The beautiful Dulwich College, Gallery and Dulwich Village is close by, so is the Dulwich Woods and Horniman Museum. I am surprised that most people do not know Dulwich, which is not necessarily a bad thing!
W

Don't forget Horniman Gardens either. Although they are in Forest Hill, they are worth a stroll too, with nice, unexpected views back to central London.
Mick

I always thought it had something special and I am pleased it has changed in the way it has, but I think it is very geared up for the 20 -38 year olds with babies - which is fine. I couldn't think of a better area (and I have lived all over London) for people to bring up their kids. I hope it doesn't end up becoming too precious.

I think all areas need variety to make it real. After all there are people living here that have been here nearly all their lives and it must seem somewhat alien to them now.

How come no one ever mentions the woods when talking about the green spaces?

Lucy Roberts

Lordship Lane has everything you need - a really nice Somerfield (with Sainsburys next to the station) a proper butchers, a great old-fashioned greengrocers, a deli, a cheese shop (Cheese Block) and a bakers amongst other things. It's great to put baby in the stroller and go down Lordship Lane.

People seem really child-friendly here. The Goose Green Fair a few weeks ago was great and packed with lots of families, as well as younger 20-somethings. The whole Dulwich Festival was great - I like that there is a lot of support for local artists.

The primary schools are good (Goodrich, St Anthony's and Heber). Now we are also going to get a new girls' secondary and boys' secondary, due to open in Sept 2007.

It's a shame though that they're going to demolish part of the beautiful Victorian Dulwich Hospital. I know the Dulwich Society has tried to get it listed because it really is a grand old building and you can see the towers from all over. There's talk of the community trying to save it and open a public project like an art gallery there.

It's nice to live somewhere with a good community spirit rather than an anonymous part of London where neighbours don't talk to each other(we moved from Fulham and definitely prefer it here).

I know some people say some of the character of ED has gone with all the news shops and bars opening. Yes some things like the loss of the comedy club haven't been good. However some of the new places really add to the character of ED - like the Black Cherry pub - good food and drinks with friendly service; Hope and Greenwood chocolate and sweet shop - its kooky and kids love it and I take my little girl there as a treat); I also love Mrs Robinson and have bought furniture and clothes/jewellery there - it was great when they expanded the shop.

One thing they can't change though is all the green space - Dulwich Park, Goose Green and Peckham Rye Common are all fab.

My only real regret was the decision of the EDT to turn a hugely popular comedy club into a second rate restaurant.

If these are the worst things about life in East Dulwich then I can't imagine why anyone would be put-off. The rest of London seems more concerned with being able to get down the street without being mugged.

The good news about ED, however, is that the majority of the population are perfectly normal folks who, for the most part, welcome the fact that the area has undergone a major smartening-up, but still remain their perfectly normal selves. Some of them even might enjoy the occasional overpriced chocolate.

What attracted me to the area was that I could live in a quiet place with plenty of green spaces - Dulwich Park, Peckham Rye Park, Goose Green - and where people were really friendly and still be only 12 minutes on the train into London Bridge.

Changes always bring both good and bad things. On the upside there's more variety on Lordship Lane (e.g. there's finally a decent and good quality butchers), on the downside some of the new boutiques are very expensive so I tend to shop there only when I want something one off or extra special.

Overall I have found that the news bars like Bishop, Black Cherry and Liquorice have great friendly service. The service at a couple of restaurants has gone downhill as they have become very popular - now they are doing so well they don't make such an effort with the service which is a shame but I keep going back as the food is so good!

The biggest change I have seen is that streets have really smartened up. I would say that my road was really scruffy when I first moved there. Okay there has been a big influx of people in their 20s and 30s, but they are often buying their first home and they have made a real effort to smarten up their homes, paint the fronts and make their front gardens nice.

Its not because they have lots of money, most don't because the prices are so high now. The new people opposite me are a young couple and they have put in some pretty long hours doing up their house themselves as they can't afford to get decorators in as it is their first home.

The new people moving to my road (and yes some are from Clapham!) are friendly and have made an effort to get to know their neighbours which can't be a bad thing.

