Papworth Everard

[Novelist]

Hi everyone!

I'm so pleased to have found this section as I'm (only slightly, okay... muchly!) freaking out. We live in Brisbane, Australia and my husband has just taken a job at the cardiac hospital in Papworth Everard for a year starting next August.

We'll be renting, but I'm really unsure of what Papworth Everard is like. A couple of other doctors have told us it's full of elderly people and not many younger families etc.. If anyone could give any advice on whether it's okay, whether the school is okay (my kids are almost four and almost seven) etc., that would be fantastic. We're really undecided about whether to live in Papworth Everard or go for somewhere else within a five mile-ish radius.

There's so many things I don't know how to deal with it's scary. Like the weather (layers? It's winter now and we're outside in jeans and hoodies only, lol!). Driving in snow (eep!) and so on. Am surprised they issued me with a British passport, actually! One big bonus -- renting is so much cheaper than here. I knew Australia was bad when it came to property/renting, but didn't know it was that bad.

Well, will stop blathering now and go and do some more organising!

Hi - I used to live in Cambourne. That is about 10mins from papworth. Papworth itself I don't know that well - they have a lovely park, and the doctors there are great. Always seems very quiet there!

Cambourne is nearby - all new built. Lots to rent there, but not everyone's cup of tea. I didn't like it. Found it a bit soul-less to be honest. The schools are so so. We went there thinking we would only be there for a couple of years, ended up staying for 4 and have now moved to the south of cambridge and are much happier!

We looked in great depth at all the other schools in the area - nice places nearby with good schools are Bourn, Caxton, the Gransdens (Great and Little!), Eltisley, Comberton. All very villagey though. It wouldn't be too far to commute from Cambridge itself to be honest. Lots of consultants at Addenbrooke's do if you wanted to live in the city (and he would be going against the traffic) although rents are more.

As for clothes - should be nice and warm in August (!) but gets chilly in winter - plenty layers!

Hi,

I don't know Papworth other than I drive through it every morning on my way to work, I think it is quite quiet but there has been a lot of new building there recently which may have attracted more families to the village. There is a lovely park there though.

I currently live in Cambourne - I can concur with what Growlygus says re it not being everyone's cup of tea (a friend of mine says it reminds him of the Truman show ) BUT we purposely moved here from a smaller village nearby when I was pg with DC1 as there is a LOT to do with children and lots of young families and I liked the idea of being able to walk to things instead of having to get the car and bus (paid off enormously as DD1 only ever slept in a moving pushchair!!). I have quickly made some excellent friends here and feel very settled. On the plus side it is clean and tidy as it is all new and the three schools have a good reputation. The population is quite mixed as there is a range of different types of housing all muddled together which I like. Bus into Cambridge takes about 40mins. There are lots of clubs and things to get involved in for both adults and kids and there seems to be a bit more going on in terms of a community atmosphere eg. a summer music festival this year.

If you are used to city life, you might want to consider living in Cambridge and your DH doing a reverse commute - I used to do this to v near Papworth and it is easy enough to do as he would be going in the opposite direction to the main rush hour traffic.

Used to live in Hardwick which is a nice little village but you need to travel into Cambridge for most amenities.

will watch your thread with interest Novelist!

I'm a kiwi (surprisingly) living in nearby Huntingdon. I have done supply teaching at Papworth School and found it pleasant. The local park does look lovely. I have also heard good things about Cambourne too.

Don't forget that you can easily move, if you are renting!

Thanks so much for the info, I really appreciate it!

Thegrowlygus and runningmonkey, that's very interesting about Cambourne. I was a bit worried about it as we've done a new estate before and really didn't like it and just the pics on the real-esate sites made me think it wouldn't be for us. I think we'd really enjoy a small village rather than Cambridge itself, so fingers crossed something pops up at the right time -- have noted down the villages everyone's named. Papworth would be much easier, though, as we could stick with one car.

Kiwibella, am so relieved you thought the school was nice. That's been my one real hang up. We held my daughter back a year here because she's a bit socially anxious and has about a six month or so developmental delay. She's at a private all-girls' school here, so we were looking either at another all-girls' school (like Perse girls), or a very small village school. We still have to pay for our kids' school fees over here if we want to keep their spots, though, so 2 x fees in Cambridge and 2 x fees here would break us. Will just have to pray we get them into a lovely tiny village school...

I've worked at Papworth (albeit years ago) and still visit for meetings. Its a nice traditional village. It does have a reputation for older people. In the early 1900's a TB colony settled there. Many of the patients remained in the village and Papworth went on to become very much a centre where people with disability could work. In the 80s and 90s there was plenty of development in the village so I would say that image is no longer relevant really.

The hospital is unlike any other! Lots of higgledy piggledy buildings all over the site, but very friendly and I'm sure you will enjoy it.

If you dont end up living in the village, Bourn is very pretty. I'd avoid moving anywhere that would involve a commute on the A14 as the traffic is horrendous and the delays due to accidents unbelievable. Re where not to live, I'd avoid St Neots personally (sorry anyone who lives there) and if you are looking for traditional village life, Cambourne wont be your thing, and I wouldnt choose it,but I can see why people do choose to live there.

Thanks so much, Follyfoot, for the extra info!

I have been pretty interested in Bourn, actually. My husband read all the reports on the schools within a six mile radius of Papworth and Bourn CE Primary looks fantastic. Elsworth also looked great, then Fenstanton and Hilton Primary, Offord Primary and Fen Drayton. My daughter really needs a small, caring school as she has some social anxiety issues.

Will take that on board about the A14, sounds like there are some pretty horrendous traffic problems to watch out for!

Pleasure. Bourn is lovely (its also where Bourn Hall is of course, where the first IVF baby was ....er....conceived I suppose the word is). Afraid I dont know Bourn school as we lived to the south of Cambridge, but it gets a fantastic Ofsted. Couldnt find a recent one for Papworth (probably me though!). Lots of lovely pubs to try too in the villages.

Re your question about the weather, Cambridgeshire is drier than many parts of England, with decent sunny and warm (by our standards) summers. It can be cold and frosty in the winter, but not very much snow you'll be pleased to hear. Also as Cambridgeshire is so flat, even if it is icy or snowy, at least you wont have hills to contest with

And yep, do avoid the A14, its packed with lorries heading to and from Europe via Felixstowe port and the stretch between Huntingdon and Cambridge is the most congested trunk road in England I've just discovered from google

For a worrying moment there, I thought this was the Baby Names thread! Thank goodness it is not.

I second Bourn as somewhere lovely - we wanted to move there, the school is fab (indeed we managed to get our eldest a place there, despite being outside catchment, but then had to go and move completely in the other direction!!)

Hi, not sure if you are still checking this thread (?) but just wanted to add that I live in cambourne too and we moved he over 3 years ago from London. Also agree that its not everyones cup of tea but we really like it. Very new and clean, good schools, and very very family friendly with lots of young families here.

Our 2 ds go to nursery next door to the hospital in papworth and papworth is very nice too. Like the others said I would suggest Bourn if you would like to live in a small pretty village. Our eldest is starting at bourn school in sept (we were just really impressed with It there and were lucky enough to get a place). Bourn village itself is very pretty and very small and quiet.

Thanks so much for that info, Chathappy! Bourn sounds perfect for us - I really hope a good rental comes up at the right time...

Is anyone living in Papworth now and can advise on what it's like now for a young family? We currently live in Cambourne love the area but my kids have mixed with the wrong crowd, so wanting to move to Papworth but unsure what it's like?

Dry Drayton is another tiny village school you might want to look at.