Is Teddington too posh for us?

[PrincessBananaH]

Love the area and we are considering relocating there. We have 1 DD who will start primary next year.
our budget will only stretch to a nice 2 bed flat or maisonette there, are we going to feel a bit out of place? It seems to be a really expensive area but we love it so much and has good schools and transports.
Anyone familiar with it ho can help?

@Suburbianlife thia breaks my heart and I cannot believe that (supposedly) educated people in 2023 would openly make these comments on front of their kids, what a disgrace

Most five bedroom houses in Twddington are around 4k maybe more to rent, highly unlikely to be plumbers. Even the terraces cottages are shy of a million maybe more. Living in teddington isn’t achievable for most people unless they’ve had help with generational wealth or are wealthy. What you speak of is a true rarity around here.

Do you already live in a flat with one dc? Are you planning anymore? Fair enough but I would generally agree with the outgrowing statement.

And it made me think of Two ton Ted from Teddington, and he drove a baker's van! 😆

Exactly this. Your career or face has to fit. A lot of married people do not like to befriend divorcees or people with problems in their married life. It’s very villagey and small minded to be honest.

There’s this weird sheltered arrogance that’s hard to explain in the uk. Also middle class types only want to network so if they feel you aren’t worth bragging about or can’t help them in some way they won’t befriend you (most of the time). Plenty of social climbers also in Teddington.

I choose to befriend those who are kind to everyone and decent humans.

And with this, unfortunately these type of people are slightly racist if you can be such a thing? They believe Africans, Indians are less than etc as it’s kind of embedded in the way they’ve been brought up..

Its sad and outdated, I almost feel sorry for them.

Yes, there is a class system and racism everywhere but England being the coloniser of all colonisers it’s on a larger scale here.

Thankfully most people don’t think like this it is just the weird almost inbred upper class and some, not all upper middle class! Of course not all of them think like this!

Would also like to mention I am mostly English! So not being ignorant or pointing fingers as such!

You are significantly under-estimating how much skilled blue collar workers with their own successful businesses (e.g. plumbers, builders, roofers) actually earn. And if they have been living in the area for long enough then they are likely to own, not rent, their properties. For obvious reasons, it's also common for them to buy houses that are "development projects" and turn them into something special.

Interesting to read this - I lived in London zone 2 but worked in Teddington in the 1980s. Felt like the back of beyond then and I remember the Tesco used to run out of milk on Fridays and there were half day shop closing (I think Wednesday). A few nice pubs on the river. A few independent shops and the odd siting of a celeb (Pete Townsend lived nearby and of course Twickenham Studios). It was not the aspirational place to live as it appears to be now - Richmond was buzzier but of course much more expensive.

I have lived in the Borough of Richmond for about 25 years, and in north Teddington for the last 5. I'm from the north of England (so have a mild accent), and I am mixed-race, as are my children. I've never experienced racism here - local people have enough cultural capital to know it's not "politically correct", and they would be sidelined by their friends if they wore it on their sleeve. The only bad vibes I've had are from people who perhaps consider themselves to be more fashionable/cool/interesting than me for whatever reason. But that is true anywhere. As a wise pp said, you find your tribe.

What I do know is that resentfulness and bitterness are repellant qualities. If I get a vibe that someone regularly feels slighted by others, and approaches every conversation with suspicion, then I steer clear.

I agree with some points, everyone’s experiences are of course valid.

However, it’s a very nuanced subject. Does your face fit for example? Does your career fit? It’s not purely just race. Within Teddington this seems to be a common theme and on speaking with others it seems I am not the only one that has had this experience.

If your career fits or your OH is white you may be more likely to do well in socially in this area. I cannot comment on your personal set up as I do not know it.

As other posters have mentioned, TT is known to have cliquey school playgrounds. Albeit, overall Teddington is a lovely area and this is the only “negative” for myself personally which to be honest, I’d take this over settling in other more unsafe London boroughs.

I don't agree that Teddington is notable for this. I've lived in other areas (e.g. parts of Surrey) that have felt less friendly, though perhaps more so in reaction to my accent than my face. Relatively speaking, Teddington has more settlers from elsewhere rather than lifers, so there are a lot of different accents and skin tones. Fwiw, my job isn't particularly cool 😁. Me and my friends are very down to earth, so when you talk about faces fitting, it depends on which group you try to fit with. Maybe you need to look beyond the cool crowd in the playground and find other friends.

My children had questions about their skin colour from other children when they were younger, but not discrimination, and they soon learn that it isn't culturally acceptable to ask those questions as they grow older. There was one boy, with SEN, and other things going on, who used racist language (not to my kids, but to others). He was very atypical though (and, for the record, not what you'd call "middle class"). Other children used to report him to the teachers, so they were well aware it was wrong. Schools are hot on this stuff these days.

@Suburbianlife I just don’t understand “social climbers” and how can one possibly choose who to be “friends” with purely based on career and income. So sad

I honestly thought this going to be a baby names thread 😂

My daughter rented in Thames Ditton, Hamptonwick and Teddington but found it very cliquey she has lovely friends but wanted to make some local friends when she started her family but found it difficult.

I grow up in Kensington just of the high street. But very poor single mum withany health problems. Went to Holland Park School late 70s when it was known as the socialist Eaton. Rub showers with further Labour MPs :) lived in council house which I bought with my mother under the right to buy 75% discount. So I had a few good breaks in life

Daughter won a schoolership for priv