London E7 - Word on the street
Word on the street: London E7
17 August 2010
We didn't plan to move to Forest Gate, we stumbled on it by chance after some friends moved here.
We think it’s the best kept secret in London! House prices are affordable, 10 mins to Liverpool Street on the overground and yet you feel like your are in the countryside - you would never believe Stratford was only a 15 minutes walk away.
There is a lack of decent pubs and restaurants but as we managed to buy a small two bedroom house for the same price as our one bedroom flat in another part of London, we don't mind too much.
I am sure a few new places will open up over the year with the Olympics coming and Westfield opening up at Stratford.
John
Word on the street: London E7
19 February 2010
Been living in Forest Gate for about 15 years now. A lot has changed.
Been living in Forest Gate for about 15 years now. A lot has changed. A 4 bedroom house which cost 60k is now worth 450 to 500k. If West Ham are playing it will take you about an hour to just cross one end of Barking road to Green Street. On the plus side, there are a LOT of shops around every corner, loads of schools (which can be a bad thing if you live right next to one).
Word On The Street: London E7
30 March 2006
Very multi cultural, an exciting place to live in...
Very vibrant, has Asian influences, like the Green Street for Asian shopping with people from many different faiths.
Excellent transport links, with Stratford around the corner where the Olympics will be held. It is in between main hotspot areas i.e. East Ham, Ilford, Green Street and Stratford. Police patrols are constant, making it quite safe to be out. Beautiful views of Wanstead Flats (as in the parkland).
Word On The Street: London E7
03 November 2005
I have lived in F/Gate for 22yrs having moved from N/London...
This is a fab place, especially where I live, on the doorstep of Wanstead Flats, this part of F/Gate will become priceless, when the Channel Link opens and the Olympics.
What would be nice though, is to see some nice restaurants and bars on Woodgrange Road.
Word On The Street: London E7
17 March 2005
Having moved here in July 2003 I have soon found Forest Gate and Stratford really good places to live...
West Ham park is a beautiful open space. The shopping and leisure facilities are slowly improving and there are a few good places to eat out. With exciting developments appearing almost weekly it's an interesting community to be part of.
The cultural mix is great and with more investment it will be great to see the whole community prosper. And compared to north London it feels safe and friendly.
27 October 2004
I moved to Forest Gate in July 2004 and it's fantastic!..
Wanstead Flats are a real jewel and a joy to wake up to in the morning and to take a stroll through after work in the evening.
The transport links are great with night buses going regularly from the West End and the trains are really convenient. It's only 3 minutes from Stratford and London City Airport is only 15 minutes by car.
Wanstead is a short bus ride away which has even more bars and restaurants if you want to escape.
Well worth checking out before it's too expensive as it's sure to rise. If London gets the Olympics it'll be a goldmine!
22 September 2004
E7 is such a hidden gem that I hardly want to tell anyone about it...
It is greener and more pleasant than many other more expensive parts of London I have lived in, including Shoreditch and Stoke Newington, however, it is still just as close and convenient (about 12 minutes on the train to Liverpool Street).
I run on Wanstead flats most mornings and would say that it is a space which is just as beautiful as Blackheath. Wanstead Park rivals Hampstead Heath for its natural beauty.
The local community is ethnically mixed and fast changing but friendly, unpretentious and relaxed. OK, the local high street is more Chicken and Charity shop than Costa Coffee, but I like it that way.
22 September 2004
We've been here about 8 months now in a road just behind Wanstead Flats...
Its hard to believe compared to Stratford that you can get so much space and a residential feel (tree lined wide roads) and this much greenery so cheaply. I think that people just haven't discovered the better parts of Forest Gate as yet for some reason, but with Stratford on the up in price I expect that will change soon enough.
And it's so convenient being literally half hour into the West End. We were daunted at first by the idea of Forest Gate and its many nationalities, but people are friendly and where we are is I think as picturesque as London gets in many ways. Get to know it whilst you can afford it! RS and LK
08 January 2003
Come to Forest Gate - you won't regret it...
I moved here in September 2002 and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. There's plenty of fairly quiet residential streets with turn of the century property, one or two decent pubs in case you can't be bothered going all the way into town, and plenty of takeaways, supermarkets, a council-run gym and pool, pretty good transport links to anywhere, reasonable council tax, not far to shops either at Canary Wharf or Ilford, friendly area...the list goes on. And I walk to work in 25 minutes across West Ham Park. Beats the smelly old tube any day.
As a single woman working in the voluntary sector, and a first time buyer, I have been really pleased to be able to find something I could just about afford in an area I feel safe in. I'm just waiting for the rest of the world to find out about it!
13 December 2002
We moved here about 6 months ago from North London...
At first it took a bit of getting used to as there aren't as many shops and restaurants as such, but property prices here are much cheaper compared to the rest of London. We could get a 3 bedroom house with a garden for the price of a pokey flat in Clapham.
Transport here is very good. I can get to work in the City in 20 minutes. Liverpool Street Station is only 10 minutes away from Forest Gate BR and the trains are frequent and generally quite reliable. The buses (although they can get quite crowded) are usually only a 5 minute wait.
Wait till the Channel Tunnel link opens in Stratford and prices will start to rocket, although saying that, prices have increased quite a lot since we moved...over all, Forest Gate will grow on you.
22 October 2002
I have lived here for eleven years and am only a short walk away from all the greenery of Wanstead Flats...
I am also only a ten minute bus ride away from Stratford which is undergoing a daily transformation and has excellent transport links. The best of both worlds!
06 September 2001
It only takes me five minutes...
...to walk from my house to Wanstead Flats which is green, leafy and almost rural, but just down the road is Stratford Town Centre which is an exciting place to be just now. I think I've got the best of both worlds.
11 June 2001
Forest Gate is a wonderful place to live...
It has a extreme mixture of all cultures, yet no one hassles you. It is within reach of all the central London attractions and also far away enough to be cheaper and quiter. The East End with flair, with a huge open space called Wanstead Flats, giving London much needed greenery.
02 February 2001
Looking across leafy Ham Park every morning is a joy...
My flat is big, Victorian and was very cheap. Great pub - The Spotted Dog - and it's still pretty good. Between here and Stratford could become very trendy very quickly.
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