Leaving London- Leigh on Sea or Tunbridge Wells?

[AngeloMysterioso]

DH and I are looking to move out of London. We’ve been focussing our search mainly on Leigh on Sea and Westcliff but recently I’ve been looking at Tunbridge Wells as well- similar commute time, comparable house prices with the added benefit of not being within spitting distance of bandit country Southend (no offence to any Southenders reading)

My husband however is less keen on TW, mostly because of the slightly longer/more expensive commute, but also because it’s further from our parents- his are in NE London, mine in Essex. I’m trying to remind him of the bigger picture, mainly that we’re looking to start a family and should be considering more factors than just the train travel, and that it doesn’t really make a lot of sense for us to be beholden to where our parents live. He also thinks we should stick to Leigh/Westcliff as we can afford an ever-so-slightly larger place there.

My reasons for liking TW are it’s a lovely town with a really nice surrounding area, and lots of good schools. Since we’re TTC I’ve also been looking at nearby hospitals and maternity facilities- Pembury is state of the art, all rooms are private en suite including on the post-natal ward; a friend of mine has delivered there and loved it, and it has a fantastic reputation. Southend and Basildon hospitals, not so much.

Because of our budget we can’t afford more than a 2/3 bed flat or maybe a tiny house in either location. Our maximum budget is £250k, so we’re not looking at asking prices higher than £270k. In either town that’ll get us a flat in a converted house with either no outside space at all or a tiny balcony or patio garden, or a house the size of a shoebox. Originally we were only looking in Leigh but are now also considering Westcliff where we can afford a bigger place, but obviously the reason it’s cheaper round there is because the area isn’t as nice. So far example this is the sort of place we could afford in Leigh, compared with this one in Westcliff.

There are also two places I absolutely love the look of even further south than TW, in Hurst Green and Robertsbridge, but DH flatly refuses to even look at them because of the cost/duration of the commute. He also won’t consider anywhere further than a mile and a half from the train station as he doesn’t want to walk far. My argument that these are worthwhile sacrifices to make for a much nicer family home has fallen on deaf ears unfortch.

(It’s also really starting to piss me off that a large number of the places that come up on my search, I will click on only to be greeted by the dreaded words “for sale by the modern method of auction” or “in need of modernisation”. But that’s by the by...)

Does anyone know these areas who can suggest places to go for/avoid? Am I daft for even considering Tunbridge Wells? I spend so much time looking on bloody Rightmove these days it’s making my head spin!

Hi OP. I live in LOS and for what it’s worth, given my time over again, I would choose TW. Leigh is itself is lovely but everywhere around it is pretty grim imo. You couldn’t pay me to live in Westcliff. Estate agents tried to flog It was up and coming when we moved here about 15 years ago and I’d say it’s gone downhill. We considered TW, it’s an area we know fairly well and I wish we’d chosen there. Beautiful town centre and just nicer sort of people. Getting the train from Fenchurch to Leigh... the C2C line is brilliant but you’re going through Barking, Pitsea etc and it’s just rough as....and Southend is horrific.

I know Leigh / Westliff very well.

Leigh is quite nice - lovely beaches / parks etc. SIL a& BIL live there in a big ish flat with no garden and 2 little boys. Although a garden would be nice, there is lots around to get out and about to with children. They are in a good local primary and preschool.

Leigh is very busy though. The broadway (strip of lots of independent shops / cafes / bars) has lots to offer, but it just feels so crowded. (Although if you’re in London now it’s prkbbaly not such a big deal to you!)

Wescliff is less ‘nice’, but still close to beaches / parks etc. I prefer it to Leigh. Bit more rough and ready, but just feels like there is more to it.

Basildon hospital has CQC rated outstanding maternity care. I had my DD at Southend and my care was absolutely brilliant.

It may be worth looking outside of these areas for other places near to train stations. Leigh is particularly expensive. I’d suggest looking at:

• Rochford

-Wickford -Basildon

Have you considered the other side of Southend, into Southchurch? Property is cheaper, the same train line and a great quality of life. I live in central Southend and my children go to school in Southchurch. We'd move out that way in a shot if we could afford the price difference.

We are in TW and love it. I commute into London and it’s really no problem at all - always get a seat and, although some people moan about their service, I have always found southeastern pretty reliable. We live in St Johns nearer High Brooms station - it’s not quite a naice as the other end of town but we’ve found it to be practical, family friendly and really community minded. The schools are good and contrary to what others say about the grammar school system there are a couple of outstanding non grammar secondaries which have got fantastic reputations. It’s easy for getting into London but also for getting to the coast, the airports, out into the countryside at weekends. We feel pretty lucky to live here.

Having lived in leigh on sea and now live in "bandit country" I would pick tunbridge wells over leigh on sea...
Yes it's nice with its shops and coffee places etc and a cast of Towie wanna-bes wandering around but having lived with drug dealers outside my front gate on a regular basis I wouldn't choose to live there again!

Tunbridge Wells is a bit more gentrified and green, in my opinion so would pick there personally.

The three TW comps are all rated outstanding, the catch is they’re oversubscribed and one of them (Bennet) you can’t get in to unless your family have been regularly going to church for several years.

