Surbiton, Hampton or Teddington?

[soozm73]

We are moving to be close to DHs work in Feltham and are looking at the above areas - looking for any tips/ opinions please!

We are hoping for a 4/5 bed house close to local shops, cafés, parks. We also want state school places for DCs who are currently in reception and Y2.

Our other option is to go a bit further out to Walton or Shepperton.

Thanks!

Surbiton is costliest of all and travel to Feltham isnt easy at peak times. He will need to cross traffic at Kingston and narrow Hampton road afterwards. Have you considered Isleworth or other areas near Feltham? Is it to buy or rent? Surbiton is good for travelling to London by train and schools are quite good. If buying 4-5 bed house would be in range of near 600k. For rent around 2-2.5k.

I'd say Teddington is very overpriced and more expensive than Surbiton but with a far worse train line it does have a good high street though. Maple Road in Surbiton has some fantastic bars/eateries but the high street is a little grubby at the moment. Hampton Hill is very nice but expensive compared with Hampton which definitely has its rougher parts.

I grew up in Surbiton and Teddington and went to school in Hampton so know all 3 areas well, so feel free to ask any questions!

Follow the train line for ease of travel, Whitton, twickenham, St mags, richmond, North sheen.
Or stains upon Thames the other way?!
All are lovely.
What's your budget?

Thanks everyone... Budget is good - about 1.2 we can afford a house in those areas, wondering where we would get most for our money really and what school waiting lists are like. We are moving from Sussex so I know we're going to get a bigger mortgage and a smaller house!

I'd love to know what the chances of in-year admission are but think that might be an impossible question!

Interesting the traffic between Feltham and Surbitom will be bad... I might suggest he do some trial runs! Don't know Isleworth at all - will check it out. :)

I live in Teddington and it's lovely, with the advantage of a number of good primaries and a good secondary. If you have boys, in particular, look carefully at state secondaries in the borough, because there are real black spots. If you're looking in Teddington, you're probably better off at the end furthest from Feltham i.e near Teddington School.

It's true that the train into town is slow from here; but on the other hand the service is frequent (6 per hour) and you can nearly always get a seat. The high street is lovely, and that felt very important to me when I was househunting, but then about my top criterion is to be able to get to everything I need on my own two feet.

I agree Hampton is a real mix of nice and not so nice, no idea about schools.

Here's some examples of what you can get round here:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-33178185.html
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-48694597.html?premiumA=true
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-32758848.html
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-34130106.html

Staines is very handy for Feltham.

The traffic on key roads in that area can be bad, do trial the journeys at peak times :)
Teddington is lovely - some amazing schools.

Hampton has brilliant primaries but state secondary is dreadful (requires improvement for the last few years). Private schools are
Lower Sunbury is lovely, has good schools and you would get a very big house for your money.

If I had your budget though I'd probably be in Teddington for the lovely high street or East Molesey which is lovely and also got great state schools.

I've lived in this area for the last 20 years so if you have any questions then am happy to answer them.

When your children are this young secondary can seem a world away, but you really want to avoid having to move again in 3/4 years if you can help it. So for me, I'd be starting my search with that in mind.

The area is lovely, loads going on, great parks, masses of young families. I don't know Surbiton so well but know Teddington and Hampton very well.
Surbiton is busier, more of a town with a bigger range of shops, restaurants , bars etc. looks like a good range of housing when you drive around, some lovely roads and good train links.

Hampton is quieter and you would definitely get more for your money, bit greener, wider roads less of a high street but very close to Hampton Hill high st. Secondary Schools are an issue in Hampton. Hampton Pool Fab if you like to swim outside!

Teddington, more pricey, very attractive, good high st with range of shops & cafés etc.

The most popular secondary schools in the Tedd/ Hampton / Twickenham area are Waldegrave ( girls only) Teddington & Orleans Park. Richmond website has historic admissions maps in so you can look at where you might get in from. Primary schools in the area are very good but oversubscribed, maybe call admissions for some info.

I agree to consider secondary schools now, I wish we had done when moving with younger children!

Good luck!

do you have boys, girls or a mix? Are you a practicing Catholic? Will make a difference when it comes to applying to schools.

if you have girls you will want to be in catchment for Waldegrave, so the Fulwell or Strawberry Hill end of Teddington/Twickenham borders.

Wow - this is all so helpful! We have one girl, one boy so really useful info. Sounds like secondary schools should drive our decision. A good High St would be fantastic for me, I really miss that living in a village and close to a small town.

