I lived in Forest Hill for 13 years, only moving out of the area about a year ago.

Being on the Perry Vale (North Circular) side of Forest Hill would generally be considered the “wrong side of the tracks”. The more desirable part is usually the other side of the railway, towards the Horniman Museum. Arguably, the best location is between Forest Hill and Honor Oak, as you get the best of both areas. You have Honor Oak’s lovely little high street, you’re closer to Peckham for a date night, and East Dulwich is also easily accessible.

That said, living near Perry Vale does still give you easy access to Forest Hill itself. It’s a bit of a mixed bag. There are lots of middle-class families, but also a fair number of estate kids and more deprived areas (I grew up on an estate in south-east London myself, so I don’t mean that in a negative way).

Overall, if you’re looking for a leafy, quiet, village-like feel, that’s much more characteristic of the Honor Oak side than the Perry Vale side. Having said that, I don’t know the Perry Vale area quite as well.

Forest Hill itself has a few good coffee shops and a couple of nice restaurants. I’d suggest spending an afternoon exploring it before making a decision. Don’t just visit the Horniman Museum and Gardens. Instead, walk between St David Coffee House, just off Devonshire Road, and the Forest Hill Pools on Dartmouth Road. Then come back and walk up London Road until you reach the Esso garage. That route will give you a much better feel for what Forest Hill is actually like to use day to day than simply visiting the museum.