What's Taunton like to live?

[poppym12]

Thinking of putting an offer in for a place in Taunton (TA2 so not central).

What's it like living there?

Any major pitfalls on buying in a listed building?

The whole building is listed including the garden and any garden buildings/ walls. If you are doing any work on the house, unless it is like for like replacements you need listed buildings consent which is free but quite a bit of paperwork.

If anything has been done without consent previously, you as the buildings owner are legally responsible, whether or not you did it and you can be fined and made to put it right.

Basically don't buy it if it looks like it has been messed about with and the permissions aren't there.

Buildings insurance can be a bit pricey
.

I would post separately about the listed building as you will likely get more replies OP

Taunton isn’t the most exciting town in the world, and its town centre has a lot of empty shops these days, but it has more going for it than many of the smaller towns in the region.

TA2 is the north of Taunton and houses there are generally cheaper than in TA1. Some neighbourhoods are fairly peaceful, whereas others have a lot of social problems. I used to have relatives living in TA1. It seemed to be an extremely safe area where serious crime was virtually unheard of.

To clarify, not all of TA1 is quite so quiet, safe and dull.

Taunton itself is not as nice as it used to be - as a pp said lots of empty shops and there’s not a lot for teenagers to do. Public transport is rubbish to non-existent in the evenings. Probably no different to any other similar sized town really. However, it’s really well situated for access to Exeter, Bristol and London, and there’s lots of lovely countryside nearby and not too far to get to either coastline. Plus good schools although that does depend a bit where you end up.

Thank you for the responses.

We're getting older and children have left home so schools, activities etc wouldn't be an issue.

We're currently in the south west on the coast but renting. Taunton as a town seems like a booming place compared to where we are now but we moved here from Bath which is always busy.

Plenty to think about and I'll address any listed building questions in another thread.

Never lived in Taunton myself but visited many times. Plenty to do there and it’s on the M5 with North Devon coast and Exeter around an hour or so away. Just over an hour to Bristol in the North.

@poppym12
I live to the east of Taunton in a lovely village. If you aren't tied by school or work I recommend looking at the villages around Taunton. Taunton is fine, but there really are some lovely villages and countryside around the town. We have great access to both the A303 and the M5. The west side has some lovely countryside but is not as quick to get to other places IYSWIM. in my village we have a shop-post office,/ hairdressers / health centre and a (limited) bus service to Taunton.
Taunton itself is unexciting and there are huge new developments on its edges, but it does have all the amenities - shops / a major hospital / a mainline station with frequent trains to London. I can be in either Bath or Bristol or Exeter in under an hour.
Feel free to message me if you want more info.

@poppym12 this is actually my postcode area! It is nice (I've been here for about 12 years now - moved from Cornwall due to working in London). I do like the area - Quantocks are lovely, shopping in Taunton itself is OK and lovely little villages (where I live for instance). I'm looking to move only because of the secondary school in our area is apparently rubbish.

Personally I wouldn't touch a listed building with a barge pole! Made that error once and never ever again.
Taunton is okay, as others have said it's got good links to Exeter, Bristol and London via the train. It's easy to get onto the M5 if you drive. It's close to stunning countryside and coast line.
It has pockets of deprivation (but where doesn't?) it's got some nice little eateries, and, depending on your interests there are some good community events. Next time you are there pop into the library, whilst you admire its architecture, and you'll see various activities/ social events.
It does have a slightly sad feel about it, but again I think lots of our towns are still feeling the impact of all the previous Covid restrictions.
I've always found it a very friendly place, but again it will have a mix of people some lovely, some horrid some okay....just like everywhere!

Walking distance to the train station would be a big plus @mateysmum so I think the further out villages might be less attractive. Good to hear that it's so accessible. Must admit, I'll miss living right on the coast.

Thank you @blossomandblooms. We may become neighbours if only for a short while

Interesting points @ananunlikelyseahorse. I didn't realise it was so close to Exeter.

Did you have problems owning a listed building then?

If you're looking for walking distance to the station then that really does limit you. You would be looking at the area around Staplegrove Rd, TA1 probably as your best bet. All depends what you call walking distance and what your budget and requirements are. You won't find too many listed buildings so close to the town centre.

I'm in Wellington - next town over going south.
As others says transport links are great - train lines to Exeter, Plymouth & Penzance one way, Reading, Paddington another & up to Bristol & onwards (Cardiff, Birmingham, Bath etc).
M5 (north & south), North Devon Link Road to the west, & A303 to the east.
Access to Exmoor, forests, the Quantocks, the Blackdowns & then easy to get to various beaches including North Devon, Exmouth, Jurassic Coast, Torbay & Weston, Kilve etc
Taunton itself is fine, it's got a decent hospital, shops (though not as many as before), theatre, cinema etc.
if you want more culture Exeter, Bristol, Cardiff & Plymouth are easy to get to.
Lots of great places to visit including National Trust & lots of walks.
It's a really lovely part of the country & as Somerset isn't quite the tourist draw as Devon & Cornwall it's less crowded; though the M5 can become like a car park in the summer.

Some of the areas within easy reach of the train station are pretty convenient for most other amenities as well.

There are a few drawbacks though, especially that some roads are very busy with heavy traffic (including some HGVs).

Also there are many streets of Victorian terraced houses with no driveways, so parking can be limited. Here are a few potential pitfalls I’d have in mind:

Rowbarton - particularly bad for parking. Permit Parking only in some streets. Possible train noise.

French Weir - looks lovely as it’s near French Weir Park and Longrun Meadow. But there’s a flood risk.

Priorswood and the area North of East Reach - these areas are a bit deprived, with some issues with anti-social behaviour.

Re French Weir - yes always check the flood risk but you don't have to go very far to be safe. In fact depending on which side of the river you are on you can be very close to the river and be OK. Used to live very close to there and saw the flooding in 2013-14.
@poppym12 What is your budget and what sort of house are you looking for? There are some nice Victorian houses around Elm Grove/Birch Grove which are well above the flood risk, quiet and easy access to the town and station.

Thank you all. Very helpful information.

It doesn't have to be Taunton but we're viewing a property we like the look of next week so I'm curious about the area in general.

I'm not sure of the name of the area it's in but looking at a map, it's in between staplegrove and wellsprings with priorswood further over.

Sounds like Rowbarton? I live in Taunton and think it's a nice place to live, the town has seen better days but I think that's true of most towns at the moment. The surrounding countryside is beautiful, the closest coast is around 40 mins away (Dunster, St Audries bay, Lyme Regis) but you are also close to Exeter, Bristol and Bath for shopping.

It's not the most diverse of places which could be an issue I suppose but Somerset generally isn't very diverse other than the larger cities.

Listed building - I seem to remember that it's not true that the whole building is listed, it can be e.g. only the facade. I think that living in a house that's special, with history, where you feel you're keeping it in trust for the next generation is compensation for the rules you have to follow. It might be, for example, that you're restricted as to what colour you can paint the front door. If the house has been well cared for, no problem. But if it needs new windows you might find they're more expensive than normal ones. I've lived in a historic building (grade 2) and loved it. Wasn't allowed the shutters I wanted, though!

Unfortunately the surrounding area wasn't very nice and the sash windows were in terrible condition which means future ££££ with it being listed.

Back to the drawing board. Well, Rightmove.

When you said where it was I was a bit mmmmm.....

I hope you find the right house soon.

Agree that Wellington is quite nice, though there have been a lot of new developments in the last few years (and a growing services!). I believe they are also due to get their train station reopened at some point (though that may be a way off). Buses to Taunton from Wellington are pretty regular though and you can easily take a train from there. I wouldn't choose to live in Taunton itself.