Kingston, Hampton & Surbiton - any 'villagey' bits?

[JakeSmithP]

Hi all

I currently live in Richmond Hill & am looking to move out a bit to get more space & not live in a flat. I'm considering Surbiton, Hampton Wick & Kingston (need a fast regular train to London)

Can anyone tell me where in these areas I should go to look & see if there are any villagey bits, you know with gastropubs, independent bakers & shops, a nice community feel? You get that in the parade at the top of Richmond Hill & we love the relaxed feel of it.

Are looking at a few houses in North Kingston (by the park) tomorrow & the built environment is nice but doesn't seem to be any nice little parades of shops or pubs that do really good food (& don't have sky sports!)

Any suggestions welcomed... don't really want to leave where we are but I'm getting increasingly sensitive to noise & wouldn't mind somewhere to park the car off road too

Thanks

If you want a fast, regular train to London you are best in Surbiton - the service into Waterloo from there is far better than Kingston, Norbiton or Hampton Wick. The area around Norbiton station is nice though and seems to have lots of families. If you are looking at getting into the state primary schools you may want to consider which school you want and live near there! Hampton Court area is nice as well but again the train service is less convenient.

Ham is lovely and definitely has the community feel to it. The Ham parade has lovely independent shops (with a gorgeous delicatessen) and the neighbours, shopkeepers etc are friendly and willing to make conversation! The only downside is that the nearest station is Richmond, which is only a 65 bus ride away but isn't right on your doorstep.

I wholeheartedly recommend living here, especially with a young family.

Have you looked around Maple Road in Surbiton? Sounds as though it has everything you're looking for...

Teddington. We lived there for 4 years before moving even further out. It's lovely. Just like you say - independent shops, local bakers, cheese shop, coffee shops, clothes shops, butchers, hardware store, homeward and interiors shops. And Teddington Lock is gorgeous with fab pubs dotted around. You'll love it!