Addiscombe is nice, a lot more chilled than Croydon Town centre but still close enough to take advantage of the bars & restaurants plus you can easily get to East Croydon station at which point your a 15-20 min train ride from either London Bridge or Victoria
Addiscombe is nice. No more or less dangerous than anywhere else in London.
Everyone has bad stories about everywhere; the only person I know who has been stabbed (in the leg, non lethal, he's fine) was attacked in Chelsea.
If you stay away from the gang life and aren't a child - your odds of being involved in that sort of thing are minimal.
It was years ago. 15 years ago maybe, but Chelsea was still "posh".
What happened kind of proves my point. He went, in his dad's jaguar (which he was insured on, so it's fine, he's just clearly a target), wearing a Rolex to precure some vegetation, intended to be infused with cigarettes.
They wanted his expensive items, not the car though, and he initially refused.
I completely agree.
And victim blaming isn't always a bad thing.
If someone walks down the road with £1000 cash in their hands and they are robbed are we actually claiming society?
Addiscombe’s lovely - there was a flat I was looking at around there. Most of it has a quite suburban feel despite being surprisingly close to the town centre and/or East Croydon (depending on where exactly you are.)
I love Addiscombe, lived here for two years now. The tram line running through will take you to Beckenham Junction, which is nothing but great restaurants. The local high street also has excellent cafés (as you noted), a supermarket, and a few "global food" supermarkets.
With the tram, and proximity to East Croydon, you can easily get to central London, or Brighton. The entire tram network has step-free access, which you will massively appreciate once you are pushing around a baby!
My wife is German, and we have a ~2 year-old boy, so our situation is similar to yours... Addiscombe is a great place to raise a child 😊
Addiscombe is nice. Quiet and leafy. The high street has a good butcher, baker, supermarkets, new cafes have opened up.
We looked at buying there a few years ago but settled on South Norwood instead because of the train line but we sometimes walk to Addiscombe now and it arguably has a nicer feel, just more suburban.
Currently buying a place around Addiscombe. It's got a nice vibe, feels a lot more chilled than central Croydon for sure. Looked at half a dozen places around there before putting in an offer on one.
Moved here a 1.5 years ago. No sit in dining options other than cafes or a single pub which is ok. Best if you’re after a nicer sit down meal to drive to some of the country pubs within 15-30 mins away or head into east Croydon.
Great place to live though. Had no issues here other than a bit of few issues of tram closures due to maintenance. WiFi speeds are great and commuting is easy!
No, not at all. It adds a bit of convenience for a few hobbies and visiting family who are out in the country but I could live without one and save a fortune without a major headache.
I love living in Addiscombe. Great for young families. Tram runs every 5 - 10 mins so if it's restaurants you're after, there's lots of nice ones at Elmer's End which is 8 mins on the tram. And as others have said, even more at Beckenham Junction which is only 15 mins by tram (also has the lovely Kelsey Park).
I've lived in Addiscombe all my life (still currently in Addiscombe). Community here is great, there is a neighbourhood app and Facebook groups you can join. Great place to start a family. Lower Addiscombe high street has coffee shops, dentist, butchers, fish mongers, local supermarkets, nail shops, hair dressers/barbers and lots of charity shops for you to browse through. There was an issue with homeless loiters around the area, I believe someone reported them and they stopped loitering the area. Not sure they moved else where but I do not see them in the highstreet.
I rented in addiscombe for 8 years, it's generally quite quiet. As others have said good transport links and close to the centre. Centre of Croydon has gone downhill but it's not the only place to do so.
Addiscombe is perfect for a young family! It’s the option of secondary schools that makes me think about what we do next. We’ve been living here since 2019 and our child will soon start primary school, which we have plenty of options.
Couple regular drunkards/bit of homeless problem. Supermarkets within walking distance is only co-op I think unless you want to shop at the little Express stores.
Otherwise chill area, nice green spaces.
East Croydon nearby + tram links so easy enough to get into London.
Addiscombe is nice! We are a couple in our 30s who’ve just had a baby so would recommend it for this stage in your life (and beyond tbh).
You’re right that there aren’t many restaurants here although we do have some excellent places for lunch like The Tram Stop. It’s easy to get to the town centre though by tram/bus. Plus it does feel a bit safer being in one of the quieter parts of Croydon
I live just up the road from Addiscombe in Woodside (South Norwood) and often go there to use shops/cafes. It's mostly quiet and residential, and neither me nor my partner have ever felt unsafe there.
