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Moving to Kent or Essex? Nice places to live - places to avoid!

43 replies

JudyPink · 29/05/2011 22:54

Hello all,

Me and DP have decided, after much deliberation overdue quality/space V's rental costs, we're going to move from Central London and out towards Kent or Essex.

As we're originally from little market towns in the North East, we'd love to move somewhere with a village feel - but anywhere that is family friendly is a must really. As I say, we're not originally from London, but know London pretty well after living here for 3 years now, anywhere outside of London and we're clueless! We've had some recommendations of places to move to from friends and colleagues, but as we've not yet said we're TTC towards the end of the year, nobody really knows that we're after somewhere that would be suitable for an impending family! We can both easily get to work, on foot, from either Liverpool Street or London Bridge stations - so a direct rail to either of these stations is essential really. Depending on season rail costs, we have a rent budget of between £800-£1100 pcm for a house/bungalow/cottage with a min of 2 beds.

So Mumsnetters, do you have any suggestions on nice places to live in Kent and Essex? And places to avoid? I know that everywhere has it's rough or dodgy areas - but any definite no-go areas you know of would be very much appreciated! I've had a look through some old (2008 old!) posts on similar threads - but obviously, they're a little out of date now.

Much obliged! Smile

OP posts:
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caramelwaffle · 30/05/2011 01:59

Ingatestone?

Stock?

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madhattershouse · 30/05/2011 02:03

Not Jaywick!! Grin Wivenhoe is nice...links from train station but just over an hour to London by train. Rents are approx £650-£750 for 2 beds.

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wordsonascreen · 30/05/2011 04:51

Terling is nice but may be a bit far out.

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kreecherlivesupstairs · 30/05/2011 08:19

Billericay is very nice. We lived there for three years. Avoid Vange and Basildon. DH thought Vange was pronounced Von-Gay [poncy git]. Greys is grim too.
Caramel both are very nice villages, but neither has a railway connection and they are (or at least were) very expensive.

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Bonsoir · 30/05/2011 08:24

If you have the choice, I would go for Kent - there are lots of lovely villages on both the Charing Cross to Hastings and the Charing Cross to Ashford train lines and the massive advantage is that Kent is a grammar school area and there are lots of nice rural primary schools as well.

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rubyslippers · 30/05/2011 08:28

Places like Chingford, Epping, Woodford etc Are fine to get into London
Chingford has an over ground to get into Liverpool street and the others are on the central line

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blabalalalablabla · 30/05/2011 08:31

Coggeshall and Kelvedon (not to be confused with the secret bunker at Kelvedon Hatch) are both nice.
Colchester is good further up the line and Wivenhoe is lovely.
Essex also is a grammar school county so don't let that sway you to Kent!

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confuseddotcodotuk · 30/05/2011 08:48

I second madhatter (who must be familiar with the area I live! Grin) That Jaywick is bad and Wivenhoe is nice. In fact, Wivenhoe is gorgeous, especially the end with the train station in it as it's right on the river :) I wouldn't recommend Clacton/Walton/Frinton though, Clacton is going down the bogs whilst Walton and Frinton are very much retirement towns now so they're nice but there isn't much going on iyswim?

Closer to London are the places near Chelmsford and Romford, lots of lovely little towns around and still on the main train line which takes you to LLS.

In Kent Badger's Mount is quite nice. Very near to Sevenoaks/Orpington but the nearest station is Knockholt which you'd need to drive too as it's a good half hour walk! There are loads of little towns around that area though which are all lovely and you're so close to London and to loads of larger towns (Sevenoaks, Bromley, Tunbridge Wells, Orpington, etc)

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thingsabeachanging · 30/05/2011 09:04

Pratts bottom! No seriously, apart from the fact I like saying it, it is a lovely village!

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confuseddotcodotuk · 30/05/2011 09:06

things: Is it? I never ended up visiting but always wanted to go when I was in Badger's Mount so I could have a photo of myself next to the town sign Blush

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JentlyDoesIt · 30/05/2011 09:06

Oooh confused and madhatter you can't be a million miles from me either! Wivenhoe is gorge :)

There are some nice little villages around Colchester, such as Langham, Dedham etc, all within a few miles of Colchester station.

