Location Reviews

I've been living in Crystal Palace for about four years now and I have to say I absolutely love it. I've lived in a few places across South London - including Brixton, Herne hill & Camberwell - all of which I enjoyed. But Crystal Palace just has something about it. It has a great setup, built around the Crystal Palace triangle, with great pubs, cafes and restaurants on all sides. My favourite pub is the Alma but can't go wrong with the Westow either. The Sparrowhawk a cracking pub too, you can't go wrong really. There's a real villagey feel, on the top of a big hill (you'll get fit living here) with lovely residential streets of pretty old Victorian houses. The rescue of the cinema situation by Everyman was a real bonus. There's a really lovely quirky feel to the place I find. It's a bit bohemian being a hotspot for antiques and vintage wares with the emporium and vintage shops on Church Rd opposite the cinema. Wander through the backstreets inside the triangle and you'll see little studios and artists workshops. Sometimes the artists even have open house and you're welcomed in to have a look at their works and even enjoy a glass of wine. Also love the Haynes Lane Market, which is open a few days a week. Of course there's also the awesome Crystal Palace park, which these days has a Brown and Green cafe, down the bottom where the parkrun starts and finishes. I have to say, it does feel a bit far out at times, having lived in zone 2 for many years beforehand. And the public transport isn't the best. I work in the Farringon area and the trains from Crystal Palace aren't great for that. Nor the trains from Gypsy Hill. I like to jog over to Sydenham Hill and catch a decent train in from there, shower at work, etc. Appreciate that wouldn't be for everyone! In any case, these days I probably only average 2 days a week in the office and 3 days a week from home. I'm happy spending a decent chunk of my time in such a lovely area. Access to the city isn't as important to me as it used to be.