During the height of the lockdown a trend I noticed on here and elsewhere was that people who I’m guessing are a similar age to me (mid 30s) were feeling that their time in London was coming to an end and were looking at moving further afield. I’ve accomplished what I set out to do by coming to London and I’ve been here just shy of three years now and feel it’s time to move further out into the Home Counties. I’m not trying to bash SE London as I know a lot of you have put down roots here and quite like the place. If anything, I miss the countryside and relative peacefulness like you can’t imagine. However, due to the nature of my work if push comes to shove I’ll have to commute to central London to work on the big concrete frames you no-doubt pass on your way into town.
Anyway, on rightmove I’ve been looking at the rental market(s) of NW Kent and Surrey. I’ve had a drive around Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells and they fit the bill in terms of last minute commutes into London for work, things to do and access to London and the countryside. I’ve also looked at Brentwood in Essex but purely for price comparison reasons.
Are any of you guys looking at moving out to the towns I’ve listed? If so, can you advise me on areas to avoid, etc? Mumsnet can be useful but they seem more interested in playgroups and where to buy the best coffee.
I’ve been in London for 37 years, 22 in SE23 and I am done. I love London but it is a love hate thing and I need some peace and quiet.
I can’t help you as I am moving further afield - about 1300 miles! I have bought (am in the process still) of buying 6 acres of land with a couple of houses in a place called Cartaxo, Portugal. If it works out i’ll stay forever and get citizenship…
All I would say as someone who grew up in the country do not assume you will find peace and quiet!
My home here in SE23 is a lot quieter than my dad’s house in a rural village.
Think very clearly about what you are trying to gain through your move - quiet, bigger house, access to countryside, change of lifestyle etc… The places you mention are not really the countryside but pretty large towns in Kent.
If you are commuting back to London you may not have much time to enjoy your new found peace and quiet.
If you do look at moving to a more rural village be prepared for a very different lifestyle and different problems - the grass is definitely not always greener.
Finally I grew up in Kent and have family in a few areas of the county. It is a lovely place and I adore it, but you have picked out a couple of well heeled and pretty expensive towns. There is a lot more to Kent that that. Be warned though there are also a fair few places with significant issues with poverty, deprivation and lack of employment. I myself prefer the coast (it is where I am from originally) and would love to return at some point but wouldn’t want to move there all the time I need to be in London for work.
Not at all, @robin.orton. After leaving Forest Hill I remain fond of the place, and interested in it. People don’t lose their connection with an area the moment they leave it, and in this case, “Forest Hill alumni” might be able to share some useful info here about the decisions they made when they moved on.
Also bear in mind no one has been critical about FH on this topic. There’s no need to be defensive about the area.
Best wishes for the big move, Nick, and thank you sincerely for the several years you contributed to this forum as a moderator. Will miss you being a part of our team here.
I wonder how much future there is for big concrete frames. In terms of offices, 40 story towers make little sense if you can only put 2 or 3 people in a lift. On Thursday I have a trip to Canary Wharf re medical checkup (courtesy of my employer), my first trip into the Wharf since March.
Afterward I shall go to the Dockland Museum and then walk around to see if any of the old haunts are open. I expect something of a ghost town. The Spoons will probably be open, but not the £6/pt (or more!) places.
Whereas in SE23 its fairly busy, pub and restuarant wise.
Just to let you know the museum closes earlier now. We were there last Monday. Didnt manage to see it all before it closed at 3.30. Although they started clearing us out at 3.15. Had booked entry for 1.45. So give yourself enough time!
Ps spoons indeed open.
Anyway back on topic. Also looking at moving further out to get more space for money and option of into city or countryside. But still absolutely love Sydenham & Forest Hill and move is more driven by change of circumstances. Recommend the area as definitely think slips under the radar a bit. I know I wont have the nice shops, bars or as many restaurant options as we do here in zone 6. Yet.
When I moved out of SE23, I looked in detail at Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells, and I also visited Brentwood (I grew up in Essex, so this appealed from a family PoV).
I ruled out Brentwood after visiting it, as it confirmed my fears about the “TOWIE” vibe. Also, the countryside in Essex is pretty flat and featureless - very different from the Garden of England with its unspoilt woodland, hills, vineyards and lovely coastal towns.
So, between the two upmarket Kent commuter towns:
Tunbridge Wells
Pros
Within the High Weald AONB. A short walk from any part of town and you’re in gorgeous countryside, unbroken as far as the eye can see.
Many outstanding state primaries, two outstanding state secondaries (grammars) with 100% of pupils scoring 5 x A*-C, plus one state secondary with 71% of pupils scoring 5 x A*-C
Beautiful high streets, including the famous Pantiles (http://thepantiles.com/), and winding cobbled backstreets. Historic architecture dating back to the 1600s, plus lots of beautiful Victorian housing stock
Train station isn’t in the middle of town, so always a walk one way or another
Mostly private schools (although this might be a pro, depending on your worldview!)
State secondary school rated good (not outstanding), 58% of pupils scoring 5 x A*-C
Price-wise: I sold my tiny two-up-two-down terraced half house in Honor Oak for £640K and for less than £900K I bought a 4 bedroom detached house with a large garden in Tunbridge Wells, 0.2 miles from an outstanding primary, 0.5 miles to the train station and 0.5 miles to open countryside.
Hopefully less commuters means more money being spent locally. I read in the financial times this week that there’s been an increase in independent shops doing well, and that we’ve passed peak Pret. I’m hoping hubs like Forest Hill thrive and give more reason to stay personally, but if I was to move … maybe somewhere like Winchester
The only other ‘con’ (perhaps pun intended) is the season ticket costs £5,000 a year. Given we’re all working from home these days and probably going forward 1-2 days a week at the office, that’s no longer such a big deal. Agreed on the schools, if you wanted a grammar school instead of a London public school you can offset the £5k against saving on school fees.
Funnily enough this thread came up originally as I was browsing how many acres of New Forest I could sell my SE23 house for… I’m so tempted but every time we leave London for a couple of days we get bored and invariably look forward to coming back. For now I’m sticking to exploratory trips out of town but if I could work from home with the occasional business trip then the New Forest really is as close to Heathrow time wise as South East London
I used to live in the New Forest and hope to move back there. If you’re serious about this, then check out the Local Development Plans first. Since the truly appalling decision to make the New Forest a National Park Commoners have been priced out. Last year I read that you would need an income of 100K pa in order to afford the rent on a small house with Common Rights. Without people working and earning their living from commoning the Forest as we know it will cease to exist.
The Local Plans will see a huge amount of development around the borders of the Forest, with some further development in designated villages. Eg a 1600+ home development planned for the former Fawley power station site, at the end of ehat is known as the “longest cul-de-sac in England”.
Public transport is of course virtually non existent.
With regards to the poll [Poll] Are you thinking of leaving SE23? I put ‘Other’ because I’m both happy here and vaguely considering moving. In an ideal world I’d have a flat in London perhaps more central and a nice house somewhere out of town. Can we add an option for ‘fantasising about both’
