Moving to Glasgow from London - Park or Shawlands?

[Notjustamum10]

Hi, I hope to get some advice and local knowledge please! We're a family of 4, 2 boys 1 1/2 and 4 1/2, moving to Glasgow next year. We think we will get DS enrolled in a school and rent for 6 months, then buy locally. We love the location and feel of Park, but Shawlands/Southside offers more family friendly properties. Being used to London, we want to stay somewhere urban, with local amenities - a high street with coffee shop, pub, neighbourhood restaurant to walk to - I'd hate to have to drive everywhere, but near a good park or green space too. We've visited the areas, know the property market, etc but want to get some honest opinions on what it us like to live in these areas in terms of community, bringing up kids, schools etc. We appreciate they are completely different parts of town, but any advice would be gratefully received! Thanks in advance.

Park - as in Park Circus?
In which case, I assume you'll be able to afford the more expensive parts of the city [not expensive compared to London]

Park circus is lovely, as is the West End in general.
In term of school, it depends on whether you ll go private or not.

Check out Dowanhill / Hyndland - good school around, plus proximity to Byres road. Less students than Hilhead too...

You might be better posting in the Scotsnet topic - you can't see MN Local on the app, so that's why there is tumbleweed blowing through it!

I'm having problems with charging my phone, hence why I'm on my laptop!

Sahwlands has apparently just been voted once of the best places in Scotland to live: www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/shawlands-named-one-best-places-12754327 - althgh the phot in that article is of Pollok Park which is technically not in Shawlands (although it is right beside it, so I suppose counts as one of its amenities)

Found a another article www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/heres-shawlands-one-best-places-12759601

I used to live in Shawlands and loved it. It has all the amenities you are looking for. I now live in the neighboroughing Pollokshields - which although I wouldn't move, definitely doesn't have the vibrancy and shops of Shawlands (too many big houses, not enough shops) - but I do have great Indian gorceries and sari shops a 5 minute walk one way and a great deli and a group of coffee shops and restaurants a 5 minute walk a slightly different direction. And Shawlands is still only a 10-15 minute walk away

You've got things like a farmers' market regularly in Queens Park and lots of other community events (check out the Strathbungo Window Wonderland on line).

In both Shawlands and Pollokshields, there are good transport links - both bus and railway (and in Pollokshields, the subway)

Shawlands and Langside Primaries are both good schools, as is are Battlefield, Tinto and Mount Florida.

Shawlands Academy is a brilliant secondary - ds is in S5 there (placing request, as he went to the very good Glendale Primary) and thriving.

I know these areas are expensive, but after London our view of property prices are pretty skewed. Anywhere seems to be cheaper than where we are at the moment! So, yes, we'd like to stay somewhere 'nice' but thought the flats in Dowanhill were almost too grand for us. Park had character and open spaces, but still close to Byres Road. But does anyone know what it's like to live there? Thanks prettybird, that's really helpful. We saw some beautiful properties in Pollockshields but felt it was a 30 minute walk to the shops was a stretch. Shawlands might have a more neighbourhood feel that we're after. It will be state schools - preferably non-denomination / non- religious - primaries and nurseries we're interested in. Secondary school is a bit away, and so much can change over the years, I'm less bothered about those.

I live just a couple of minutes from Byres Road. I love the West End and so do my children. It's like a big village really, you see familiar faces all the time when out and about. People are v friendly.

Good schools - Hillhead Primary is great but oversubscribed so you need to be in catchment. Hyndland and Notre Dame also good schools. Also the private schools are there if you are interested in that - Glasgow academy and Kelvinside Academy.

There is a bit if snobbery regarding schools in Glasgow and many people run screaming to the suburbs to educate their children but we have been impressed so far and children are thriving.

You could afford something lovely in hyndland/dowanhill areas, also North Kelvinside and Cleveden - all closeish to Byres road with some beautiful houses. I'd say hyndland/Hillhead/dowanhill are more family oriented than park circus.

