Moved to the area about 2 years ago from East Dulwich (just down the road), and I love it.

I guess some might say it looks a bit rough round the edges, and you probably wouldn't fancy walking in to any of the pubs on your own (except maybe the Dolphin), but I have never had any problems, and more to the point, neither has my wife... She did however get some hassle in East Dulwich which is meant to be a really nice area, so there you go.

RE The "fast food junkies heaven" thing, I don't think that's fair. It has 2 kebab shops, a pizza place, a couple of curry houses (one of which is great!),a chinese and a Morleys chicken. There are also a few cafes.

However, to compare to East Dulwich again, Lordship Lane (the high street down there) has about 8 curry houses, 2 chinese, 2 fried chicken shops, 2 kebab shops / late night drinking dens, several cafes and so on, it's not like your average Sydenham resident eats more fast food than people from anywhere else.

I do though

[poppy]

I have never felt threatened walking home at night from Sydenham station. I would say that as long as you don't walk about on your own after say 11.30pm you should be ok, because there are other people about walking back from the station. I do only live five minutes walk from the station, and most of that is spent walking down the high street, so it is probably easier for me to say that than having to walk as far as Sydenham library for example.