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Original poster

do you live in kingston in surrey?

205 replies

zebramummy · 26/10/2009 21:13

have recently starting to consider moving there and would be v grateful for some advice.

how cut-off it feels from london and which zone it is in (if any at all?)

i originally considered barnes though I was put off by the aircraft noise - does kingston have a similar issue?

what are the state primaries and secondaries like (ds is 4) and are catchment areas v tight?

is it all chain stores or are there some nice independant shops too such as cafes, ethnic food shops?

which areas or roads are a safe bet in terms of schools and moving away if i absolutely hate it?

i considered parts of surrey and herts (you may remember some previous posts) though i was put off by the whole 'white middle-class' thing. i want ds to grow up feeling that he is in a multicultural society and for him to be able to hold his own amongst the london kids!

many thanks

OP posts:
GooberIsLockedInTheBootOfMyCar · 28/10/2009 22:03

No, I don't.

Rebeccadiamond · 28/10/2009 22:04

I am from Ham and work in Kingston. Plane noise not an issue. Schools are good. German community a nice addition. Yes, multicultural but not excessively so (but why would this be a problem anyway{hmm}?

Original poster
zebramummy · 28/10/2009 22:30

i am a londoner actually - however my husband is w european with quite a strong accent so i am looking for somewhere where we would all feel comfortable. currently live in london - ds' state nursery has many children who do not speak english, live in poverty etc. unfortunately, it seems like a ghetto sometimes and he has not managed to find friends with whom he feels comfortable; ds and i feel similarly re the parents.

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Original poster
zebramummy · 28/10/2009 22:32

goober - sorry, not sure which question you were answering

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GooberIsLockedInTheBootOfMyCar · 29/10/2009 11:52

I was being silly; Was answering the question: "Do you live in Kingston in Surrey?"
I don't, I live in Suffolk.

Stigaloid · 29/10/2009 12:02

I live in Surbiton, which is a mile from Kingston. Fast trains are 16 mins to Waterloo. Zone 6 travelcard so no season ticket. Buses are regular into kingston and now with the second Bentalls car park opened there is loads of parking in Kingston too. Shops are excellent BTW. Bentalls is a massive mall and the high street has every shop you wish for. Pie shops and Bentalls sell designer clothes as well as finding your usual high street clothes around. Great restaurants, very family friendly. No plane noise (we used to live in Putney and the planes were so regular and low even my deaf FIL could hear them!) Schools are excelloent. the 3 nearest primaries to my house are all outstanding Ofsted. In terms of Secondary - Tiffins Girls is one of the top 10 schools in the country and Tiffin Boys is also in the top 50. Competitin for them is high though.

Would definitely recommend the area - although prefer Surbiton to Kingston as a little quieter and much better train routes and train times into London for the commute.

Original poster
zebramummy · 29/10/2009 20:00

many thanks - will have a better look at surbiton - what borough is it in (presumably same as kingston?)

OP posts:
Original poster
zebramummy · 30/10/2009 21:52

just noticed that there is a prison in kingston ....deal-breaker???

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MagnolianMonsterMash · 30/10/2009 22:12

I would second surbiton...I'm in Ewell just past Tolworth about 4-5 miles from kingston but if I'm honest I wouldn't move there. Surbiton is lovely. What about raynes park/motspur park?

MagnolianMonsterMash · 30/10/2009 22:13

I mean i wouldn't move to kingston, Ewll is lovely but not as easy to get into london.

girlsyearapart · 31/10/2009 07:32

If it's the prison I'm thinking about it's Latchmere? It's a day release prison kind of like the step before prisoners are released and they go to work in the day and just sleep there. More of a half way house.

It's more in Ham than in Kingston out of the way and nowhere near the housing of Kingston itself.

Obviously can understand your concern but I wouldn't let it put you off.

We very nearly bought a house right next to the prison but the fence is really ugly so we didn't!

Original poster
zebramummy · 31/10/2009 09:52

yes that's the one. i don't doubt that it would be a problem but i would feel a bit funny breathing the same air as people who have commited murder (given that it is for life sentence prisoners). i thought that it was just down the road from a primary school??

OP posts:
RustyBat · 31/10/2009 10:35

I used to be the librarian at West Barrnes library (right next to Motspur Park Station 22 years ago - left in 1987 to have DS. It was a nice area then - Raynes Park/Motspur Park used to have a big SriLankan population, don't know if that's still the case; I remember they used to have very long names that didn't fit on the library tickets! (we were still handwriting them in those days) It was easy to get to London & I don't remember much aircraft noise.

girlsyearapart · 31/10/2009 13:11

Yes it is just down the road from a Primary school and it is one with a great reputation too, always over subscribed so mustn't put people off!

I see what you mean but the way I look at it the people there have served their main sentence and are willing to work and try to rehabilitate themselves. Plenty of general nutters about the place who haven't been anywhere near a prison..

Original poster
zebramummy · 31/10/2009 19:39

thanks for replying - so would the work they do b within the local community at all?

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Original poster
zebramummy · 31/10/2009 19:42

sorry i know it is unlikely to be your area of expertise - just wondering if there are dodgy murderer types flogging clothes at the local shopping joint or painting yellow lines outside houses.

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FlappyTheBat · 31/10/2009 19:52

I lived in Kingston for several years and loved it.

Had been there for quite a while when I decided to take a different route to Richmond Park and found the prison, never heard of any problems whilst we were there and we were only a 10 minute walk from it.

You get used to the noise of the planes, we were in the take off flight path for long haul planes heading east and tbh it was when Heathrow changed the path that we noticed the difference and the quietness would keep us awake.
I always thought that the planes would keep us awake but they never did.

Great shopping, close to Richmond Park - was my second home!!
Nice walks pubs along Thames.

girlsyearapart · 31/10/2009 19:58

until we went to view the house opposite I'd never heard of the prison or seen anybody in a chain gang painting yellow lines nearby!

foxinsocks · 31/10/2009 20:00

lol zebra you mad thing. I've lived around this area for years and never even heard any bother from that prison.

having said that, we lived not too far from wormwood scrubs for years and that didn't seem to bother anyone either!

you can tell from the house prices round there generally - they aren't affected, even though they are near the prison

Original poster
zebramummy · 31/10/2009 20:13
  • well i agree with the comment re house prices - it's just amazing though that the prison was never mentioned by anyone... ever; even if that is because it was not worthy of mention. maybe i am naive, but A PRISON...HELLO!!! i suppose it is different pre-dc or even if you were already settled in the area before having children, but surely, to choose to live there knowing this ..?
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Original poster
zebramummy · 31/10/2009 20:15

how would you EVER know whether the person who strikes up a conversation with you on the bus or who starts getting friendly with the dcs at the library did not have a string of convictions as long as his/her arm?

OP posts:
foxinsocks · 31/10/2009 20:16

nah, it's because the prison is no bother so no-one bothers to mention it

foxinsocks · 31/10/2009 20:17

listen, did you say you have lived in london before (and I mean proper london, not zone 4-6, like zone 1-3)?

because if you have, then you would have encountered total lunatics virtually every week on public transport, prison or no prison

Original poster
zebramummy · 31/10/2009 20:20

yes - i have only ever lived in london albeit zone 3. lunatics are usually vulnerable so are ok, axe-waving murderers are not really in the same category

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ciforjif · 31/10/2009 20:21

Hello-I'm not a regular poster but...I grew up in Surbiton and I loved it. Lots of space, parks (fishponds and King Athlestone), the river, great little town, great schools, good transport links. I wonder why I moved (followed DH to south coast). If you move to Surbiton you will not regret it.