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Original poster

Help me find a Sussex town/village to move to?

94 replies

PichmondRark · 25/09/2019 14:04

If you know Sussex well can you help me.

We want to move from London to Sussex. DH needs to commute into Victoria 4x a week so we need to be near a mainline train station. We need a really good state primary and secondary but we are religious. We want a big enough village that the primary age kids don’t have to drive to school.

We adore Lewes but it’s just a bit too far to commute 4x a week so maybe somewhere with an hour or under train journey.

Brighton is too big. We want to feel we live in the countryside. We do love Brighton though.

Budget is up to £2 million for a 5 bed house.

TIA.

OP posts:
tattychicken · 28/09/2019 11:37

Bashurst Copse, Itchingfield, Horsham, West Sussex
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-71630149.html

tattychicken · 28/09/2019 11:46

Stane Street, Slinfold, Horsham
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-70877953.html

Lyons Road, Slinfold, Horsham, West Sussex
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-71795764.html

Original poster
PichmondRark · 28/09/2019 11:51

I love the second link there @tattychicken. The one on Stane Street. Total dream house as I much prefer period properties. I can’t believe what you can get for the price of a four bedroomed terraced house in a mediocre neighbourhood in London.

OP posts:
tattychicken · 28/09/2019 12:00

Yes it's gorgeous!! Though Stane Street is quite a busy road I think. Looks like it's well set back at least.

tattychicken · 28/09/2019 12:08

Rickmans Lane, Plaistow, Billingshurst, West Sussex, RH14
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-73553065.html

VenusClapTrap · 28/09/2019 14:05

One thing I would say, is be very careful not to get carried away by the gorgeousness of houses in the wrong location. You can get some amazing places in the middle of nowhere, or in teeny hamlets. But think carefully about whether you want to be driving everywhere, or if being able to walk to school/the pub/the post office/coffee shop is important to you.

I know people who have come to regret moving out of London because they find themselves stuck in a stunning house with no social life because there are only five neighbours and half of them are elderly, and they are sick of having to get the car out to go anywhere.

There are villages with loads going on and an active community, but not all are like that so do your research. Personally, I love that we can walk to school and nearly all of the kids activities, and stagger home from the lovely pub or friend’s houses after booze book group without needing a taxi!

Enjoy your day driving round. I enjoyed our ‘research trips’ enormously. It took two years for us to find the right house in the right location, but it was worth the wait and I’m so glad we didn’t compromise on location, tempting as it was. I do still sometimes hanker for that Jane Austen manor house with the lake in deepest Kent, but know in my heart it would have been a mistake. Good luck!

Rachelover60 · 28/09/2019 14:08

Chichester is very good and, near there, The Witterings are lovely.

Kent is excellent too, especially Whitstable. It actually only takes an hour to drive to Whitstable from my part of London.

Good luck!

Mayhemmumma · 28/09/2019 16:11

I love chichester, Arundel and worthing but obviously these are towns. Ferring has stunning properties and worth a look

BogglesGoggles · 28/09/2019 16:16

Balcombe is beautiful with a train direct into London. There’s a state primary there, I don’t know how good it is but you should be able to easily buy something andhave money left over for one of the many good preps nearby so not really an issue. Pub us good too.

BogglesGoggles · 28/09/2019 16:18

This house is quite nice and less than half your budget www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-72793306.html

Mayhemmumma · 28/09/2019 16:42

That link doesn't work

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-61889472.html

VenusClapTrap · 28/09/2019 19:50

Pretty Hurstpierpoint house:
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-80254556.html

MyGhastIsFlabbered · 28/09/2019 19:55

I'm in Storrington, West Sussex if you've got any questions about that area. It's not got a station but Pulborough is only about 4 miles away.

dootball · 28/09/2019 20:06

Forest Row have a reputation for being one of the most unpleasant cricket sides around East Sussex though!

BikeRunSki · 28/09/2019 20:43

@VenusClapTrap, I know that house! My GPs lived on College Lane!

VenusClapTrap · 28/09/2019 20:55

College Lane is lovely.

Iggly · 28/09/2019 20:57

Forest Row is lovely but a bitch if you’re commuting from Victoria.

East Grinstead is better because you can walk to the station if you get the right location.

The town, like many, has a nice half and a half which isn’t so great.

A lot of houses are being built which has put pressure on local amenities such as GPs.

I like East Grinstead but it’s a pain when it comes to traffic and doctors.

Northernsoled · 28/09/2019 21:06

How did you get on today OP?

NoDontLookAtMeImShy · 28/09/2019 21:15

Plumpton.

But really it's only 5 mins on the train from Lewes. And since Lewes is so lovely and you like it, you might as well live there.

Some of Uckfield is lovely and the train station is a mainline to London.

NoDontLookAtMeImShy · 28/09/2019 21:20

Oh scrap that. Uckfield is further from Victoria than Lewes.

I still say go for Lewes. But then I'm biased because that's where I live.

OnGoldenPond · 28/09/2019 22:40

@VenusClapTrap
@BikeRunSki

I was born in Barwick in Elmet, lived there until we moved away when I was 10.

Small world! Smile

gubbsywubbsy · 28/09/2019 22:53

Slinfold has a lovely c of e primary but you wouldn't be able to walk from that house easily .. a lot of bigger houses like that will be further away from the schools in the villages . Will you need private secondaries ?

JoanLewis · 28/09/2019 23:15

I'd look for a house from whence you could drive to Haywards Heath, which has by far the best rail links - multiple lines into multiple London termini, inc. Victoria. Parking is expensive, but you can get a spot so long as you arrive by 9.30/10ish. Anywhere within a 20-min drive should be doable for a regular commute. HH itself not great - but soulless and loads of housing being built so it's a real commuterville. Friends moved from London to HH and left after a year and moved to Lewes.

Loads of the places suggested on here are equally as long a train journey as Lewes (approx 70mins), but don't have anything like the feel or community (eg Newick, Billingshurst, Crowborough, Uckfield). Avoid anything on the Uckfield train line, which is notoriously bad (single track, diesel trains).

And I agree with PP who said be wary of being seduced by the big house in a not great location. Been there, done that, ended up moving to smaller place in better location because we had no social life and there was no community.

VenusClapTrap · 29/09/2019 03:59

Small world indeed, @OnGoldenPond!

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