If you are looking at state schools then I suggest you check out the catchments. I think Park might be Garnetbank. I've heard good things about it but it's not as popular as Hillhead. That aside Park would be lovely. It's come back into fashion recently as a residential area as it had been slightly run down about 10 years ago. There is a big new development in planning so you might want to investigate this.

You will get more space for your money in Shawlands or pretty much anywhere else in the west end other than Park. Personally I love Hillhead - in spite of all the students!

I've lived here a while and haven't heard of Park
Might that be Park Circus area?

If you can afford it, then I'd say the West End is the way to go- lovely houses to be had in Hyndland/Dowanhill, Park Circus is nice but a little less family-oriented, more young professionals, postgrads and students with very well-off parents renting.

We lived in Shawlands when DSs were pre-school and I was unhappy. Felt very isolated as public transport to the rest of the city isn't great, and local mums things were a bit cliquey (my "weird" accent was from a different part of Scotland.....). We live in Kelvindale now, via a lovely but too-small place in Hyndland, and are much happier - kids thriving in Kelvindale primary and once we can afford it we'd like to move back to Hyndland where we've heard good things about the HS. Very friendly place, DH and I have got involved in the community and made lots of parent-friends.

Of course, if you can afford it and want kids to go to by far the best state school in Scotland, move to Jordanhill. It's not that much further out than Hyndland/Park Circus but you'd need to get your kids signed up literally the day you move in. You could probably afford a house in the catchment though- plus they retain their value due to the school. For mysterious reasons (that I can't quite be bothered to look up right now!) it doesn't follow the guaranteed space if you live in catchment rules of the rest of the state schools. I have heard of kids being signed up while still in utero

People won't know where you mean by "Park" - it's always referred to as "Park Circus"

Depends where you are in Pollokshields - some of it is a bit distant from amenities, some not so much.

Without knowing your budget, here are a few possibilites.

This place is not that far from where we are so it it's about 10 minutes walk from the shops in Albert Drive and ditto from the delis, up-market greengrocers and coffee shops on Nithsdale Road.

This one is a few minutes closer - but the cars can travel too fast on that bit of Albert Drive so personally, I wouldn't recommend it with a young family and our cat died on that road because of a speeding car

This would meet your criteria - close to Shawlands' amenities {and both Shawlands Primary and Shawlands Academy), but a nice wee enclave with quiet roads - although the roads behind it would be quieter - like this one

Just to reassure you: when I moved back to Scotland having lived in England/St Andrews near enough England for 15 years, my accent, "posh" to start with (I was brought up in Bearsden/Milngavie and my mum was an English teacher ) was, to Scots ears quite English (although I occasionally got confused with Northern Irish - even by people from Northern Ireland! ) and I never encountered any negative comments when I lived in Shawlands (nor since I moved to Pollokshields)

We're in Pollokshields too and it's no way 30 mins walk to the shops from anywhere I think!

Amazing parks, great coffee shops/cafe bars/stuff for DS's to do you can take them to the pub for lunch too

And so much more for your cash, though Park Circus is totally stunning and with so much character.

I'm a NornIrner and it's very mixed - I hear lots of Irish/N Irish/English/Asian accents at DDs nursery too... Shawlands is probably a bit too built up if you're after a bit of space, but High Shawlands/St Ronan's Drive/Dinmont Road etc might be better and definitely worth a look.

Yes, 30 minutes was probably an exaggeration, but we viewed a place at the far end of Pollockshields and went exploring after - we had the kids trailing and didn't 't know where we were going, so it felt quite far.

This is all amazingly helpful, thanks everyone! I'm getting quite excited now. Next thing is to try and convince the grandparents to look after the DSs for a few days to let us do a final scout about. . . .

I suppose if you're at the far end of The Avenues, it could be half an hour.

