Walthamstow E17

McMillan123

Lived in the area for many years. Here's what Walthamstow has going for it: Walthamstow Village - award winning restaurants, cafes, bars and lovely pubs set amongst beautiful Edwardian and Victorian architecture plus St Mary's Church - beautiful!
Epping Forest and Walthamstow Marshes - the largest wetland park in the country. Endless country walks in beautiful countryside.
Transport links - 20 mins to Oxford Circus on Victoria line or 15 mins to Liverpool St on overground.
Wood Street indoor market - eclectic vintage wares from over 50 stalls plus Aura Rosa Cupcakes and Wood St Coffee pop-up, awesome.
Chapel End - this area incorporates Lloyd Park with its beautiful gardens, tennis courts, outdoor gym and Aveling Arts Centre; The Bell Pub and William Morris Bar (Morris Minors Club upstairs at bar offers French and Mandarin Chinese lessons for kids while parents enjoy the Gastro Pub downstairs), Arts and Crusts Cafe, Grow Your Own Theatre (Childrens' Theatre Company) and much more besides.
William Morris Gallery and cafe - Won Art Fund Prize for 2013 Gallery of the Year. Stunning Gallery on the edge of Lloyd Park.
Gods Own Junkyard - biggest neon museum in Europe. Owner Chris Bracey produces neon art for Hollywood movies as well as most of Soho. This place is beyond cool.Wildcard Brewery - micro brewery based right in the Stow offers amazing hand crafted beers and the chance to see how it's made. Opposite Gods Own Junkyard.
Pubs - there are many: Nags Head, The Chequers, The William Morris, The Bell, Ye Olde Rose and Crown and many more.
Housing - beautiful Victorian and Edwardian properties on tree lined roads.
PLUS - Lighthouse Quarter, Arty cafes galore: All You Read is Love Cafe, Hornbeam Cafe, Arts and Crusts, Lot 107 Cafe, 56 St James Cafe and many many more, a pop-up cinema (The Stow Film Lounge), a new cinema and shops/restaurants opening in Dec 2014, oh and Stella Creasy (London's coolest MP).
Millions being invested in the area and lots happening. For the money it's the best value in London. It's Awesomestow! If you don't like it it's because you've not been there.

Panda78

I lived there for 10 years, just moved further out last year to buy a house after looking for 2 years in E17. My budget did not extend to a nice enough property, but £320K will do fine.

I think everyone has already mentioned the best areas, Church Hill Road leading up to Homebase on Forest Road and the surrounding streets. Also look both sides of Markhouse Road, like Acacia Road and Queen's Road and all the little streets that lead off them. Quiet as long as you come off Markhouse, that is too busy and dirty.

Personally i preferred the area 5-10 years ago. It has become over populated and has less of a community feel, despite what the Guardian will tell you.

I'd still buy there if i could afford to as transport links are fantastic and it is one of the safer NE London areas. Choice of grocery shops is amazing, there's no product you can't find in E17!

McMillan123

Walthamstow has changed a lot. When I moved to Stoke Newington in 2001 lots of people said I was moving to a dump, that is was rough, dodgy, Hackney etc. It wasn't and it just got better and better. Walthamstow is seeing a lot of money spent in the area by Boris Johnson's Outer London Fund, private developers, the council and others. If it is cheap, it won't be for long.

PerpetualStudent

We bought late last year - actually found ourself priced out of the 'stow (but then we're exactly the sort of young, latte-sipping macbook tapping !!!!!s you'd hate to have there anyway!)
Ended up near Downhills' Park in Tottenham - there's a big chuck of nice Victorian terraces round there that seem to have missed the radar of those fleeing Stokey/Finsbury Park etc. It's much more central, without that damn Lea Bridge Road cutting you off from civilisation, & seems much more sensibly priced & ripe for coming up in the world.
Im sure someone will pipe straight up to tell me what a dump it actually is. But that's my t'penceworth...

BitterAndTwisted

Transport links around the Downshill Park area aren't that great but it is a very nice area and I've been coveting houses around there for ages. Still, for young families it's the standard of schools that become more and more important as they get older, and in Tottenham I don't think they're that great, especially when you factor in how close Downhills is to Broadwater Farm unless BF is outside the catchment area of DP. I dunno as I don't have kids.

PerpetualStudent

Yeah, some of the advice we got was about schools - I don't think there's great 2ndary options, but primary's ok & seeing as we've yet to pop any spogs it's not top priority...
Transport doesn't seem too bad? Got 7 sisters & Bruce Grove both within walking distance? But then we mostly cycle - could do without navigating those big junctions on the High Road I suppose...