My wife is pregnant with our first child and we will probably be like all the other newly-arrived "of breeding age" as one person so tastefully put it, and I suppose my wife will be one of those "earnest" and "thrusting" mums too. And I think that's cool, as are everyone else who mix here and add to the area's appeal, whatever their background.

I think it's a good thing for an area to improve, to get new shops and restaurants, to feel safer, to have houses refurbished and improved. That's surely better than a south-east London black hole of chavdom and bling.

Clearly some folks long for the good old days when women kept their mouths shut and their kids out of sight. Whilst I agree that people on low incomes are being priced-out of the area, ED is subject to the forces of capitalist economics just like everywhere else in London - it's hardly the fault of the people who earn more money.

Let's not forget that many of those long-established residents have been more than happy to cash-in on the property boom in the area by selling-up and moving somewhere up the chain (thus pricing someone else out of their local area!)

Does it sometimes feel as though the entire 20-something population of Clapham have all swapped their 2-bed flats for newly refurbed monster 4-bed palaces on my street? Almost certainly.

Does this merit the level of whinging from these 'I-am-merely-pretending-to-be-annoyed-that-my-local-neighbourhood-is-no-longer-a-rundown-s*itheap-just-so-I-can-point-out-that-I-have-lived-here-longer-than-everyone-else-and-am-therefore-a-morally-superior-being
types?

No, of course not.

My advice to anyone reading this and trying to work out what SE22 is like is to ignore these people - they are the equivalent of the pensioner who can't believe they had to fight in WWII so that 'the youth' can wear g-strings and generally enjoy themselves. They suffered so that you don't have to...

Personally as someone who moved here 5 years ago - just as SE22 was pulling its socks up - I still miss the dubious charms of The Hamlet's late licence and Emmerdale-farmhouse interior; the icy chill that would wash over you if, heaven forfend, you ever fancied a drink in the Foresters; and the grotty charms of the knackered old Somerfields.

That said, ED undoubtedly lost a little of its soul when local institutions like the ED Comedy Club finally got moved out of the area just so that the Magdala could undergo a personality-free makeover.

Let's not get carried away though. Now - the day Cheney Books gets turned into an All Bar One? Then we can talk about the downside of gentrification.

Other than that, East Dulwich is ace - lots of green, lots of pubs and restaurants, lots of funky shops and lots of equity in my house since I bought at the right time.

Only joking.

The whingers simply need to realise that they live in a lovely chunk of London, and other people might just want to live there too...

These days, the place is simply too expensive for such cultural activities to find a home here. I still like it here, but the atmosphere has become rather self-satisfied, as typified by the smug newsletters that have recently sprung up.

It's impossible to park easily or get a basic coffee for under a quid here. The newly refurbished/ renamed bars are awash with pre-school kids and their thrusting earnest mothers, whilst local schools are much more segregated now, due to the flood of wealth into the area, meaning that some primary schools are considered 'must get into'
whilst others are left to rot and the kids who may not have the ambitious parents don't really stand a chance.

Still, that isn't a direct criticism. I like the place and have lived here for some time. If you are relatively wealthy, well educated and are of breeding age, then ED has everything you will need. Until you move to the suburbs for the Grammar schools that is.

If you aren't wealthy and have a poor education, then it may not be for you. Membership of the local NCT is a must, as is regular Church attendance and glad handing of the vicar if you want to help your chances of getting into the local top achieving school.

Cynical Me? I think not. Still not a bad place though.

You can always get on these three trains and you are always guaranteed a seat on the 8.35am and 8.55am if you get on the less busy carriages. The trains only take 12 minutes to London Bridge making it a quick commute straight into the City.

I love East Dulwich and wouldn't live anywhere else in London. It has a village feel with lots of green spaces (e.g. Dulwich Park, Goose Green), yet it is a very lively place. Our house has risen in value by just over 60% in the last three years. Prices are still rising fast, particularly since more and more bars, restaurants and boutiques keep opening.

An old fashioned butchers opened last year and there is a great organic greengrocers on Northcross Road. There is also a speciality cheese shop on Lordship Lane called Cheeseblock, and the East Dulwich Deli is opening another outlet in Harrods soon. Dr Boo is one of a number of gorgeous boutiques for clothes. Roullier White and Mrs Robinson are fab for homewares and furniture.