But if you're the Maxwell Park side of St Andrews Drive, you're not that far. Terregles, Leslie, Nithsdale, St Johns, Bruce, Aytoun, Nithsdale Road/Avenue/Drive - those areas have nice houses/gardens and are not too far from Shawlands and/or the coffee shops on Nithsdale Road. And you've got Maxwell Park to enjoy for walks/playing.

We live in a conversion - half of a big Victorian stone built villa (dh calls it a "horizontal semi" ) and our "half" of the back garden (front garden we share) would have a 4 bedroom executive detatched house and garage built on it in the SE ! 4 beds, 2 reception rooms and a big dining kitchen; I'm embarrassed to say how little we paid for it 17 years ago but judging by the links I was looking at earlier, it's worth about £400k (maybe a bit more) now The street we live in is like one from another century - wide, quiet and leafy. A friend bought a similar one (slightly smaller, without the loft rooms) along the road 18 months ago for c£330k.

So be open minded about the sorts of places to look at.

Strathbungo is also nice but parking can be an issue.

Definitely come up and spend some time wandering (and walking )

I recommend Ollie's on Nithsdale Road for coffee/light lunch (never been there in the evening though). The Salisbury is also good. But there are lots of good coffee shops and restaurants now in the area.

prettybird I'm from Aberdeen with strong doric accent but am mixed race (Indian mum, white Scottish dad) - was pretty excited about meeting some Asian mums as Aberdeen is pretty homogenously white but there was quite a bit of nastiness- I dressed wrong, my DC are "basically white" etc. Accept this was just my experience though...

People in Hyndland where we first moved were polite and interested and from very varied backgrounds- we didn't feel out of place.

OP I'd definitely recommend doing a tester of public transport when you next come up- the suburban rail system is pretty good and very cheap and might help you decide where to stay. I need to travel to Edinburgh a lot for work and can do it in 1hr 15 door to door (admittedly with a RUN between trains at queen street!!) so it's worth thinking about if you're planning to travel back to London to see family etc.
Also if you haven't yet, give the tube a go- you won't get lost and my DC find it loads of fun (as well as being pretty damn cheap entertainment for me }

That's sad Patty

Our downstairs neighbours are lovely - a white Glaswegian and an Edinburgh Asian ("You'll have had your tea" ) with two lovely boys so we have lots of mixed gatherings.

Having said that, the family that they bought from were racist a different kettle of fish. Dh and I had a argument discussion with them about where the bins (brown, green and blue) should go (they wanted to put all 6 of them at the entrance to our side of the garden ) and when we suggested putting them down at the bottom of the communal driveway (still hidden by the hedge), said, "You can't do that....that's what the Asians do". We were at that statement.

Guess where the bins moved as soon as they moved out and where they have stayed

The subway is indeed a wonderful diddy way to get round the city. It's a 10 minute (brisk) walk to the nearest subway station for us, so we have a choice of subway, 3 different train stations on 3 different lines, all within 10 minutes walk and buses within a few minutes walk.

Pretty Bird - Ollie's is fab day or night - I may take DD there this evening.... but the Salisbury is closed - going to be an Asian fusion place.

totally misses the point of the thread

I'd look along the A77 corridor, starting at Strathbungo & working your way out to Giffnock, or Newton Mearns if it's a more suburban feel you're looking for.

You will get more for your money in the Southside, but the west end is more cosmopolitan- although can be more student-orientated.

I've lived in both the southside & west end, with young DC I would go for Hyndland, Dowanhill, Broomhill, Jordanhill in the west end. Or Shawlands, Newlands, Giffnock in the South.

I would look into the schools before you make a decision where to live. If you want to send your children to the best schools then you really need to be living in catchment.

We used to live in Waverley Park in shawlands which was lovely, but we moved partly because of schools.

We now live in East Renfrewshire, which isn't as vibrant as Shawlands or the West End, but still has a high st with restaurants, pubs and coffee shops and some lovely parks.

Pollokshields also has some lovely houses, but the schools aren't that great.