I'm considering moving to Northampton; yay or nay?

[Shirley1006]

Hi,
With house prices soaring in London, my husband and I are considering making a move to Northampton. I have a lovely 22 month year old who will need a good environment to grow up in as well as access to a good school, and activities.

So far I've been looking in the Upton and Duston area, but I have no idea if these are good areas or not.

Any advice from those who have made the move or live in Northampton, any history to share, or anyone with current information about Northampton i.e. good areas, areas to avoid, that would help a family considering a move would be most welcome!

I live in Wellingborough not far from Northampton. I’m not a local I lived most of my life in Swindon
My family first moved to the area to buy a new build on a brand new estate in an outlying village of Wellingborough for your same reasons, because they work in London.

They sold a tiny terrace in Watford and with that money bought a big detached on the new estate.

Stanton Cross is adjacent to the train station in the countryside and is being marketed to Londoners,

Wellingborough has a public school, many green spaces and whilst the town centre is dying, it’s no different to any other small market town.

Northampton is a university town with a Cultural Quarter, Abington Park which is huge, many theatres, restaurants, independent shops, etc

You’ll find that commenters who live in the town already will only have bad things to say. Most people hate where they live.

Good Earth the town centre, green spaces, housing estates, and then take a day trip up here and drive around the whole town.

Earls Barton mentioned previously is a very clicky small town. It’s not cheap but has as many amenities as a large town and is pretty. However the local primary has poor Ofsted and your child will not get into the secondary school in the next village along, they will have to bus into Wellingborough.
I used to live there and found it full of Queen Bee subgroups at playgroups and cafe visits. But they’re outsiders who’ve moved in. Original natives are lovely.

If you can afford village life whilst the kids are young it’s always preferable, but Northampton is actually a vibrant multi cultural town with lots of shopping, entertainment and green spaces, plus Northamptonshire is well connected travel wise (most of the warehouse super-hubs are here), and it has more watersports venues than any other county if that’s your thing (jet ski, kayaking, swimming, sailing, etc).

Friend has lived in N'ton for 15 yrs. I have visited him a few times. Problem is the county council is perenially bankrupt so all the public services suffer.

Council isn’t ‘perennially bankrupt’. Council is currently suffering, that’s all.

All civic amenities and facilities are the same as usual. Same as any other town.

The only way for OP to get a feel for a new place is to visit for the day and drive around. Nobody on a thread will promote their own home town.
I mean, I’m a Swindonian but whilst I love the place, I wouldn’t recommend it!

Looking at the official stats, there are some good schools. Crime rates are very high even compared to most of London, though.

Given that you both work in London and have family in London, why don’t you stay in London? You’d probably save £££ in commuting costs alone.

Friend who lives in N'ton used to work for NCounty Council. I've heard a lot about their woes. The state of roads is dire. Perenially was wrong word... how about infamously?

I'm in a village south ten miles west of Towcester. I have to say the countryside is stunning here,hilly and wooded. Close to the m1 and m40 and a twenty minute drive to Northampton. Everyone calls you 'my duck'.
It's a great place to live.

Why Northampton?
We used to live in a tiny village in Northamptonshire called Courteenhall (population less than 100). It was idyllic (although no shop or pub or anything basically!). Northampton is a dive though. Really bad.

@kerkyra you mention the stunning countryside and everyone saying '"my-duck". All very well. But no mention of the great friends you have made or warm reception you received?

Indeed it looks great up here, rolling hills, thatched roofs, smells of sheep shite.. etc.. but the people are c u next Tuesdays.. if you happen to be from London!

@cuddlysnow. What ?

Op, my advice.. stay in London. Move to Northants and you will spend the next decade trying to work out how to to move back and you and yr kids will be miserable!

and btw Upton and Duston are awful. Duston sch "requires improvement" and Upton is a new housing estate dumped in the middle of a retail park. If you like Frankie and Bennies, McDonalds and the cinema literally on yr doorstep then move there.

Some typical views of Upton district and Northampton town centre:

Cultural Quarter, Abington Park and typical Upton housing estate street in Northampton.

If you can buy within walking distance of Abington Park you won't go wrong! Don't bother with the town centre but try Weston Favell Centre - small but useful.
The villages are lovely looking but the people can be a bit sniffy.

There have been at least two other threads along the same question in the past year or so if you search, though I think they’ve all said pretty much the same thing!

There are some good community and arts projects around the place, and the Derngate complex is good, some great parks in Northampton and the county, oh and has anyone mentioned Rushden Lakes? But the towns are mostly grim. Given its position and lovely countryside I’m not really sure why.

I have a friend who moved for similar reasons, and wished they hadn’t. If you own in London, a two-bed is fine for life. I would stay in London - if you like London, that is.

Try Oundle. its lovely

Market Harborough is quite nice and a similar distance from London on the train.

Why? Awful place.

I lived in a lively looking village close to N’thants and I hated every minute of it

I don’t think I spoke to a soul for years.

Very lonely very isolated

For me I would say stay in London and maybe move out a little further out to either just outside or just inside the M25 with good train routes or places like Rickmansworth or Amersham etc where you are still on the tube network.

Agree everything that ElizabethQueeniofEngland3rd said.

I refused to have children whilst living there.

We moved back and I could not have been happier

Northampton really doesn’t have much to recommend it. It’s a nondescript, uninteresting town which suffers in comparison with cosmopolitan Leicester which is just up the road.

Northamptonshire, on the other hand, is a lovely county with some very nice market towns, eg Towcester & Market Harborough (which is just over the border in Leicestershire). Lots of lovely villages with honey coloured stone cottages, too.

Also dc have been brought up in London and have friends around the country and comment on how lucky they are that they live in London and feel sorry for those that don’t.

We found that even with housing costs. By the time you have paid for transport petrol and everything else you can end up worse of.

Our outgoings reduced when we moved back to London because although a lot of things were similar price or slightly cheaper our biggest expense was the commuting costs and petrol costs because everything is so far away.

Even though we lived in a small village it was a 8 mile round trip to go into town

I was going nearly 70 miles per day just dropping off and collecting Dp from the train station.

We have lived in East Hunsbury for 31 years and it is great! Parks and woodland, two decent primary schools, two secondary schools within walking distance, a leisure centre, doctors' surgery, dental practice, library, a lovely pre-school playgroup and a big Tesco!
All newish houses though so if you prefer period property look at the surrounding villages which are beautiful.

Don't move to Northampton. Especially if you're commuting into London. Have you thought about Leighton Buzzard? Same sort of area but the other side of Milton Keynes. It's great for families and seems to be quite up and coming. Less than 30 mins into London (when the trains are not buggered!)

Dire. Avoid