Living and renting in Crouch End: travel links, parking, schools, best streets — and the average cost of monthly rent

A longer commute keeps the rents down in this north London area, with its great mix of cafés and an almost chain-free high street.
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Ruth Bloomfield15 May 2019

Crouch End has long been a popular option for Londoners tired of life in the frenzied centre.

Since Victorian days it has been a bolt hole for City workers who opted for a longer commute in order to be able to enjoy some peaceful downtime.

The area’s lovely Victorian villas and houses were built for these escapees, and until the Fifties Crouch End had its own station to convey them the six miles to central London.

The lowdown

Today’s Crouch Enders have a slightly more complex commute, but the area’s great mix of cafés and restaurants, its almost entirely chain-free high street, its good schools and nearby open space still make it a popular choice, particularly for families.

Families make up the majority of Tatlers letting manager Anthony Stylianou’s client list, attracted by the schools and the lifestyle. “We also get young professionals who have been renting in busy areas like Shoreditch and they want a more chilled-out, quieter area,” he adds.

Crouch End is covered by two controlled parking zones. Annual residents permits cost between £21 and £280 depending on the level of CO2 omissions of your vehicle.

Crime rates are below average for London at seven reported incidents per 1,000 population; across the capital the rate is eight incidents.

Park Road Pools & Fitness has indoor pools and a lido, gym, exercise studio and café, and there are several tennis and cricket clubs around Highgate Woods.

Other local gyms include Virgin Active, My Gym Crouch End and At One Training.

Average cost of renting in Crouch End

Property size Average monthly cost
One-bedroom flat £1,326
Two-bedroom flat £1,650
Two-bedroom house £1,696
Three-bedroom house £2,151
Four-bedroom house £3,229

Best streets in Crouch End to live on

Schools are a key issue to many Crouch End renters. Stylianou says that for this reason the streets close to popular Coleridge Primary School, which gets top marks from Ofsted, are high on renters’ wish lists.

Others prefer to be in Elder Avenue, or one of the other streets right off Crouch End Broadway, so they can enjoy peace and quiet and a two-minute walk to the shops.

The final option is to head for the Highgate borders, where there is plenty of nearby green space, the Northern line is close at hand — and there is an element of snobbery about being so close to a posher London village.

Crouch End travel links and accessibility

Because Crouch End isn’t on the Tube network, a walk of up to 20 minutes, or a bus ride, is required to pick up a commuter train at one of its surrounding stations.

These include Highgate and Finsbury Park Underground stations, Hornsey and Harringay train stations and Crouch Hill and Harringay Green Lanes Overground stations.

Best schools in Crouch End

As well as “outstanding” Coleridge Primary School, there’s a trio of Crouch End primaries — Rokesly Infant & Nursery School, Rokesly Junior School and St Mary’s CofE Primary School — with “good” reports from Ofsted.

For older pupils Hornsey School for Girls, Greig City Academy and Highgate Wood Secondary School are all also rated “good” by the schools watchdog.

Supermarkets and food markets in Crouch End

The Broadway has a Waitrose, Tesco Express and M&S Simply Food, while The Broadway Fruiterers has excellent fresh stock.

The Alexandra Palace Farmers’ Market is a Sunday must for foodies.

Downsides?

The lack of a Tube station, the hills and, for some, the slightly yummy mummy atmosphere aren’t ideal.

Crouch End is many things, but hip isn’t one of them.

Local knowledge

'It is almost like you are living out of London'

Peace and brunch: Katie Brown loves the area's peace and quiet, green space, great cafés and small shops
Adrian Lourie

Crouch End is the quintessential London village and Katie Brown had her eye on the place long before she moved there this year.

Until February she had been living with a boyfriend in Enfield. When they split up she seized the opportunity to achieve her dream and move to N8.

Now Katie, 24, shares a top-floor maisonette in Crouch End with three other twenty-somethings. Her portion of the monthly rent is £680.

She was drawn to the area’s calm, leafy streets, its great high street with famously good café culture, and its almost rural feel.

“For me it is almost like you are living out of London,” she says. “You have the nine to five in central London — and so you get the best of both worlds.”

Crouch End’s big deal breaker is the lack of a Tube station but Katie says this keeps rents down.

“I doubt I’d get anything as nice for the same price in Finsbury Park,” she adds. “And not having a Tube doesn’t bother me because I cycle everywhere anyway. And I would rather live somewhere with nice things to do and have a slightly longer commute.”

Shopping in Crouch End

A lovely mix of independent shops makes Crouch End a great place for window shopping.

Katie particularly likes Season Cookshop, but you could just as easily spend your time and money at the very grand Floral Hall Antiques, sifting through the vinyl at Flashback Records or browsing in House of Books.

Culture in Crouch End

Crouch End Picturehouse has its own excellent café, and there is live comedy Downstairs at the King’s Head.

The iconic north London entertainments venue Alexandra Palace is just a mile north of the centre of Crouch End, with a year-round programme of live music, exhibitions and events.

Eating and drinking in Crouch End

Katie’s love of brunch drew her to Crouch End, where she particularly recommends the vegan/vegetarian Miranda Café, Beam and also Sable d’Or with its amazing range of French pastries.

In the evening she can be found having a drink in one of the local bars, such as tiny cocktail bar Nickel, or Monkeynuts gastropub.

Crouch End's green space

Katie’s number one choice for open space is Alexandra Palace Park, although she notes you will need strong calf muscles to get there, since Crouch End’s hills can be extreme.

There is also Priory Park, a small traditional Victorian park, plus Queen’s Wood and Highgate Wood close to Highgate Underground.

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