east sussex for a multinational family of musicians

[ptitemaud]

hi there
ihave read the threads about hastings and Eastbourne in East Sussex. very interesting.
i am currently living in London and am thinking of leaving it
am fed up with tiny flats and want a big house by the sea
however, i need a very good primary school for my 2 kids
i don't work and my hubby can drive to London but does not need to commute on a regular basis
do you have any info about lovely quaint villages or small towns with a very good school and cheap houses?
i know it sounds a bit utopian but i am thinking of a Victorian 4 bedroom house and a sainsbury or m&s plus some toddler groups and a nice park
is that too much to look for?
i am not afraid of being really far from London
i just want to avoid chavland and backward people if possible
thanks for your time

[MavisEnderby]

Are you Elton John in disguise?

(sorry,great thread title though!)

[Hassled]

But you haven't mentioned music once ! Call yourself multinational musicians? Honestly.

Avoiding "backward people" is always a challenge, I've found.

[figcake]

Robertsbridge, Hove, Hurstpierpoint, Winchelsea..??

[LeonardNimoy]

Quaint villages in East Sussex don't have cheap houses... What's your budget? If you want by the sea, then a town is going to be cheaper than a beautiful village.

[ptitemaud]

well i haven't mentioned music because it has no influence on the type of town i want to live...
i know it sounds paradoxical but we don't need live music or a good music scene for it is our job and we crave for some 'normal' time in the countryside in silence rather than in crowded bar
the fact that we are musicians means that we don't need to commute as we work at night or at weekends and this is why i put it in my thread
Elton John? that's funny
our budget would be: 270 000 maximum
is that reasonable?
Hove? do you mean Brighton and Hove?

[tummytickler]

I think if your budget is 270000 then Brighton or Hove are out of the picture, as is Lewes. You would need to look at Hastings, Seaford or Eastbourne (although having lived in E Sussex all my life I would avoid Hastings like the plague, there are supposed to be some lovely bits, but I have not found them yet.)
I am from a quaint village, and tbh it is almost impossible to buy, definately not on your budget. The village my family are from is still owned by a Lord, and all houses are on lifetime lets from him. I think a lot of them are the same or similar
'backward people' - nice

[traceybath]

Chavland and backward people - this is a joke surely?

[ptitemaud]

chavland is a quote from another thread where Hastings was discussed and backward people is also a reference to another thread 'provencial' was the actual one used

[iheartdusty]

there are a few period houses in that price range in Worthing - 1930s, not Victorian. Schools seem to be OK but I don't know Worthing well.

[iheartdusty]

worthing is west sussex but not far from county border.

[kahlua4me]

My db lives in Old Hastings, which he tells me is so much better than Hastings town. He and several friends, all with wives and some with dc all moved from London at about the same time. They are all in music or tv and all rave about how wonderful their "new life" is. Good private schools for dc, fab pubs and shops within walking distance

[figcake]

I have heard good things about Eastbourne. You could get a house, maybe not a dream house by the sea though.

Shoreham?

[ptitemaud]

thanks for the info
i hear so many horror stories about Hastings!
But it seems the only place where housing is affordable
i definitely need to go there myself to check the vibe
Eastbourne has been described as a good place to live in if you want to be close to lively and cool Brighton and it is affordable
any smaller towns ?

[MaryMotherOfCheeses]

yy Old Hastings is nice. It's just a shame it's so small and next to Hastings town. I do think the place will only get better though, espeically with the new gallery.

[Merrylegs]

Yeah. All those 'backward' people in Provence. .

[figcake]

Forest Row perhaps

[ptitemaud]

Merrylegs: Provence? it is the richest area in France after Ile de France so, there are mostly wealthy families and more and more rich foreigners (Russian)
Marseille is gentrifying very fast as property prices are soaring
if you are talking about backward people in France then i can tell you that where i am from there are many of them ( Creuse, Cher, Auvergne)
Forest Row is said to be a special place with lots of 'spiritual' things going on. Once more i read a thread about it as i had never heard of it before. There is a Steiner school and a scientology headquarter
not sure if we would fit in
winchelsea is said to be lovely

[figcake]

You should go and check it out for yourself you know - I know it very well and whilst there is a Steiner school there, we have several of them in London. As for the scientologists, they are only there to keep themselves to themselves and to keep away from the 'chavs and backward people' who would give them a lot of grief in say, London. I don't know any and people who have lived there forever do not either. You may just like it.

I think you could afford a small house on that Budget in Brighton actually - not a radically fashionable part but not Mouslecombe either

[Ponders]

how about \link{http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-16564083.html\St Leonards?}

(far from Victorian though!)

[Ponders]

\link{http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-28670153.html?premiumA=true\or Bexhill?}

[Ponders]

\link{http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-27505387.html\Bexhill again} (within the "old town")

[Merrylegs]

"backward people is also a reference to another thread 'provencial' was the actual one used"

[Doyouthinktheysaurus]

£270000 is not alot for a 4 bedroom anything in Sussex!

[noddyholder]

this is in the catchment for some good schools.I used to live in this road and it has a nice vibe a bit arty etc.I vieweed this house to renovate last summer it was a student let.It would be fab with a bit of TLC and you could def get in your budget

[midnightexpress]

I've got friends in Old Hastings too who absolutely love it. Again, they are creative types - artists and designers mostly. I love the vibe there - lots of community spirit and things going on. However, other friends were in St Leonard's but have moved now because of the local schools, so I do think you need to be careful if you can't afford/don't want to go private.