More to the point now almost all the primaries are oversubscribed. If you’re going to move to TW chose your area carefully if you want your potential child to be able to go to a good local primary school.

There is a private coach company who run a service into London which some people use in preference to the train. Afaik it only runs into the city, but they have a number of pick up points in and around TW which can be handy if you live a bit far from the station. It’s called Centaur if you want to check it out.

Ps - for your budget you should be able to get a small 2 bed house in certain areas of town. Particularly if you look in High Brooms and Southborough.
I’d also recommend looking at Tonbridge which, in my view, is undergoing a metamorphosis at the moment and is generally a bit cheaper than TWells but with the benefit of more trains.

Hi, I used to live in Paddock Wood and commute to London - it's 6 miles or so from TW. Have you looked there?

I 2nd ChimperRimper on Tonbridge. There are two train lines into London, so there are options if there are problems, plus a season ticket is £300 cheaper.

Prices are cheaper, there are more central shops: sainsbury's, Lidl, Aldi, Waitrose, M&S food hall, etc. Plenty of easy walks along the river, and far less hilly than TW (which you'll appreciate once you're pushing a pram).
I really think with TW you are paying more for a name, with little benefit. They are only 5 miles apart, so if wandering around the Pantiles to laugh at the over-priced shops is your thing, it's easily do-able.

I'd go for Tonbridge with your money and needs. I don't know LOS at all. Tunbridge Wells is much prettier but Tonbridge has been changing a lot and is better commuter wise. Cheaper too.

I had my dd at pembury hospital (the TW one). They were very good for a complicated pregnancy.

I don't want to throw other places into the mix but Bishop's Stortford on the Herts/Essex border has good links (rail, road, air) and good schools, decent open spaces etc. Mainly flats in your price range but small 2-bed terraced cottages come up regularly. Greater Anglia is quite reliable with fast trains to Liverpool Street or change at Tottenham Hale for the Victoria line.

I would second Tonbridge - it's slightly 'rougher' than TW (although that's relative if you live in SE London!)! You'll get a house and the transport connections are better. TW quite twee I think but lots going on and it's a very well worn path for Londoners moving out. However I like LOS too and I think Westcliff is mostly fine - some lovely properties but a bit more bedsit land. It would be lovely to be near the sea but it's a bit cut off to get anywhere else.

Sevenoaks property is more expensive than TW by the way.

I live in St. John's area too (waves to pp) We moves down from SE London a year ago. Both still work in CW but I'm 30 weeks pregnant so will be finishing for a bit soon. Also currently looking at schools!

All the schools are good and you should be ok getting into one of them but it might not be your first choice. We're looking at schools over southborough/high brooms way which we initially discounted as they're coming on leaps and bounds. It's the same everywhere though and definitely more choice than we would have had in London.

I had dd at kings and the Pembury experience so far is very different. Had great ante natal care at kings but the actual giving birth was appalling, I was induced for five days in a labour room with three other beds which were on rotation with people in labour. Pembury ante natal is less hands on in that you don't get the harmony test/extra 36 weeks scan etc but I'm having extra scans anyway due to growth issues and they've been very good. Parking at the hospital is a nightmare though if you don't get there early enough. I didn't actually realise it's all private rooms but my god that will make a lot of difference to me after last time!

I was browsing roghhtmove the other day and there are nice converted flats for about your price range. Like everywhere stuff is hanging round on the market now and is being reduced so you may pick up something with an offer.

Oh I commute on the coach too, it goes to CW and then on to the city. Generally they are great and it's a good experience, guarantee a seat for a start! Obviously you are dependent on traffic, I didn't get home til 9pm one night last week but I've been using it for a year and that's a one off. Usual journey is about an hour and a half but it depends where you're being dropped and how busy it is/how many stops he needs to make before he gets to mine.

Westcliff and Leigh both fab. Excellent grammar schools, both in Southend and Westcliff.

Easy commute to the city too. Housing stock is good so you should be able to find something good within price range

I loved being able to hang out on the beach after school in the summer. Always something to do there too.

Plus you've family nearby. Southend is fab btw.

Have you looked at Southend East, Thorpe Bay and Shoebury. All the same train line? Chalkwell too - very pretty.

Another nice town is Witham. Less than an hour from the city too but more rural. Also good schools/facilities.

The people are great there too. I miss it.

TW is lovely but tonbridge is getting better as more and more posher people are getting priced out of TW. Although I’m from TW id probably look in Tonbridge now. It’s much better for commuters too as the ñee are two lines into London. As someone who has regularly been stranded at Tonbridge or seven oaks by trains that couldnt/wouldn’t complete their journey, I’m cant really see TW as a good commuter option compared to Tonbridge!! Schools are excellent, but the grammar system is very stress-inducing. You could also look at Crowborough?

Tunbridge Wells is great. We live in a village outside and considering moving in. Commute from tonbridge is much better. If you live the Tonbridge side you could drive to the station, a number of our friends do that.

That's quite a contrast. If you can afford Tunbridge Wells, try Bucks or Herts if you need close to N London

Have a look at Hadleigh. Walking distance to Leigh station with a nice vibe. My family are all there so I know it well.