Teddington versus Earlsfield/Wimbledon

[letitstop]

Can't decide which would suit us better.
Transport links much better from Wimbledon/Earlsfield, good primaries, options for secondaries, common nearby and stuff for kids to do, but seems quite busy and a bit hot housey/competition to get in anywhere, and we'd get quite a small 4 bed for our money.
Versus Teddington - nice high street, great parks, primaries, choices for secondaries, near to Kingston and Richmond for shopping. Seems more laid back and open. But transport not as great. And flight path. And still v expensive.
I'm a bit scared of suburbia but these are the two areas we have narrowed down to as we can't find anywhere else that ticks all the things we need.
Want state primary, consider private secondary. May have another child at some point. Need 4 bed with large (for London) garden and preferably parking, or at least a road that is easy to park on. Like being outdoors and nature but also cafe culture. Not keen to move further out as love being able to get into London proper too. Like this way as have friends nearby and good access to South Downs and sea.
Any flag flyers for either area? X

[Bibblewanda]

Both are full of yummy mummy types but earlsfield slightly less so.

[letitstop]

What is a yummy mummy? I know that's daft but I'm not quite sure!

[DarkMaterials]

I have lived in Wimbledon and Teddington. Teddington definitely feels more suburban and the trains are much more frequent at Wimbledon, so commuting from there is much easier. We looked at buying a family home in Teddington - there were lots available but quite a few have no off street parking and often have very long thin gardens as they are terraces/close together semis. We ended up over the river near Hampton Court in the end as the houses were better suited to us, though it feels even more suburban over here!

[TabithaBethia]

I would choose the bustle of Wimbledon, pubs, restaurants, cinema etc over Teddington, though I love river walks.

[thegreenheartofmanyroundabouts]

I've lived in various houses under the Heathrow flight path and in some places we could wave at the pilots as they came into land. In other places there was very little noise so it is always worth spending time in an area to hear what it is actually like.

[Crumbelina]

And reason why you wouldn't look in North Kingston? Better transport than Teddington, excellent schools, great shopping and you have the river, Richmond Park, Bushy Park and quick access to Surrey.

[Crumbelina]

Oh, and not on the flight path.

[letitstop]

crumbelina Teddington felt more villagey that's all. I've heard nice things about north Kingston though.

[Svalberg]

What about Raynes Park/West Wimbledon? Not quite as expensive as the village but good for transport & schools.

[80schild]

I love wimbledon. Trying to avoid potentially outing self but we have no regrets.

[Raaaaaah]

Do you see yourself being there for a good few years? Have you thought about schools or would you be moving before that?

[letitstop]

Yes we need schools and would be staying put.
I was looking around the Merton Park/Dundonald area for the schools there. We can't afford the village. Don't know W Wimbledon/Raynes Park - is that even more suburbia? We thought Dundonald way could still access tube and mainline?
Argh this is hard.
Anyone else got anything to say about Teddington?

[letitstop]

80s what do you love about Wimbledon?

[rallytog1]

I've lived in both and would always choose Teddington. Wimbledon was so noisy and dirty and congested. Teddington just felt more like a community to me. A bit suburban yes, but more family-friendly. Lots on your doorstep still, and a good mix of independent shops and eateries but everything you need close by.

[MrsGB2015]

I prefer Richmond over Wimbledon but the train links aren't as good. Also You get a lot of plane noise in Richmond. Teddington is nice but even further out and worse for trains.
If you have kids, Wimbledon is great. There are loads of soft play places/parks/classes/splash pools.

I prefer Raynes park if you are the high street side of the train station rather than the apostles side personally.

Merton park is lovely actually, some nice big roads and pretty quiet for kids to go to school. There's a little hub of cafes, but not much in the way of shops.

[Needmoresleep]

Earlsfield, near the Spencer Club. Quiet, green, streets, and lots of sport (cricket, tennis, hockey) for both children and parents.

[Raaaaaah]

Teddington has some good primaries and if you have girls it has waldegrove secondary which is apparently one of the best comprehensives in the country. We have friends who live there and are very settled with an excellent friendship group. It's nice and close to the river and bushy park. Convenient for Kingston. Nice and easy to get out of London. We looked but it felt a bit too white middle class for us. We ended up in a rather more ahem gritty area . I worked in Earlsfield and it always felt a bit transitory. Having said that it has Southside which has great shopping/cinema and it also has good primaries. I think it's probably a matter of personal taste really. Both have a lot going for them in terms of young families.

[Raaaaaah]

Oh and parking in Earlsfield can be a nightmare. We lived there for a while too.

[thegreenheartofmanyroundabouts]

Primary schools in the London Borough of Richmond are good. Some of the C of E schools have church attendance criteria but by no means all of them. The Borough treats Teddington and the Hamptons as villages as that is how they see the,selves. Over the river in Kingston it is a very different feel but that might be to do with the big shopping centre and the university. There is a walk in clinic at the hospital which is good if your child is accident.

We have relatives there. My impression is that people who move there stay. You will however need a Cockerpoo or Bichon Frise dog as every other pouch is one of these breeds.

[Svalberg]

Ah, we're in Merton Park. I'd be wary of Dundonald as the plans for Crossrail 2 currently show a lot of disruption round there. The transport links in Merton Park are brilliant. Regarding schools, they're planning to build a new academy in South Wimbledon behind the tube station which will be on a very small footprint, so again, that's something to be aware of.

[Lottothink]

hi - we are also considering Teddington . which one did you choose at the end?