is there a town equivalent to Cilfton Village in Bristol but without the rest of Bristol attached?!

[pinkredandpurple]

I love Clifton village: lots of green spaces around, a view over the river, warm atmosphere, period architecture, lots of delis, cafes and small shops. BUT the connection to main Bristol station not great, having to take connecting train or PITA buses, so travelling to London or anywhere is a bother and adds a lot to the trip what with connections etc.
I wish there was a similar place, well ok, minus the views maybe, without the rough part of Bristol attached and much more compact with easy access to a rail station, or with a quick bus to a station with many connections.
It has to be ideally SW or SE and not too far from London (i.e. not as far as the coastal towns). But if it's somewhere towards Derbyshire it's still doable. I don't like Norfolk, sorry, too flat a landscape.
Property prices not too crazy, sort of like Bristol prices would be ok.That is, you can get a good large 2/3 bed flat (or house!) for under 300K. But if lower, than even better!
It doesn't have to have lots of theatres/shops /chains/big megastores on the doorstep. But must have a good few cafes, I've been a Londoner so far!
I would like a simpler, more compact life, but not ready for rural/village, I don't like driving and not having people around.
Is this a silly utopia?
Any ideas, please?

Yes I didn't for a moment imagine Derby's suburbs would be for you OP, they were all as is often the way built in the 1930s-present day so not the era of architecture you prefer.

Strutt's Park (Otter Street, Arthur Street, Kingston Street) and Kedleston Road area (not Keddy road itself, but streets like White Street, Wheeldon Avenue etc) are what I woulld say most closely fit yr plan here.

Lots of Victorian houses for £200-£250. Frustratingly difficult to search for on Rightmove as you have to put in Derby rather than any more specific area so you get everything in the whole city!!!

Leigh-on-Sea Essex. Along the Estuary from Southend. Nice cafes, designer clothes shops, fast train to London Fenchurch Street (40 mins), by "the sea"

Architecture is mainly 1930's

DHs mum used to live in Leicester, near Victoria Park. That was nice.

Clary, yes, when I looked at Derby on rightmove last year i came across all the streets you mentioned, but I was at that point really considering Sheffield on the Peaks side so never have gone amd looked. Otter st. - how sweet is that! are you sure it never floods with street names like that! the river looks VERY close. Tell me again about the parks - is strutts an actual park and how big, are there others?
How does Leicester compare andthat park, as mentioned by Jamie?
I ve heard people waxing lyrical about Leigh on sea . The issue for me is, essex (esp-ly coast) is too far from everywhere else, and i tend to travel around quite a bit. not sure I'd want to be right on the sea 24/7 also.

Just looked at Salisbury's map properly, and now I'm worried about the lack of parks, unless there is some national trust estate somewhere nearby?

It's not far - Estuary not coast, and 30 mins to the M25 so not out on a limb.

Bishop's Stortford?

What about West Didsbury in Manchester? A new metro station is just about to open giving great access to mainline stations and it is very close to motorways. It is trendy and full of cafes, restaurants, etc.

www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/nov/08/west-didsbury-manchester

YY the river is close but it is at the bottom of the best hill in town for winter sledging. No flooding I promise.

I think the names are related to the Strutt family, there is also Arthur Street and Margaret Street.

Strutt's Park is just the area, the park that Otter Street backs on to is Darley Park here that pic shows the annual free classical concert, in a natural amphitheatre, the river is behind the stage.

Returning briefly to Cambridge - pretty much all the colleges have chapels, as in the past compulsory chapel attendace was part of college life in the University, and college chaplains are employed by most colleges..

There are then 'normal' Anglican churches in Cambridge which fall within the Diocese of Ely - Great St Mary's, St Botoph's, St Bene't's etc etc - which were not part of the collegiate system.

St John's is equally huge (with a tower as well) if slightly less famous than King's, Trinity has a bizarre one which is HUGE but seems more like a place to worship its famous alumni rather than the Almighty, and all the 'old' colleges (Peterhouse, Queens', Corpus, Emmanuel, Downing, Caius, Trinity Hall, Jesus, Sidney Sussex etc etc) have chapels which would make decent-sized churches if built independently.

Plenty of green spaces in Salisbury! The Cathedral Square right in the middle of town, Victoria Park, Hudsons Fields and Old Sarum and the the Water Meadows on the other side. It's not a big place they are all in easy walking distance!

Mothership, phew! I don't get it why they all look tiny (like little greens) on google map. Old Sarum is mentioned a lot on rightmove - is it fields or smth else? and where is Victoria park, is it large? if you live there, do you genuinely like it?
That park in Derby looks v.nice, Clary. That's what i mean by a proper park - mature trees, paths for jogging, light, flowerbeds elsewhere, etc.
NPPF it says there are many wags there!
Jamie, ah ok, that's better, Still think essex is far from eveywhere (not london) but other places, I do like SW, and I like Yorks, so essex not top of the list. But Leigh is nice, everyone says.
teacher is it your subject, church architecture! you ar a well of information! generally though chapels are not so tall, but Cambridge maybe dfferent..

