Canterbury

[MagicThanks]

Hello
We are thinking of relocating to Canterbury in 2 years. Not necessarily city centre but around that area, we’d like a nice big garden and to be within half hour of the coast.

Plan is to move in the summer between Y8 & Y9 for DD and Y6 and Y7 for DS. We live about an hour away from there currently, in Greater London.
Would love to hear from people who live there - what is it like? How are the schools? Links to London?
I am a teacher and DH works from home.
Thanks!

Bump?

Giving you a bump as I’ve been vaguely considering moving there too.

Why Canterbury? OK, so it is near the coast though pollution means beaches are often closed for swimming, a lot of areas nearby havent had water...both due to a crap water company. Traffic is horrendous and will only get worse with all the new housing developments, serious lack of infrastructure... for a fairly major city with 3 unis, plus tourists etc we don't even have an A&E or maternity units...have to go to Ashford or Folkestone. Very expensive buses/ bus passes for kids (apparently), city centre isn't really somewhere you want to go through in the evening but probably the same for most places.
I spend as much time as possible overseas but come back as parents are here and have been for the last 40 years.

We visit the beaches on the north and east Kent coast quite a lot and really like them. Haven’t experienced closures due to pollution, I guess we’ve just been lucky.
I haven’t heard about water, that sounds a nightmare - is that frequent?
We’d opt for outside city centre but understand traffic getting in might be difficult. We were there a couple of weeks ago and didn’t have any problem but must have hit it lucky.
Lack of A&E is a worry, would have to look at ambulance times.
We live in South London - I don’t imagine the city centre being a worry to be honest.
Thanks for the insight!

Something I love about where we live now is the cultural diversity. I wonder is that feels lacking the further you go into Kent?

@katscamelwhat do your parents like about it?

Water issue wereTunbridge Wells, Whitstable, Herne Bay rather than Canterbury

Diversity has increased in the last five years

@Arewethereyetarewe thank you, good to know

I think the countryside around Canterbury is absolutely beautiful. Loads of farm shops and local produce. The old city of Canterbury itself is incredible if youre interested in history, the cathedral itself a lovely place to visit and your ticket last a year. The old city wall is covered in flowers at the moment and looks amazing. Howlets, Port Lymphe and Winghams for the kids. Plenty of great restaurants, try te Fordwich Arms, or the Pig at Bridge. Fenwick if you want department store shopping, or Stratfords westfield down the fast train line. Stones throw to pretty coastal towns, water no more polluted than anywhere else warm in the UK. Good range of schools, Langtons if academic, heard good things about Barton Court too, Kings if youre spendy. All an hour from central London. Train cost is extortionate though.

Remember it's an 11 plus area which might influence your school options. School bus passes are pricey but not horrendous. It's Margate not folkestone and Ashford for A&E.

Water shortages are a recent thing and Canterbury not really effected. More herne bay/whitstable and only once (although has happened in other areas of kent as well at other times, south east water are shif).

City centre is fine in evening, lots of lovely countryside as well

Canterbury is great. Lots to see and do, good places to eat, culturally rich, both the coastal towns and London is easily accessible. Train to St Pancras in under a hour (but very expensive at peak times) or another line to Victoria or Charing Cross which are cheaper but take longer as not the high speed line. Traffic can be very busy getting into the city centre. There are several large housing developments planned which will also have an effect. For a big garden you may need to consider one of the surrounding villages, depending on budget, but there are some great villages within 10 mins drive into Canterbury. Some residential areas in Canterbury are very student heavy. There are good schools, but it is a grammar school area so you’ll need to factor that in, as well as some being quite competitive for places and you might struggle to get an in-year place if you’re not planning on moving before secondary school application deadline.

Yes I hadn’t actually thought about the grammar school system there. My DC are quite academic but I don’t know how academic if it came to competing for school places. We definitely couldn’t do private. The Canterbury School just got a good Ofsted (strong in 3 areas, expected in the rest) but it looks absolutely massive!

Look here for Kent test. It is fine if your kids are academic

Sorry...A&E Margate not Folkestone.. did mean to write Margate. Canterbury did have water issues...though not as bad as Whitstable etc, luckily friends parents were able to get water delivery.
I know my post does read as if its all doom and gloom but there are some good things... there are some good cafes, and a couple a really involved with the community so regular language conversation meet ups, book clubs etc, theres a card you can get for the cathedral if you're a Canterbury resident which allows you free access, you have to pay for the card initially and lasts a few years. There is also a Canterbury card which gets you discounts in some shops, restaurants etc.There are some nice walks... along the river to Chartham or along the old Crab and Winkle line towards Whitstable.
As far as schooling goes its definitely mixed and can only go on friends experiences, Three Grammar schools, Barton Court, Simon Langton Girls and S.L Boys. Then, St Anselms, friends children went there (last one finished a year or so ago) seemed to do well, Barton Manor - mixed reviews on SEN provision, friend took her child out of there and after 2 years of homeschooling went to Archbishops and is doing a lot better.
@MagicThanks why do many older people stay in one area? They have friends here, cant be faffed with moving (ex military so used to have to move a lot).

