Dulwich Village is an exclusive part of Dulwich - a conservation area, it has maintained its good looks and the feeling of being an upmarket village. The Dulwich Estate controls what even freehold homeowners can do to the external appearance of their property, including trees, and the estate also benefits several local state and primary schools.
Dulwich - particularly Dulwich Village - is known to have staying power, especially for families, with parents downsizing within the area after the children have left, and the children often returning to raise their own families. Family houses are commonly sold no more than once a generation. The area has a strong sense of community, and there's no shortage of locally-owned and independent businesses.
Dulwich is a safe place to live. The Met police rate the area and its surroundings as having average crime, and the 2014/2015 crime rate and violence against the person rate were both very significantly lower than the crime rate for London as a whole.
Parking is about average in Dulwich. The rate of car ownership in this area is a bit higher than that of London as a whole, at one car for every household. Road links, including the South Circular, are fairly good.
Dulwich residents are spoilt for choice of (many relatively upmarket) restaurants, bars, and gastropubs. You may, however, find yourself visiting other neighbourhoods for other entertainment, like live music or nightlife - but Brixton, for example, is just a twenty-minute bus ride away.
The village's Georgian and Twenties houses make excellent family homes, if you can persuade someone to sell one, and if you can then afford to buy it. There's also no shortage of green space in the area, with Dulwich Park and Belair Park at the heart of the neighbourhood. But Dulwich's famously good schools are one of the main reasons people want to move here. There are several truly excellent state schools, both state and private, to choose from here - schools that have produced many talented celebrities. The percentage of children living in this area is slightly high for London.
Dulwich Village's large, detached houses would make exceptional homes for pets. There's also no shortage of green space in the area, with Dulwich Park and Belair Park at the heart of the neighbourhood. This would be an exceptionally good place to have a dog.
Dulwich is without access to the Tube, but it has three rail stations. East Dulwich and North Dulwich are in Zone 2, and West Dulwich is in Zone 3. Trains to go London Bridge in 15 minutes and Victoria in 18 minutes. The area is well served by buses, and road links - including the South Circular - are fairly good. A high percentage of residents travel to work by bicycle.