Frome/Corsham

[Robs20]

Any experience/ comments on these two areas? We accepted an asking price offer (less than a week after putting it on the market so somewhat unexpected!) on our London flat yesterday and now need to decide where to move to. I work in Central London and will need to do this until next year (ttc and have a very good maternity package). I could wfh/ stay with friends as needed (not ideal but worth the short term pain i think). DH grew up in Frome and living around there would work well for his work situation.
Any comments on these or surrounding areas? I would prefer to live somewhere that is not Frome (so it is “our” place - we can’t walk around there without bumping into someone he knows) but realise it ticks all of our boxes.....we have also looked online at some houses in corsham but I’m worried it might be too quiet/ not many young families to socialise with.

Corsham has pretty bits and is billing itself as ‘the gateway to the Cotswolds’ these days, but it’s really not. It’s a bit rough, really IMO (sorry).

I like your honesty! Any other areas around there that you would recommend? DH doesn’t seem to get it and wouldn’t see that an area is rough or not desirable (just thinks about the practicalities)....

Both have their ups and downs, if you are used to the amenities of London I'd suggest Bath or Bristol for their travel links if nothing else. Both have gorgeous villages on the outskirts if you want village life. Corsham schooling was a nightmare a couple of years ago I was told because of the army base limiting places so children were being sent out of area but this was hearsay and I can't vouch for the truthfulness of it. Best. Heck how oversubscribed schools are

Bruton - v hip & trendy (if that’s your thing). Also v pretty. Good state senior school (Sexy’s) and a few indies.

Has a train station but it’s a branch line. There is a limited direct London service.

I have family not far from Frome. I like the area, but I am only an occasional visitor. What I will say is that Bath A and E is utter shit. I ended up there with DD last weekend and we had to wait six and a half hours before she was seen. Apparently the A and E department covers three counties, and we saw ambulance after ambulance arrive at the hospital while we were waiting. This was the early hours of Monday morning, so not a busy time in the A and E waiting room.

How about Devizes or the surrounding villages? A lot more bustling, lots of young families and good school options. No train station though. Maybe Pewsey with a good service to London?

If you want to be near the railway how about Trowbridge or Westbury?

Malmesbury perhaps?

Bradford on Avon - known as "mini-Bath" - is very pretty, has some good schools, plenty of independent shops and restaurants, direct train links to Paddington and Bath/Bristol, and is just eight miles from Bath.

As far as Corsham and Frome are concerned, I agree with a PP that Corsham is a bit rough but would say don't write Frome off. It's quirky, has lots of independent shops and is quite pretty. If you stand in the middle of town and look around, it looks rather like a French market town and it's up-and-coming.

Thanks for the suggestions, will be down there this weekend so will try to check some other areas out!

Frome is pretty amazing. v alternative. great local atmosphere. genuinely independent. I don't live there so no idea what schools are like (we are in Bath) but love it every time I visit

Thank you! I’ve booked some viewings in Corsham and Devizes over the weekend. I’ve also looked at Malmesbury but think it might be a little bit far North for DH’s work. We will be staying in frome this weekend (I love it there but not sure I want to live there. We can’t go out without bumping into a family member/ friend/ parent of friend/ football acquaintance/ etc etc of DH which is a bit suffocating. I am not as mean as this sounds honestly! We are looking for a fresh start following the loss of our dd earlier this year and I don’t think we can do this in a place where he knows everyone).

I love frome. I'm from Bristol and love it every time I visit.

I know you siad you don't want to be near his family but what are you doing for child care when you go back to work? Sometimes it's handy for family to be nearby when you have children.

We looked at moving to Paulton or temple cloud but realised it was just a bit too far from family and friends some whom we rely on to help out with childcare such as school pick ups and if I need to Nip to an appointment and things like that.

Good luck with your search. Bristol is a good option too but I'm biased haha

Hello everyone
In answer to your questions....for now childcare isn’t an issue. Dd1 died suddenly/ unexpectedly in Jan (part of the reason we are looking for a life change). We hope to have more children soon but I would plan for my parents to be around a couple of days a week, even tho they live further away. They are both retired and used to look after dd1 2 days a week.
Re the viewings. We put an offer on a house in Corsham that was accepted - lovely, huge house in a v nice street and we could put our own stamp on it. I like the thought of being close to bath BUT tonight i’m having second thoughts about being somewhere so quiet/ away from friends/ needing to do a crap commute into London a few days a week until I have another mat leave. DH wants to be brave and go for it but the thought of taking this huge risk and it going wrong is scaring me! Also, our buyers are super keen and want to complete in 8 weeks.....

Forgot to say, we also looked at devizes which was lovely but is too far from Bristol for me for work in the future.
I am also slightly nervous that everyone said Corsham is rough!!
Panic stations over here....

Corsham wasn't that rough a few years ago when I had a friend living there, and some of the villages (like Biddestone) are very swanky. Plus it's easy to get to Chippenham (which is rough) but has a good rail service to Bristol, Bath and London.

Hmmm I'm not a Frome lover, I can never see what all the fuss is about. Everytime I go, because there's an M&S foodhall there, I'm disappointed.
I don't know Corsham well enough to comment.
If you are coming from London only Bath or Bristol will give you anything close to that vibe. Wiltshire has many beautiful villages, those in the north of the county and those close to Bath are probably the most expensive. Perhaps somewhere between Bath and Bristol like Keynsham, might be your best option (not that I know it). I wouldn't want to live in either Westbury or Trowbridge but they do have reasonable transport links so a village close to them might also work for you.

Have you looked at Box? Above the A4, it's lovely, high on a hill so away from the pollution, but probably expensive.

Don't go to Castle Coombe. It's pretty but inundated with tourists.

Haven’t looked at lot at Box - DH has a couple of work colleagues living there (ex-boss) so isn’t keen to live on their doorstep!
Going back this weekend to get more of a feel for the area/ decide if this is a mistake.
Those that say it is rough....can I ask what you mean by this? I am used to living in London and wonder if people might class this area as rough at times!

I’m very familiar with these areas and also would recommend Box, Biddestone or Bath. Corsham perfectly fine imo but quiet and we wanted a little more excitement as came from London. Now in Bath and wake up grateful every day!

why not rent for a bit.
it will be expensive nut cheaper than buying in wrong area and being unhappy