In my humble opinion don't live in Fulwell (it's dull - sorry but it is)

Teddington has a lovely long high street.

Aim to be north of the river, as the bridges are bottlenecks.

Following the railway line, I would look at Windsor too.

Be aware Of the Heathrow flight paths too. Anywhere directly east or west of the runways is noisy.

I'm biased, of course, but I honestly think you should visit Teddington. As you have a boy, you need to be careful where in the borough you end up as secondary choices can be limited. Teddington school is a good school and on the up. (Waldegrave achieves higher results but if you analyse by gender you'll see that Teddington girls do almost as well as Waldegrave girls, or so a statistician convinced me.) The high street is great and it's such a lovely, easy place to raise children in.

You can get the bus all the way to Feltham

I agreed with Devora ( and I am also biased!).

Teddington is a fab place for families. The high street is lovely with plenty of bars, cafes and shops. The schools, both state and Independant are excellent. We are incredibly lucky to have the river and Bushy Park on our doorstep. Because of St Mary's Uni and probably the park, it is a very sporty kind of place with plenty of clubs and associations. I don't drive and we manage everything on foot which is how I wanted to raise my children.

The downsides is that the train line is slower than the one at Surbiton. The schools are very oversubscribed. Property is expensive and garden sizes are often modest.

I grew up in Surbiton and though I remain fond of it, I was quite shocked when I passed through it the other day at how tatty the high street has become. Not a place I think I would enjoy spending my day hanging out in. Residentially it has some v nice leafy streets though and you will probably be able to get a super house there with your budget.

Hampton and Molesey seem to bethe places that people reluctantly relocate to because they want a bigger garden/ need an extra bedroom. But I don't know the areas personally.

Isleworth is a good shout too.

In your budget you can get a nice house in Surbiton and if you are considering state primary schools then Surbiton has good schools too. Surbiton has limited choice for secondary schools. For selective private schools I think Hampton has good secondary schools for both boys and girls.
For travel, Surbiton is very good for London though for Feltham you should try and have a look at peak hours. I was suggesting Isleworth in case you had a smaller budget as it is close to Feltham and not as expensive as other places you mentioned.

Thanks everyone - it does look like there's more for our money in Surbiton than Teddington which is soooo expensive! I lived in the area (Kingston/ Surbiton) for a short while in 2001 before moving overseas.. I was renting then but I don't remember it being this expensive! We moved to Sussex when we came back to get a bigger house but the commute is horrendous (so is the broadband) and it makes my working prospects limited too. Just trying to get an offer on ours and be a bit clearer on areas before we see something we really love.

I seem to remember Teddington having much nicer shops than Surbiton, shoe shops and boutiques, while Surbiton just has the usual estate agents and charity shops.

Teddington does have a great high street. It was one of my top criteria when house-hunting. We don't drive and being a short walk from good shops and cafes is right up there in my top 3. It's surprising (and depressing) how few areas can offer this. Teddington has a bookshop, an organic butcher, 3 supermarkets, a children's clothes shop, a shoe shop plus a specialist children's shoe shop, a specialist children's charity shop, a pottery cafe, a few nice homewares shops, a sports shop, a phone shop, a big toy shop, boutiques and any number of cafes. I can get most things I need there. If I need to go to the big shops, I get the bus to Kingston (10 minutes) or walk the river path which goes from the end of my street all the way to John Lewis (25 minutes).

But yes, it is ridiculously expensive. My mum's always grumbling about the house prices relative to her part of SE London, and I always remind her that I didn't buy a house, I bought a life (and schools) in Teddington. My place was ludicrously cheap (in Teddington terms, not by sane standards) because it was on a busy road and so ugly most potential buyers wouldn't walk in the front door. It's still ugly (though it's amazing what a few cans of paint can achieve) but for me that is a compromise well worth making to live in an area I love.

Hi all, Sorry to revive this discussion,

I am looking to move to Surbiton (with my partner and renting a 1 bed apartment )

We come from a small coastal village in the south east so a move to London will be a big change, my biggest concern is feeling safe in the evenings / walking home from the train station in the dark.

Can anyone give any advice on the area? areas to avoid?

This is my biggest concern about the move.

Thanks for any help.

@mlw93

Surbiton is a bit busier. There are lots of good schools too. For shopping I would prefer Teddington. I’ve been looking at houses there too.
I love the cafes in Teddington and the pottery cafe and the shops. I can find anything that I need there.