Victoria Park is on the A435 going north, it is a reasonable size and if you keep going north, about half a mile, you get to Old Sarum, an English Heritage site, the original settlement.

Personally I wouldn't want to live in Salisbury, but I think that's because it's not a particularly great place to be a teenager, or it wasn't when I was one! But then I lived 8 miles out, last bus at 10, so I was always trying to blag lifts or sleepovers to facilitate my attempts at a social life! Anyway too much part of my adolescence to give an unbiased view!

Um... my parents' favourite thing to do on holiday was to visit churches.

So I would class myself as a 'reluctant expert' (and am a confirmed agnostic!)

well, went to Salisbury today, not bad at all, will stay on the list! though I only went around the centre and not seen any residential areas at all.
It's quite a lot bigger than I thought, with LOTS of shops - I like that it's all in one place and not spread out like in big cities, very convenient. Not many independents from what i saw, but it's all pleasant. Also not seen any proper/serious restaurants but they may be elsewhere. It was hot andi was laden with stuff so couldn't walk around much. The park near CAthedral is nice, and i like the clean fast river. Yes, it hasn't got the oomph of Clifton + Park street, and no tall elegance of clifton or Bath, but I like it architecturally, it has some charm and a mix of historuc styles. People aer different to Clifton's - to me it's muuch more like SE in character than SW like Bath/somerset/bristol/chelt. People are more loud and cheery and friendly! in bristol they are sort of more guiet and chilled but a little guarded re talking to strangers, Salisbury is all kind of jolly like Kent I'd say! Didn't see any Goths are they nocturnal but LOTS of teenagers, not sure are they locals or visiting the shiops from all surrounds. I think I could live there but have to explore more. The train goes to Clapham junction that posters didn't mention (en route to waterloo) which is v.good for me. The only gripe is that the trains to london are nothinglike as nice as great western from bristol (modern ones) - the one i was on had freezing loud aircon, and hte nonlondon trains aer rickety old ones. Are they all like this?
Has anyone moved to Sals from london or elsewhere and liked it? I must say the vibe is surprisingly warm and welcoming but hard to say whether it's just the surface.

teacher - may be useful in your work! and do yo now take your dc to churches whether they want to or not so that your knowledge gets used?

Went to Bath uni worked in Bristol.

Basically Clifton=mini-Bath.

Area at bottom of Widcombe hill is very nice and 5 min walk for train.

eg £280k=www.globrix.com/property-details/39339240-lime_grove-bath-ba2-2_bed-flat

hi cumfy, so is it Bathwick? the thing is Bath is pricier than Clifton/redland (apart from maybe middle of hte Village), and the flats you get for this price aer either basement or top floor dormer, or a large one bed. I need at least two good beds but I need a storage room/study/loft ideally too. I just can
't live in a basement even if nice. If i went for a flat in Bath (which i agree an easy commute to london, especially the area you mention), rather than house with loft elsewhere, then it has to have good ceiling heights and two good bedrooms or a kitchen/dining with one single bed one double, but I think it's unrealistic in Bath. Unless the prices are down and asking prices are not the same as offers accepted?
Yes, bath is similar but it does lack the views to the bridge and forest neraby, to be fair. Lots of tourists also. it has its pluses though too (straight forward commute, shops).

Salisbury is a lovely market town, train to Waterloo takes 90 mins .... Surrounded by beautiful rolling countryside. It's an hour from Bath, 40 mins from Southampton and Bournemouth if you are after more shops...

I'm not sure what you're after, but the older 1930s family homes are on the outskirts of the city. Lots of pretty Victorian terraces too...

As for lack of parks, only takes 10 mins to get out of the city and it is BEAUTIFUL. Countryside with plenty of footpaths etc...plus New Forest not too far either...

I think that your first impressions of Salisbury sound pretty accurate to me, maybe the young people have finally moved away from the dark side?

The teenagers will be a mix of locals and lots of foreign school trips.

I haven't had to get the train back for years but they always used to be slow and tatty, so I think that your experience may be fairly typical.

lolalotta, I think you've missed my post saying that I've just been to Salisbury, and liked its market feel and the fact the trains go via Clapham Junction which means even shorteer journey to where i tend to stay (10 min bus from Clampham J). Prefer Victorian houses, so can you advise on good areas for these? I think from old threads, people like living in the centre andwalk to station. Can you give me any tips about which direction is the best countryside with foorpaths - it's great to hear that, as you never know, lots of it could have been private, so that's great.
Is it quite quick to get to the coast? devon or dorset?
MothershipG yes the trains are pita - why oh why. Bath/Bristol so much better for trains, fast, great mild aircon and long. Is there a quiet coach on any waterloo trains i wonder (maybe they are better/longer trains earlier in the day)? I find sitting for 1.5hr in 'chatty' coach extremelly wearing, especially if tired or early morn (couldn't have a nap). Any tips on the areas on S. which aer nice but not too expensive? is Harnnham mainly military quarters?

I will check with my partner tonight but I am pretty sure the the train to Waterloo starts from Salisbury, so on the morning you will get pick of the seats....

Will get back to you on areas to consider in the city centre when I have a bit more time...toddler harassing me at the mo...