Chesham/Amersham

[Mover2024]

Posting here for traffic.

DH and I are looking to move this year to this area or surrounding. We are looking for good primary schools, good commutability to London (Met line) and good community to make friends, so mother and baby classes etc.

We are black so would also like some diversity and to not feel out of place/be treated as such.

Would love any tips or recommendations people have as we aren't from the area! Thanks ☺️

🤞🏽🤞🏽 - do you know what investment Amersham has seen recently?

That makes sense but is also annoying as if you have to spend lots to extend and modernise, you're losing money if there's not much difference between doer uppers and done houses as building costs are so high at the minute.

I think extending would be fine from what I can see

I think the issue (from what I can see) is that Amersham is noticeably more expensive and therefore they look down on Chesham? 😅 not right of course as clearly Chesham isn't cheap by national standards and also has a waitrose and Neptune which are both indicators of wealth but it just seems that Amersham is quite a bit more expensive.

From what I can see that's because of the fact they also have the train line?

Chesham is much more diverse than Amersham. I've worked as a nanny around Amersham area a bit and was openly told I got the job because I don't have a foreign accent. I know a family with one white parent one non white and the mum was so upset she couldn't find a group and felt non accepted by the other school mums- this was Amersham. Never knew why but my guess was it was racism.

Chesham however has much nicer welcoming people. It's got some deprived areas so there is more funding going into children's activities. You can go to free groups with nice people at children centres there (Amersham you are paying lots out for baby groups). Definitely more social housing 'lower class' areas in Chesham. I doubt you would get drunks walking about in Amersham but I know a few people who do drugs who live in Chesham. But honestly you get this in many areas and if you have nice neighbours I'd definitely choose Chesham personally.

I would also echo Aylesbury and Milton Keynes much more diverse. But I've lived and it worked all over Bucks and personally I've not found the sense of community in the larger town/north bucks. And if you want good school do not come anywhere near towns in north bucks. I did some training recently on the areas in bucks with the most vulnerable children it was a fairly even split between Chesham High Wycombe and Aylesbury. The difference with Chesham is the schools vary so much whereas other towns schools are oversubscribed and just bad for schools. You need village schools or private in bucks if you want good schools and you need to pass the 11+ for a good secondary.

A bit of a light-hearted take on the Amersham-Chesham relationship. Several years ago I remember a local (Chesham) artist did a series of pictures satirising the relationship between the two towns. It helps to understand that the centre of Chesham is closely hemmed in by hills. One of the pictures was titled something like 'when it rains...' (I may have made that up) but it showed a big water pipe on the Amersham hill emptying itself into a submerged Chesham. Another had a railway line running straight from the Amersham side to the hill on the other side, going way over the top of Chesham.

For additional info, these pictures were on display for a while in the utterly marvellous café / art gallery / live music venue The Drawing Room.

@PurpleBugz thanks! Your post is really helpful

We are definitely looking at Chesham/Amersham and don't want MK/Aylesbury etc. Whilst we'd like diversity because we're black, we don't want to feel like we can't move to either because we're black.

Making mum friends is something that I would like to do so I note your point about issues with that. I don't want to feel isolated.

Chesham schools seem to be more of a mixed bag than Amersham, is that right? Chesham Prep looks good so we would consider that too

Amersham investment mainly been on council buildings but most recently new all singing and dancing sport centre and playground outside.
It a shame the one they tore down was much better! Used to have water slides which the kids loved but now have to go to Aylesbury. And no more free parking at Amersham sports centre (unlike chesham and Aylesbury). All are everyone active (so if you have lessons at either the kids can go to Aylesbury for free) and the chesham pool is generally warm and perfectly good for children’s lessons (and has a shallow pool for the very young - I think Amersham only has the diving pool which has variable depth. It does have a splash play area though). There is also a clip and climb as well as ‘proper’ climbing walls at Amersham. New soft play at both.

Am I also right in thinking that less of the Met line tubes go to Chesham than Amersham? Or is it the same? (Tubes rather than trains as I know Chesham doesn't have a train service)

Have you thought of Watford, also on the Met line but with the main line 18 mins into Euston.
Very diverse community, and excellent schools.

Also, quite a random question but does Chesham have reformer Pilates? I think Amersham does but not sure about Chesham. Very niche question but it's the only exercise I do!

https://buckinghamshire-gov-uk.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/CheshamRegenerationStrategyy_v10.pdf

Found this, if of interest to anyone

@Mover2024 re trains the major advantage of Amersham over Chesham is that you can catch the Chiltern Line into Marylebone so in effect you have twice as many trains to choose from, particularly at rush hour. A little-known fact to people from outside the area is that Amersham station is Met owned and run so you only pay tube prices but are entitled to catch the overground.

Also surprised that nobody has pointed out the major difference between the grammar schools in Chesham and those in Amersham - Chesham Grammar is mixed whereas the Challoner's schools and Beaconsfield High are single-sex. If that is a big factor for you, bear it in mind.