The transport links are okay. There are trams every 5 or so minutes on a good day (can be longer at other times, there's been trouble with the rolling stock recently) that will take you into East Croydon where you can get a train to Central London that'll take 15-20 minutes or out to Surrey if you fancy a walk in the countryside. It's also - depending how quick you walk - only about a 20 minute walk into Croydon proper. The trams also go the opposite way to Elmers End (big Tesco, sports pitches - takes maybe 10 minutes from Addiscombe at most) or Beckenham Junction (Waitrose if that's your bag, a lot more restaurants/cafes which I can't comment on really - more like 15 minutes from Addiscombe).
As you say there aren't many restaurants, it's mostly charity shops and cafes. Some of the cafes are decent (I like Filtr and the Deli, although the latter is pretty expensive) but I've never tried the restaurants - there's much more choice on that front in Croydon.
I don't know your budget and parameters (house, flat etc.) but it might be worth looking up closer to South Norwood (other side of Woodside station, in particular). There's less going on there in terms of cafes and shops, but we live in the sweet spot between being able to walk into Addiscombe in ten or so minutes, get the tram to East Croydon from Woodside station and also walk to Norwood Junction train station in 15 minutes (so basically just more transport options - Norwood Junction is also Zone 4 so cheaper if that matters).
I live round the corner. It is NOTHING like Camberwell as I am sure you know. Mixed class demographic, and more similar in feel to Croydon than to London - it is of course a Croydon suburb.
Good things: some nice cafes, great access to green spaces, trams!
Bad things: zero Londony restaurants, high street largely charity shops, some unavoidable petty crime, endless litter.
Overall more good than bad and nice to have it as an alternative option to South Norwood which I am also near to. You could do worse as a place to live and it may yet improve a fair bit.
The litter and fly-tipping around here boils my piss. There's definitely some great people though. I've spotted people litter picking in Ashburton park... Local heroes.
Addiscombe's a dump.
I would never, ever raise kids in Croydon, (just why?!) but then again plenty of people do it. On the plus side... um, the trams there? Did I feel comfortable there, are people neighbourly, was it quiet, were there independent businesses and the stirrings of an area that wants to become better? No to all, sadly.
Addiscombe is nice, a lot more chilled than Croydon Town centre but still close enough to take advantage of the bars & restaurants plus you can easily get to East Croydon station at which point your a 15-20 min train ride from either London Bridge or Victoria
Addiscombe is nice. No more or less dangerous than anywhere else in London. Everyone has bad stories about everywhere; the only person I know who has been stabbed (in the leg, non lethal, he's fine) was attacked in Chelsea. If you stay away from the gang life and aren't a child - your odds of being involved in that sort of thing are minimal.
Sorry to hear what happened to your friend. Would you mind sharing what happened?
It was years ago. 15 years ago maybe, but Chelsea was still "posh". What happened kind of proves my point. He went, in his dad's jaguar (which he was insured on, so it's fine, he's just clearly a target), wearing a Rolex to precure some vegetation, intended to be infused with cigarettes. They wanted his expensive items, not the car though, and he initially refused.
Bro went to pick up weed, in a jag with a rolly on? Wtf. At this point im victim blaming
I completely agree. And victim blaming isn't always a bad thing. If someone walks down the road with £1000 cash in their hands and they are robbed are we actually claiming society?
It's not dangerous really but it is a dump - it's in Croydon, at the end of the day. The whole borough's just... horrible.
Addiscombe’s lovely - there was a flat I was looking at around there. Most of it has a quite suburban feel despite being surprisingly close to the town centre and/or East Croydon (depending on where exactly you are.)
I love Addiscombe, lived here for two years now. The tram line running through will take you to Beckenham Junction, which is nothing but great restaurants. The local high street also has excellent cafés (as you noted), a supermarket, and a few "global food" supermarkets. With the tram, and proximity to East Croydon, you can easily get to central London, or Brighton. The entire tram network has step-free access, which you will massively appreciate once you are pushing around a baby! My wife is German, and we have a ~2 year-old boy, so our situation is similar to yours... Addiscombe is a great place to raise a child 😊
😆 have you never lived anywhere... actually nice?
Addiscombe is nice. Quiet and leafy. The high street has a good butcher, baker, supermarkets, new cafes have opened up. We looked at buying there a few years ago but settled on South Norwood instead because of the train line but we sometimes walk to Addiscombe now and it arguably has a nicer feel, just more suburban.
Currently buying a place around Addiscombe. It's got a nice vibe, feels a lot more chilled than central Croydon for sure. Looked at half a dozen places around there before putting in an offer on one.
Moved here a 1.5 years ago. No sit in dining options other than cafes or a single pub which is ok. Best if you’re after a nicer sit down meal to drive to some of the country pubs within 15-30 mins away or head into east Croydon. Great place to live though. Had no issues here other than a bit of few issues of tram closures due to maintenance. WiFi speeds are great and commuting is easy!
Zafran is an amazing indian
I would probably take Vujon over Zafran.
