Sunnydene Street

Friendly chat, questions, reviews, find old friends or relatives. Not limited to Sydenham only issues but keep it civil!
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Ronski
Posts: 437
Joined: 6 Jan 2006 01:19
Location: SE26

Sunnydene Street

Post by Ronski »

What's the area like around this end of Sydenham, we're thinking about moving to this end any thoughts appreciated?

I saw there is a swiming pool just down the road towards Lower Sydenham, what's it like? Transport to Charing Cross is important & looks fairly good with Sydenham & Lower Sydenham?

thanks
Last edited by Ronski on 18 Jan 2008 00:53, edited 1 time in total.
Richie
Posts: 40
Joined: 21 Aug 2007 14:00
Location: Sydenham

Post by Richie »

I have recently moved to this end of Sydenham and have so far found it to be a nice area. The neighbours are very friendly and the amenities are pretty good.

I have never been to the leisure centre (The Bridge I think it is called) but have walked past it many times and it looks very nice. I think there is also a gym down on the Lower Sydenham trading estate.

Sainsbury's is only a short walk away and there is a great shop called MFC-3 or some such nearby which sells a vast array of unusual foods. It is also a very short walk to The Dolphin pub, which is a recently rennovated gastropub with the most amazing beer garden. You would also be near the library and not too far from Mayow Park.

Although there is not a huge amount on Sydenham road in the way of shops Penge is a 5 minute bus journey away(for Woolworths etc.).

For nightlife there are buses to Crystal Palace and Beckenham. Beckenham also has a Waitrose and M&S food shop and is generally very very pleasant.

Being in Sydenham it is not far to Bromley or Croydon if you fancy high street shopping but can't bear the West End on a weekend.

I work in the West End and have found the journey into town a little annoying. I moved from Balham so was used to a short chug on the underground. Although it is a much nicer experience travelling overground my journye times have increased a little. Lower Sydenham does go into Charing Cross but takes about 30 mins so I tend to go via Sydenham to London Bridge and get the Jubilee Line as its more likely I can get a seat. Also Sydenham station is Zone 3 whereas Lower Sydenham is Zone 4. Trains run every 10 minutes. It is also possible to walk or catch the bus to Penge East for Victoria. The 176 nightbus stops at the top of the highstreet so would be a 10-15 minute walk to the Sunnydene end of town. I was however, pleasantly surprised to find that there is a train to Sydenham from Charing Corss that leaves about ten minutes past midnight.

Hope this helps- I would definitely recommend the area as it does seem to be on the up. If you have any other questions feel free to ask!
Ronski
Posts: 437
Joined: 6 Jan 2006 01:19
Location: SE26

Post by Ronski »

thanks for the reply Richie, very informative. I work around the same area & would be going to Charing Cross so I was worried what the journey would be like in the morning. How packed are the trains, can you get a seat or is that just dreaming? I checked out the Sainsbury by Bell Green (I think), pretty huge I thought.

I saw on TFL there's a direct train from Charing Cross to Sydenham every half an hour, but not the other way around, is that right, seems very strange?

Do you find the trains get delayed much or about the same as any of the trains. It's good there's the 176 if it all goes pear shaped I guess.

thanks
Richie
Posts: 40
Joined: 21 Aug 2007 14:00
Location: Sydenham

Post by Richie »

The trains don't seem to get delayed too much, certainly more than on the underground, in fact probably less . Also there are several alternative routes to and from the West End should you get stuck, and they all take about the same length of travel time. Whilst is is easiest to walk to Lower Sydenham or Sydenham, you can also bus it to Penge East or Sydenham Hill for the Victoria train. If I do this I usually get off at Brixton and get the Victoria line from there in order to circumvent any closures resulting from overcrowding at Victoria Station. I find the variety of routes more useful on the way home, as no matter what time I leave work I can head to Victoria, Charing Cross or London Bridge for a connection, meaning there is never a long wait for a train.

Regarding the services from Charing Cross to Sydenham Station and vice versa. I am not 100% but I don't think there are any services from Sydenham to Charing Cross, and I thought there were only servies going on the other direction after 7pm. I wouldn't worry about this though as Lower Sydenham and Sydenham Station are about the same distance walk from the Sunnydene area, the only difference being that Lower Sydenham is in Zone 4 whilst Sydenham is in Zone 3.

More often than not I get a seat on the train whichever route I take, though this depends on where you board the train.

And yes, Sainsbury's in Bell Green is massive, and they are due to build a Homebase down there too at some point.
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