Kent is beautiful and where I would live by choice. Anywhere round Tunbridge Wells etc

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tallulah · 30/05/2011 09:12

Somewhere like this?

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JudyPink · 30/05/2011 09:43

Wow, thanks a lot all! I'll have to get on finaproperty and rightmove this morning to check out all these places.

I still cannot get over the fact that you can find a detached, 3 bedroom house with a garden and garage for £500 a month cheaper than we're paying now, for a 1 bed apartment in Islington, complete with noisey neighbours. London prices are absolutely crazy.

Thanks again, will let you know if we find anywhere nice today Smile

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wordsonascreen · 30/05/2011 09:45

I'm sure Ingatestone has got a station I ended up drunk there once

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Justfeckingdoit · 30/05/2011 09:50

Avoid Harlow and the other new towns. All horrible, and I speak from experience!

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Portofino · 30/05/2011 10:12

West Malling in Kent (and surrounding area) is lovely here and here and here

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kreecherlivesupstairs · 30/05/2011 10:37

wordsonascreen Blush my mistake, I was confusing Ingrave with Ingatestone.

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giveitago · 05/06/2011 16:57

Thorpe Bay is in Essex - two stops from southend. Good local school there but avoid avoid.

I'm from london but grew up there - massively snobby and they think they are it. Not so (my ds who is 5 also picks up on the chavviness) - but you might like it as the property is massively cheap - really fucking cheap (not that thorpe bay people like to think so). They have golf club, yatch club etc.

You might want to take a look at is to see.

Great local primary (for a provincial backwater). But be warned it's either grammar for secondary or sink school.
Just been back to visit granny - still hate it. But lots of people love it and it might be a fit. And the cheap property is amazing for the southeast.

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natation · 05/06/2011 17:03

Faversham has a market town feel to it. It is family friendly, we absolutely adore the open air and indoor pool complex right in the middle of town, sports centre at the Abbey secondary school. It also has a mixed sex grammar school called Queen Elizabeths. It is also not far from Canterbury for better shopping and facilities or the other way to Bluewater for shopping heaven. It's just over and hour between Faversham and London Bridge.

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hocuspontas · 05/06/2011 17:03

Are you saying Thorpe Bay is cheap? Shock I grew up in Leigh-on-sea in the 60s and Thorpe Bay was the place you drove around with your tongue hanging out at all the palatial type houses. Am shocked!

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giveitago · 05/06/2011 17:19

Hocus - depends what you want -nice big fuck off house cheaper than you'd find in easter europe then fine. Golf club (we weren't members of) , nice yatch club (we weren't member's of) etc - it was great when we moved from london in the 1970's 0- really fucking great but then my parents
realised they'd made a huge mistake. No culture etc.

Many years on I live in the area we're from (in London) and ds loves thorpe bay - but when I go back I see people from my old school married to one another - it's the same old same old. Horrible.Even ds thought that this time it was a bit strange.

Like groundhog day.

But if you want the cheapest big fuck off house in the western hemisphere and a few good junior schools and a 10 min walk from a sludge beach then just go for it.

Leigh is far posher than thorpe bay. Much much better imo.

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giveitago · 05/06/2011 17:27

And I'm so convinced of my opinion I'd ask any thorpe bayers to argue the toss. But I don't think they could. It is what is it is. Cheapest property in the west. end of.Nowt else.

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hocuspontas · 05/06/2011 17:37

I suppose it never really had what you'd call 'soul'. Leigh on the other hand I thought was rocking but much more common! I actually grew up in Eastwood which was also a bit soulless.

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giveitago · 05/06/2011 17:46

Leigh rocks.

Thorpe bay - zero soul - zero culture - and given what I've seen makes me worry for local inbreeding.

Kent is better OP.

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quirrelquarrel · 22/06/2011 20:40

We know people in Tunbridge Wells- lovely place! Bit cliche, when you think of Kent, but worth considering?

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