Esher or Beaconsfield - moving family out of London opinions needed!

[mumtobe789]

Hi guys,

My family currently live in Barnes but we are looking at moving out of London and trying to choose where would be best. We have found we can get at least twice the space for our money in Surrey and Bucks.

My husband has to commute to central London 2 or 3 days per week and has his own business so is generally quite flexible.

We have a 1.5 year old and another on the way. We like both Beaconsfield and Esher so far as options but don't really know them very well! If anybody could give advice on how these places are to live with a family and which would be best I would love to hear any views!

We are looking for a small town community rather than a village which might get a bit limited. The trains into London are best from Beaconsfield and I love Marlow, Cliveden House area etc but Esher looks like it has a bit more going on and the private schools are co-ed and to 13 which is a preference of my DH. I'm not personally from a private school background so not fussed but hey ho!

Esher is in a fully Comprehensive school area. Beaconsfield is in a Grammar school area. But that might not be a top priority if you are going private (but might be if you want state as a back up).
Neither are villagey. Beaconsfield is Townie, whereas Esher seems more suburban to me. Beaconsfield does have the model village - which is a big positive.

Have you thought of Reigate? You’ll get coed preps up to 13 (eg the Hawthorns) followed by coed senior schools (eg Reigate Grammar is Independent). More compact than Beaconsfield, no dual carriageway through the middle like Esher. It’s a v pretty town with upmarket boutiques so what you’ll be used to from Barnes/Richmond + you can literally walk to the coutryside from the high street.

Beaconsfield - the Chilterns are beautiful. No question. I have a close friend who lives in Gerrards Cross and every time I go there I am so envious! DD lives near Reigate and it's nowhere near as nice. Esher is a bit Footballers Wives I suspect.

Reigate is right next to the Surrey Hills which are stunning + it’s abc easy drive to the beach.

Thanks guys. Does anybody's know what life is like in Beaconsfield for a young family?

OP, you might get more responses if you post in Property

Both a nice areas and good for families.

They are small towns, commuter belt, good facilities, good schools, generally a nice atmosphere and residents.

You'll need to be able to drive as public transport is much more limited than in London. That will probably be one of the biggest differences you notice.

Go and look at houses in both and decide from there. Trial your commute into London. Commuter trains from both locations will be packed so you need to know what you're letting yourself in for with that.

I don't live there but i know Esher well.
It isn't at all "footballers wives".
Trains are 25 minutes to waterloo, very reliable.
Good selection of state schools (Hinchley Wood, Esher High) with good access to top independents eg LEH, Hampton have a busy school bus service.

Probably less of a "move" from Barnes to Esher than to Beaconsfield - not far down the A3.

but i don't know Beaconsfield at all so can't compare.

Esher never seems to me to have a coherent social feel to it iykwim. But its neighbours which do, Claygate and Oxshott, may be too villagey for you. Esher has a really great choice of bars and restaurants but not many other useful shops. There's a Boots and a small Waitrose. The cinema is nice and there is gorgeous woodland on your doorstep for hikes, biking etc, as well as Garson's pick your own farm, which children love. It gets really choked up on race days because of Sandown. And on bike race days, as the Olympic route runs through it and is always used for London to Surrey rides.

The best thing about it, since you seem to be in the market for this, is a really strong choice of excellent private schools nearby. Can't beat it. They cater for all academic levels.

I have a young family in Beaconsfield- the schools and nurseries are outstanding, there’s lots to do on the outskirts (odds farm, Jump in) and lots of baby toddler groups. The trains to London are excellent. Model village is great. Traffic is an absolute nightmare, parking is dreadful & they are currently extending the town which will make it worse. I highly recommend Jordans village, 5 mins outside, very quiet, lovely community feel with playground, nursery, primary school, lots of family activities, fetes, and has its own station (35 mins to Marylebone)

Just to be clear, if you live in Esher it's highly unlikely your DC will get a place at Hinchley Wood school. It's massively oversubscribed. Esher High, if you were going for state education, would be the only choice worth accepting. (We were offered Rydens which I thought was a human zoo at the time - several years ago now, so we went private.)
Esher High's a good school but has no 6th form. They all go on to the huge and well-regarded Esher College.

Would love to know where you ended up @mumtobe789 and if you got there before COVID struck.