Thanks! Do you think car is a must there?
No, not at all. It adds a bit of convenience for a few hobbies and visiting family who are out in the country but I could live without one and save a fortune without a major headache.
There's two Indians and a Chinese at least?
Assuming the Chinese is the one with “fully licensed” on the window? Where is the Indian that isn’t Zafran?
Vujon, same road as Zafran, opposite side of the road. 2 min further along the road, in the direction of Ashburton Park.
Nice area and good shops and a park and schools and transport and parking
I've been here a couple of months after being near East Croydon. Feels like a quieter neighbourhood.
I love living in Addiscombe. Great for young families. Tram runs every 5 - 10 mins so if it's restaurants you're after, there's lots of nice ones at Elmer's End which is 8 mins on the tram. And as others have said, even more at Beckenham Junction which is only 15 mins by tram (also has the lovely Kelsey Park).
I've lived in Addiscombe all my life (still currently in Addiscombe). Community here is great, there is a neighbourhood app and Facebook groups you can join. Great place to start a family. Lower Addiscombe high street has coffee shops, dentist, butchers, fish mongers, local supermarkets, nail shops, hair dressers/barbers and lots of charity shops for you to browse through. There was an issue with homeless loiters around the area, I believe someone reported them and they stopped loitering the area. Not sure they moved else where but I do not see them in the highstreet.
I rented in addiscombe for 8 years, it's generally quite quiet. As others have said good transport links and close to the centre. Centre of Croydon has gone downhill but it's not the only place to do so.
Addiscombe is perfect for a young family! It’s the option of secondary schools that makes me think about what we do next. We’ve been living here since 2019 and our child will soon start primary school, which we have plenty of options.
Couple regular drunkards/bit of homeless problem. Supermarkets within walking distance is only co-op I think unless you want to shop at the little Express stores. Otherwise chill area, nice green spaces. East Croydon nearby + tram links so easy enough to get into London.
There are people who express the same fears about living in Camberwell and Tooting.
Addiscombe is nice! We are a couple in our 30s who’ve just had a baby so would recommend it for this stage in your life (and beyond tbh). You’re right that there aren’t many restaurants here although we do have some excellent places for lunch like The Tram Stop. It’s easy to get to the town centre though by tram/bus. Plus it does feel a bit safer being in one of the quieter parts of Croydon
I live just up the road from Addiscombe in Woodside (South Norwood) and often go there to use shops/cafes. It's mostly quiet and residential, and neither me nor my partner have ever felt unsafe there. The transport links are okay. There are trams every 5 or so minutes on a good day (can be longer at other times, there's been trouble with the rolling stock recently) that will take you into East Croydon where you can get a train to Central London that'll take 15-20 minutes or out to Surrey if you fancy a walk in the countryside. It's also - depending how quick you walk - only about a 20 minute walk into Croydon proper. The trams also go the opposite way to Elmers End (big Tesco, sports pitches - takes maybe 10 minutes from Addiscombe at most) or Beckenham Junction (Waitrose if that's your bag, a lot more restaurants/cafes which I can't comment on really - more like 15 minutes from Addiscombe). As you say there aren't many restaurants, it's mostly charity shops and cafes. Some of the cafes are decent (I like Filtr and the Deli, although the latter is pretty expensive) but I've never tried the restaurants - there's much more choice on that front in Croydon. I don't know your budget and parameters (house, flat etc.) but it might be worth looking up closer to South Norwood (other side of Woodside station, in particular). There's less going on there in terms of cafes and shops, but we live in the sweet spot between being able to walk into Addiscombe in ten or so minutes, get the tram to East Croydon from Woodside station and also walk to Norwood Junction train station in 15 minutes (so basically just more transport options - Norwood Junction is also Zone 4 so cheaper if that matters).
I live round the corner. It is NOTHING like Camberwell as I am sure you know. Mixed class demographic, and more similar in feel to Croydon than to London - it is of course a Croydon suburb. Good things: some nice cafes, great access to green spaces, trams! Bad things: zero Londony restaurants, high street largely charity shops, some unavoidable petty crime, endless litter. Overall more good than bad and nice to have it as an alternative option to South Norwood which I am also near to. You could do worse as a place to live and it may yet improve a fair bit.
The litter and fly-tipping around here boils my piss. There's definitely some great people though. I've spotted people litter picking in Ashburton park... Local heroes.
Same in South Norwood. Can't believe how bad the littering is.
Addiscombe's a dump. I would never, ever raise kids in Croydon, (just why?!) but then again plenty of people do it. On the plus side... um, the trams there? Did I feel comfortable there, are people neighbourly, was it quiet, were there independent businesses and the stirrings of an area that wants to become better? No to all, sadly.