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Moving to Marlow

14 replies

Rockcarlo · 09/01/2019 20:10

Hi,
First time I have used mumsnet, my DW is always showing me funny/rude chats, but it also seems like a good place for some honest advice. So hope you can help......(not with the rude chats)

We currently live in Richmond, really like it but like lots of people, thinking of moving out to get a little more space etc. We really like the idea of Marlow and just wanted to get some feedback on what it's like to live there and peoples experience of moving there etc.

We have 3 young kids so also need to know the school scene!

Thanks for reading

OP posts:
MsFrosty · 09/01/2019 20:50

I grew up there but left several years ago. It was a lovely home counties village town but is now overpriced town. But the schools are good

MsFrosty · 09/01/2019 20:57

Henley and Bourne End are much nicer. Or Royal maidenhead

TheFaerieQueene · 09/01/2019 21:00

The villages in the Chilterns around Henley are lovely.

UtterlyDesperate · 09/01/2019 21:04

Home to some of the rudest people in Buckinghamshire, unfortunately ("being Marlow" is short-hand for behaving in a pushy and entitled manner) - and the High Street is basically all eateries and coffee shops nowadays. It's expensive for what it is, though you'll probably not find this coming from Richmond (assuming you mean London and not N Yorks: if the latter, not to the same extent). There's lots of new build estates, the brewery development, or a wide range of period houses, all walking distance from town. If you have over a million, I'd go out into the villages.

Borlase used to be quite good, but I'm told that's no longer really true. There's quite a wide range of schools, though - and don't forget that Bucks is grammar school territory.

MsFrosty · 09/01/2019 21:06

The high st of Marlow used to be full of independent stores and is now chains and restaurants and Tom bloody Kerridge. No decent pubs anymore either.
sorry but it used to be such a lovely town and it makes me so sad seeing how much it's lost it's spirit

Rockcarlo · 09/01/2019 21:09

Thanks for the reply. One of the reasons we want to move to Marlow (or close to it) is because the cross rail going to Taplow...so need to be around there.

Would be good to know what kind of people live in Marlow?. We like Richmond as everyone is decent, down to earth people.....was hoping for same in Marlow (but maybe a tad younger crowd than the Richmond parents.....seems to attract lots of lawyers on their second marriages!)

OP posts:
Rockcarlo · 09/01/2019 22:34

Utterly what villages would you recommend?

OP posts:
UtterlyDesperate · 09/01/2019 23:06

Aha, cross rail.

I was going to suggest villages on the Oxford side of Marlow, but you'd be better on the Slough side for Taplow, probably. Pinkneys Green, perhaps? Bisham. Or how about Taplow Common, Eton Wick, Bray etc? And Wargrave, I think, has a rail connection to Bracknell iirc.

If you don't mind the other side, though, Frieth, North End, Ibstone, Fingest. Hambleden has issues with broadband, and there and Turville are over-priced, imo. Or Pheasants Hill, Fawley, parts of Lane End are OK, as are parts of Cadmore End (the A40 is really fast through there, so not great if you want to walk to the primary school), Stonor, Maidensgrove. It really depends what facilities you want - an awful lot of South Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire villages are much smaller than the villages people talk about on MN: you won't find coffee shops etc here! Best case scenario would be a small shop, church and school - worst case, none of the above.

People are quite mixed. Not massively ethnically diverse, though there are more and more London emigres so that is changing - but on the level of one or two families in a village of 200 people. There are second and trophy wives too - Marlow itself is primarily visible as very middle class, in a sort of Boden/Joules/MN way, but there is a real mix of people, incomes and professions, once you scratch the surface. The villages are more divided in terms of income - a few very impoverished people, who are barely visible (as is common with rural poverty) and some who are ludicrously wealthy: Getty, Schwarzenbach, Branson, a fair few Iranian families, some Russians... Also quite stratified, in that there will be a handful of people whose families go back generations (usually at the lower end of the socio-economic scale), another handful who have been there 35-50 years ish, some who are round the 25 year mark and lots of turnover otherwise: especially Londoners, to be honest - although it's hardly serious rural living, it's still often too quiet and significantly less like the Archers than people often imagine. I personally find people in the villages are more down to earth than people in Marlow, but that is almost certainly as I'm born and bred in the area, and so know far more local farmers than I do people from Marlow!

I usually go in every week or so myself, for the bookshop and coffee. It's a shadow of its former self - when I was a child, there were mainly antique shops, bakeries, ironmongers, independent chemists, a good butcher, the lovely Maya of Marlow, Penningtons and Waitrose. Now it's eateries and chains - tempus mutantur and all that.

Feel free to pm me if you want any advice on villages, though - and for all my eye-rolling at Marlow, I am trying to convince my parents to retire to somewhere in the town centre!

9ofpentangles · 09/01/2019 23:11

Don't go to Maidenhead. It is overpriced for what it is, full of charity and pound shops and is far uglier than Marlow. I think it's cheaper, though, and a bit less stereotypically middle class with more ethnic diversity

Shortyshortcake · 09/01/2019 23:13

Hi Rockcarlo,
We moved to Marlow two years ago from North London and haven't looked back. The schools are great (we have 2 young kids, one in Y1) and the town is amazing for a different lifestyle - getting out for long walks, the river, great social scene. I also grew up near Richmond and think you will find will love it. To note, I'm v aware as a new resident that things have changed and rising property prices and expensive gastro pubs/coffee shops have disappointed some of the original and longterm Marlow folk. However, given you're already well used to Richmond prices - you won't find a massive change here. BTW.. I also commute into Central London daily and the commute is fine (approx 1 hour) but train season tickets are steep. Good luck!

Rockcarlo · 10/01/2019 08:19

Thank you for the response utterly, lots of great info there, I really appreciate you taking the time to respond. Also thanks shortcake for the response.....gives me a little hope.

I fully understand utterly point about the middle class and not diverse etc, also the high st is full of chains, this is exactly the same in Richmond now also. It's a shame but these independents just can't compete with the chains in terms of rent etc.

I don't mind the middle class Joules/Gant wearing lot, it might not be the most exciting bunch but that's fine as it normally brings a nice safe environment to the town. Would prefer a boring town and my kids be safe than an edgy town and worry about them going out etc........for me it is kind of a positive.

It's great hearing that shortcake moved there recently and is really enjoying it. I know property is expensive but as we are moving from Richmond it feels like we are getting a lot more for the money, so I am happy with that also.

We are going down tomorrow to look at a house so I will drive through all the villages suggested and see what feels right.

Thanks again for all your help, these forums are great!!!!Smile

OP posts:
UtterlyDesperate · 10/01/2019 11:36

Good luck with the house - hunting!

Marlow is very safe in terms of going out and about, and letting children have some freedom to go shopping etc alone. There was a big issue with the parking machines - they kept being broken into for the coins, and have now been replaced with card only machines: this was a really new phenomenon after they'd updated the system, so I assume they were easier to get into than the previous ones or something.

The biggest danger in Marlow really is being run over by pushchair-wielding mothers two abreast on the pavement, or from scalding as Jocastas and Olivers engage in free expression at speed in the coffee shops Grin

There's good sports facilities, lots going on and Higginson Park has a great play area (has done since the early 70s from memory) and lots of space to let off steam. It's a nice place to bring up children or for the retired, imo.

fehrmann86 · 22/07/2019 15:18

Hey, did you ever move to marlow and if so how are you finding it? Thinking of moving also.

nicsie · 13/12/2021 14:37

@Rockcarlo - did you ever move to Marlow? We were considering it recently (how I came across this thread)!

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