The non-grammar schools tend to be more diverse. Having had DCs at both grammar and secondary modern in the area, the grammar was very white and very wealthy (in general); the secondary modern considerably less so. There's a large Polish community in Amersham, and also a smaller but well-established Filipino one, but DCs from both these community mostly go to the non-grammar schools.

Local people (particularly in Amersham) can be quite snobby about the non-grammars, but our experience of the one in Amersham was very positive - our DD who went there is now extremely highly qualified, and all of her friendship group who wanted to, went to university.

@thing47 thanks, that's really helpful. From our research, Chesham is also in catchment for the Challoners grammars isn't it?

It is, yes. DCHS is very different from Chesham Grammar though and doesn't suit every girl. On the other hand, some parents prefer single-sex schooling regardless.

@thing47 different in what way? I don't have the background knowledge, I just know they are all well sought after schools

Anecdotally Challoners girls is very high pressure and has high rates of students with eating disorders.

DCHS is a bit of a hothouse academically, and has quite a lot of pushy parents who prioritise academic results over any extra-curricular activities. If that suits you/your DD, it is a very good school and will almost certainly supply excellent results. If you prefer a more relaxed approach, and potentially a more rounded education, Chesham Grammar might be better at providing that. All these are, by and large, generalisations and there's an element of horses for courses.

Hello @Mover2024 - I am looking at both Amersham and Chesham, too, and found this thread so helpful. What did you decided in the end?

We're moving to Chesham! Hopefully by the end of summer

Congratulations! I am looking at both towns today to get feeling!

@Bear65 let me know how it goes! I absolutely loved Amersham but we got a lot more for our money in Chesham.

Also, Chesham is much more green and a bit more rural which I like. Also, my research shows it has a strong community feel which we're looking for as we're moving away from family. It has a Neptune and a Waitrose too! Also, Amersham is easily accessible for anything we want so at first I was disappointed but now I am happy as we absolutely adore the house we're buying and love how green it is.

@Bear65 how did the visit go?

@Mover2024 where did you decide on in the end. I am on a house on lowndes ave and would love to meet up when you are settled as making friends with people who hold similar values is so important. Really resonated with the ethnic minority comments and other considerations mentioned here and wish I had had this thread when we were deciding to move. We moved from a suburb in NW London because of a racist vibe in a primarily white area (with lots of ethnic minorities tho!) and also for the schools. We viewed houses in both Amersham and Chesham and have opted to fix up a house on Lowndes. It has been fun to develop something of our own rather than spend all the money we have on a house that wasn't "built for us". We have not once regretted our decision to move here. My son sat the 11 plus and got his result this week and is considering between Chesham grammar and DCGS. To be honest both are absolutely excellent schools so the choice is a much of a muchness. Our intent was he and his sister could have the chance to attend a co ed school that is quietly outperforming other south bucks grammars and where there is a more friendly and inclusive vive. Our street has a local whatsapp group and we help eachother out all the time. When we moved, our neighbours actively reached out to say hello, and our next door neighbours invited us over for a drink in their garden. Streetside chats are common. The whatsapp shares info for street security, sharing, advice, giving to charity and much more. I helped a lady take in her bin as she was on holiday, and she helped me restring my son's cello! It's a stronger sense of community than any place I lived in London. There are year round events at the park and despite our kids not being in a local state, only having lived here 2 years we are already bumping into people we know. My son has settled into a football club and training takes place at chiltern hills on excellent pitches. My daughter has found a local brownie hut and loves it. Weve been to the quiz held at the Queen's Head pub, we've had really lovely service in the restaurants and shops on the high st. They adore Lowndes park (so close it could be our garden) and nature walks. One factor for us was as our kids grow, they could walk safely from the underground at any time of night to our home and due to catchment areas, their secondary school friends would be clustered nearby, unlike N London where kids are shuttles in an out from often miles around.The fresh food on offer at the market twice a week has made shopping for groceries much nicer. The bakery has been on high St for generations and now we won't buy anywhere else. Though Chesham is grittier and it makes me sad they haven't improved the aesthetics on the high St, the underlying community is very much there. I had a cup of coffee at the Cafe Nero in the summer and in came an absolutely massive cohort of runners of all ages to have their post run weekly chat and social! We've found the restaurants in Berko and Beaconsfield not too far. If Chesham doesn't have something, access to wycombe, amersham, beaconsfield, berko all mean it is a lovely base from which to work and play. We saw spectacular northern lights from the park and the backs of our gardens here. Due to the hills, the best view of the fireworks on Nov 5th is from our own windows at home. The longer you live there, the more you realise when people become Cheshamites, they stick around. It's not about wealth (i do get that snobbier vibe from Amersham), and there are some jaw droppingly beautiful houses tucked away here in Chesham. You can't tell who is who when you are all shopping and enjoying nature together.