Moving to Gloucester

[LittleDyn1982]

Hi. DH has a job opportunity in Gloucester but we don't know the area at all (we currently live in Surrey)
Is it a nice place to live? And by that I mean is it relatively safe? Are there good schools? Is there plenty of things to do with kids? (Kids are 3 and 1) Nice churches? Which are the recommended areas to live and any that should be avoided? We're obviously planning on visiting to get a feel, but any information about Gloucester would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!

Thank you for all the responses ladies!!

rallytog1 - We have attended in the past typically baptist, methodist, pentecostal, that sort of "denomination" for lack of a better word...most importantly looking for a church with community and that caters to young families.

Mrsladybirdface -
Work would be based at the station at Gloucester, so pretty central I would imagine. Budget only about £180,000. But since everyone has indicated the nicer areas are a bit more expensive, I'm guessing anything I've seen in this budget is in a less than desirable area? It would make sense for us to live somewhere where hubby could commute on the Great Western Train network as transport would be covered by the company.

EJC85 - yes I think renting a place first would be a good idea.

You could do houses in Quedgeley, Hempsted, Tuffley and Brockworth for that price - depending on what you want. All areas that are pretty average, quite nice and friendly with some good schools.

Spot on exLtEveDallas!

I've lived in Gloucester for 35 years, yes there are rough areas like most places you just need to know where to avoid (and it's obvious when you drive past!

Avoid Barton, Tredworth, matson, coney hill, any of he "leazes" in longlevens, parts of kingsholm. And definitely avoid Gloucester park!!

The nice areas are tuffley, quedgeley, hucclecote, abbeymead, abbeydale, Hempstead and linden.

I've lived in Barton, tredworth, linden and quedgeley. There are good schools and churches in those areas.

For your budget housewise I would say you can get a 3 bed in linden easily, or tuffley.

I'm in linden area now and I love it

For your budget you could probably get something in Abbeymead /Abbeydale. Primary schools round here are fine and in the catchment for the Churchdown secondaries if the grammar option doesn't work. Hillview church in Hucclecote might fit what you're looking for. Alternatively you could get more for your money in Linden but I don't know about schools round there. There are several good churches around there (Gloucester Community church or Gloucester City Church I think) also Brunswick Baptist in the town centre (walkable from Linden).

I grew up in Stroud and moved to Cheltenham at 16. Gloucester was where we went to the cinema, Toys 'R' Us and where Fred West lived. It's easily commutable from Stroud and it's surrounding villages and also Cheltenham.

I think the naysayers are sour grapes

Cheltenham's lovely. Gorgeous architecture. Excellent shops and restaurants. Loads of cultural festivals (literature, science, music). It was rated as one of the best places to live in the whole country in some newspaper recently (Times or Independent, can't remember which).

And to those who say it still has some 'rough' areas....as someone who's lived in south east London, this made me snort. And aren't all towns allowed a few council/affordable estates here and there? Or are the less well off 'lowering the tone'?

NoSuchThing I agree that Cheltenham is lovely for all the reasons you've listed but I also don't think that Gloucester is the worst place on earth as some PPs seem to think. It's perfectly possible to enjoy the cheaper house prices in Gloucester and still travel the very short distance to Cheltenham when you need a culture/fancy shop fix.

Agree 100% thanksamillion

If you want to commute by train that narrows your options considerably, due to the lack of train stations around here! Kemble Station is near Cirencester but I suspect your budget may not stretch very far there, and the same with Cheltenham Spa station. Might be worth looking at Stonehouse, fair bit of housing there and a train station or as far as Swindon.

I am not keen on Gloucester City Centre either tbh, Cheltenham is nicer but can be expensive to park. However Cribbs Causeway is less than an hour by car and the Swindon designer outlet is nice but a pain to get to unless you like double roundabouts ...

I think every town/city has 'rough' spots and people obviously have their own perception of rough, which will differ. Are you going to visit first to get an idea of the place?

I cannot believe the snobbery in this discussion. I have lived in many parts of the UK and every town, city and village has its rough parts. Personally I have found the Gloucester area to be one if the nicest places
I have ever lived. I actually live in Abbeydale which is within a couple of miles of the city centre. It is pleasant with many green areas. Schools are good and there are lovely local residents. Maybe if Gloucestershire's residents spent a little more time shopping in Gloucester more of the bigger stores would move in. Gloucester's old buildings are beautiful and yes some of the more run down areas in the centre could be changed but that is down to the council. They do nothing to enforce appearances of buildings especially on all approaches to the centre. Eg Lower end of Southgate Street and the main roads around the quays area. However Cheltenham has many rundown areas as well, more than Gloucester I would day. So lay off Gloucester and get worldly wise . Look around the rest of the UK and you will see how lovely Gloucester is compared to many places!

I spent my childhood in Cheltenham and have to say I always thought it was an awful place - I would never dream of raising my own child there. MUCH Prefer Gloucester!!! Cheltenham is soooooo white middle class and snobby ( sorry Cheltenhamers) - my parter is black Zimbabwean and experienced 5 accounts of racial abuse with one year on the bath road. the extreme lack of diversity is actually hard to stomach. Would much rather live in Gloucester any day.

Be aware the 11+ still operates in Gloucester. This completely skews the secondary school system because the comprehensives are in effect secondary moderns. The best comp by far is the Catholic St Peters, it is the only one that is a true comprehensive and obtains excellent results for all their pupils, however, if you are not Catholic, getting a place is the luck of the draw. There is a train that runs between Bristol/Gloucester/Malvern/Worcester. It might be worth having a look at towns along this line though property prices will be higher than Gloucester.

I forgot to add that yes, I think Gloucester is as safe as anywhere else to live. Yes it has some areas that look a bit run down but no more than any other town. I agree with the snobbery about Cheltenham, don’t fall for it. It’s all hype.

If you like modern houses on estates then Quedgely is fine for raising a family. There are several primary schools and the Methodist Church on Bristol Road seems very active, I’ve never attended it but there are always lots of cars parked there when things are going on. There is also a good bus route to centre of town for work. It is an absolutely fine place to live and affordable if that type of house appeals to you. As I said above, ignore the snobbery.

My son lives in Linden, and we lived with him for 3 months while we were moving. I really like Linden - an easy walk into town, cycling is brilliant - easy access to quiet rides in neighbouring countryside. I far prefer Gloucester to Cheltenham and wouldn't consider the latter.