Hi OP,
I'm in Canterbury, with a son in year 6.
We've been in Canterbury for 5 years, and couldn't be happier.
A few things that we like:

• We're within easy walking distance of the town centre, so we wander into town for weekend shopping and lunches quite a lot.
• We have a massive garden - probably too big though, it's a time suck!.
• Schools are great - we're private, but just looked at all the state schools for our son, and we were quite impressed by the Langton and Barton Court.
• There's enough cultural stuff going on to make us feel like we are not in a tiny place. The Marlows theatre is good, and the universities always have things happening as well.
• It's easy enough to get into London, but the trains are very expensive if you are thinking about commuting regularly.

We were not impacted by the water issues recently, and I think that was a one-off. No other major dramas in our time here really.

Hope this helps!

Ah wait, for balance: Hospitals/A&E are a drama. Basically, all the local hospitals are shit. Mismanagement on a grand scale. If you are reliant on the NHS for any major, ongoing medical conditions, take that into account. I've had some big health challenges, but luckily with private health insurance. But even with that I've had to travel for treatments, and most of my regular follow-ups are in London.

I know Canterbury well, it’s a lovely little city and its high street is always bustling. Plenty to do, several theatres, very diverse because of tourism and students, but I’m not sure how diverse the settled population is. Not very, would be my guess. Lots of nice restaurants and pubs, a huge amount of history, near the coast and the countryside.

Minus points are that it is getting more developed and I’m happy to be corrected if I’m wrong but I don’t think the infrastructure has kept up, particularly in regard to medical facilities. It’s a good 20-30 minute drive to your nearest A&E, for instance (which has also been unable to keep up with the population increases). And traffic can be a nightmare.

Buses and trains in Canterbury are reasonably good. There’s a bus station in the centre of town and two train stations just outside the centre covering different lines. You can catch the high speed railway which will take you through to Ashford in about 15-20 mins and it’s 40 mins to St Pancras from there. If it snows (and we’re due a bad winter as it has been a while) be prepared for the trains to grind to a halt.

Being honest, Kent is not the most diverse place in the world, especially if you’re coming from London, and we did have our fair share of flag hangers. But, it is getting better, both in terms of diversity and in the way people respond to casual racism.

Have you also looked at Folkestone, Sandgate and Hythe? You’d get more for your money, there’s a mixture of school options. The regeneration of the town is ongoing and there’s plenty going on, especially in the summer. Same thing with the High Speed, approx 20 mins to Ashford and then 40 mins to St Pancras (trains will also stop in the snow). They have a walk in minor injuries clinic or it’s the same 20 mins drive to A&E at Ashford.

I live not far away and I love Canterbury. Lots going on. However, if I had understood about the Kent Test I wouldn’t have moved into the area at all.

Another vote for Canterbury! Very family-friendly with excellent schools, nature (beaches and ancient woodlands, beautifully maintained spaces by council) and plenty to do. Quite international with many families having a non-local background and speaking at least one additional language. Lovely dog communities, too. My neighbourhood is very friendly and people look out for each other. I feel very privileged to live here.

@WilfredsPiesDH grew up in Folkestone and absolutely hates the place but will look at your other 2 suggestions, thank you. Also considering Lewes.
Going to disregard the water thing, I think the school thing might be OK. Hospitals is a worry if we end up having an elderly parent live with us.
Thanks very much everyone.

Lewes is very expensive for housing compared to Canterbury and it’s hard to find a big garden. Canterbury is more diverse too and bigger although, for a small place, Lewes does have a lot going on and it’s a short hop to Brighton.

What did he hate about it and how long since you've visited? It's changed a lot.

There are loads of nice villages throughout that area. Our search on Rightmove was a 10 mile circle with Canterbury in the middle and we ended up in a village near Folkestone but go in to it all the time.

I live on the coast near Canterbury, bus to the Canterbury grammars is £590 a year!

When people say the beaches are closed due to pollution, they're not actually closed but you can go online (I use the surfers against sewage map) to see whether going in the sea is advised. There are still sea swimming groups going strong as far as I know!

You'd need to look into in year admissions for a place at a grammar. I know someone who joined Langton girls in year 8 so it is possible.

I don't think it's a bad place to live, Canterbury itself is nice and being within easy day-tripping distance to both London and France is great!

Watching with interest, as we are just plotting our move to Canterbury......