Relocating to Marston, Oxford

[SheFellDownTheRabbitHole]

We are hoping to relocate to Marston, Oxford later this year. Can anyone give me advice on the nicer parts to live in? We have around £450k to spend on a house and will require a primary school for our two children, which I'm hoping will also be in Marston if they have spaces.

Thanks

Oxford CC will be able to tell you what schools have places and they probably have details on their web site. I don’t know the area of Oxford well enough to tell you where to live but I’m sure a visit would inform you!

£450,000 for a “leafy lane” road possibly isn’t enough, assuming you want 3 beds. You might be looking at ex Council or a doer upper. Nothing in Oxford is cheap and there seem to be lots in the £.5m bracket.

There's Old Marston and New Marston more or less divided by the Mars ton Road. There's also the very old village part of Old Mars ton which is very pretty but expensive. There are 3 primary schools, St Michael's at the Oxford end of the Marston Rd, St Nicholas CE Primary and New Marston Primary School. I haven't lived in Marston for some years but house prices there have really shot up, just as they have in the rest of Oxford. You might also want to Google "The Swan School" as I believe there are plans for a new school in Marston although I think it's a Secondary school. It's ok as a place to live but doesn't really have much soul. I wouldn't rush to live there but wouldn't be dismayed at the thought of living there if you know what I mean? Someone who actually l lives there now may come along and disagree. 😉

I've just had a look in Rightmove for 3 beds in your price range and agree with a previous poster, you won't get a leafy lane or anything particularly pretty. There's a plethora of 1930s 3 bed semis in this area (I grew up in one) but they're very small and the 3rd bedroom is miniscule. You can walk into Oxford from Marston though and it's a very pretty, leafy walk taking about 25 mins. Hope this helps!

If you could widen your search, you would find quite a few properties in your price bracket. Does it have to be Marston? If the schools don’t have spaces, you may need to look further afield anyway.

Thanks for your thoughts. Yes the houses we can afford in Marston aren't pretty but are practical as we'll probably be working in the centre of Oxford, so 10 minutes on the bus into town.

Can anyone tell me which parts of Marston we should avoid?

When I lived there, Croft Road was the area to avoid, no offence to anyone reading this who lives there. Things may have changed so if you can, I'd visit and have a drive around the area. Living in the Marston Rd will get you into Oxford the quickest.