There are so many great restaurants and bars that we no longer go into Central London as much at the weekends. East Dulwich is very popular with 20 and 30 somethings, although families with young children are also attracted to the area due to the good primary schools.

On the downside, the council is sometimes useless at cleaning the streets although there has been a huge improvement over the last 12 months. The train station can also have lots of litter and graffiti but again efforts have recently been made to improve it although there is still some way to go.

For a start the no 12 bus takes you direct to Piccadilly & Oxford Circus, Peckham Rye station gives you options to Blackfriars or Victoria, West Dulwich the same, and then there is still Honor Oak Station for London Bridge. Plus, there are at least 3 other bus routes that get you to West End/ ALdwych, with many more options linking from Camberwell Green.

So, not so bad after all, if one is willing to suss out various alternative routes and be a bit more adventurous!

Southwark Council is currently upgrading the streets and planting trees. The weekly market is expanding and every rundown shop is reopening as something truly desirable. East Dulwich really is a little oasis - with a soul - in South East London and it just keeps getting better every month

It feels rural and far away from the centre of London because, from a transport point of view, it is!

I used to visit soho and surrounding areas quite a bit but have everything i need in the local area when it comes to going out for a good night!

We love it here now, lovely quiet, leafy and suburban, yet also loads of shops, bars and restaurants, you don't feel like you're in London but then again only 10 mins on train into town.

Weekends are relaxed and I love to potter around in the area.

East Dulwich has so much to offer, great location, near to the City and accessible to so many other areas in SW and SE London, plenty of local amenities and places of interest to suit all ages and tastes nicely topped off with great character.

Despite not having a tube it is easy to get to London Bridge and has innumerable buses (the no. 12 goes all the way to Oxford Circus) and makes travelling back from work in the centre a lot less crushed and unpleasant.

Host to a number of gorgeous cafés, notably the Blue Mountain, and gift shops like Ed's and Grace & Favour, all on funky Northcross Road.

If you want a lovely Victorian 3 bed house there are loads of them but get in there fast as they do disappear very quickly. I LOVE THIS PLACE!!

There are shops (I adore Woodwrights for all things Asian/African!), bars ('Inside 72' being a particular favourite!) and good transport links to central London. If you like eating out then you will be truly spoilt for choice with a number of good quality restaurants to suit a range of budgets: Le Chardon (French & on the expensive side), Upstairs at the E.D.T. (Italian-ish and reasonably priced), Tandoori Nights (Indian, excellent value for money and newly refurbished to give a modern fusion feel) Sema Thai & Thai Corner Cafe (both with good food although I prefer Thai Corner Cafe as you can still bring your own alcohol!).

The list goes on, so all I will say is that you should come and check it out for yourself, you may be surprised by this little gem sparkling away in South East London!

Area is really improving - it seems like new bars/shops/deli's are opening weekly!

If your thinking of moving to East Dulwich you'd better move quickly though because the proposed East London Line extension will send prices through the roof.

There's the organic green grocer, the quirky Grace and Favour for lunch and coffee, along with some gift ideas, not forgetting of course 'Ed'. If you are ever stuck for a present, then go here. It won retailer of the year last year, so there's proof enough!

It's so green and kind of arty in a non-pretentious way. It's not far from Dulwich village either, so if you want a walk in the park, or to feed the ducks you can do just that.

Friends that visited were amazed at how close it really was to the city, as there are overground stations at East Dulwich direct to Victoria, Denmark Hill into Blackfriars - regular buses etc. Not forgetting of course the fab Sainsbury's for that compulsive weekly shop. Go there for a visit. You will be enlightened, inspired, and want to live there too.

And everyone is moving here!!

East Dulwich also has two exercise establishments, one at the football ground and another run by the council which includes a 27m swimming pool. 15 minutes walk from the centre of East Dulwich is the Peckham Premier 6 screen cinema which can always guarantee loads of empty seats to see the latest films.

East Dulwich has its own train station which runs around 6 times an hour to London Bridge with a journey time of 12 minutes. There are 3 main buses, every 10 minutes which take you out of this zone 2 area and into central London.