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Original poster

Tell me about Grantham!

47 replies

Ootneg · 17/08/2020 00:54

We’re looking at relocating to the Grantham area for my husband’s work. I’m trying to find out about the area as we don’t know it very well. I like the idea of Grantham as it’s got good rail links and it’s handy for the A1 and getting to Nottingham for shops etc. Secondary school options seem good too. But I have read so many negative things, I’m wondering if we should look further afield (Newark, Bourne, Lincoln). Or is Grantham just a lovely town that’s got a bad reputation?!
Also, are any of the villages round there particularly nice?
I’d appreciate any insights!
(Our original plan had been a move to Ripon, so this new plan has taken me by surprise.)

OP posts:
BigusBumus · 17/08/2020 01:15

I don't live in Grantham but my BIL does. He's just bought a really lovely town centre 3 bed Victorian terrace with a small courtyard garden and all lovely stripped floors. nice fireplaces etc for £130k!! Where I live 30 mins south down the A1 the same house would be £500k at least.

There are bad bits, but in general I think it's considered up and coming as somewhere to live.

Cloudburstagain · 17/08/2020 01:41

I would rate Grantham over Newark. Lincoln is a city and so very different to Grantham and schools vary on catchment. The Grammar school options are available in Grantham and Bourne.

notheragain4 · 17/08/2020 08:31

If you want somewhere "naice" then Stamford down the A1 is beautiful, but you won't get anywhere near what you'd get in Grantham for your money, secondary school options aren't great if you don't go grammar or private (not sure about schools in Grantham).

If you want good rail and road connections I'd discount Bourne.

Sorry not too familiar with Grantham living further south but know plenty of people who've successfully moved up there for house prices.

Overcovid · 17/08/2020 08:35

There are lots of nice villages either around Grantham or off the A15 towards Lincoln.

EdithWeston · 17/08/2020 08:46

Grantham has a full grammar system and the secondary schools are good. There are a number of good primaries too.

It's got a dreadful reputation (started in the 1989s when it won the 'most boring town' title). That's doing it a bit of an injustice, as there is plenty going on (back then it didn't even have a cinema!)

The high street struggles to keep shops, but there's enough. And it's well connected (road and rail) to other places.

Mostly it's fine, but there was quite an underside if petty crime/drugs and it once was the place with the highest rate of DHSS fraud (you'll see from how I described it that it was a while ago, but I'd say the troubled demographic still exists).

It's not a pretty town, but it's not that bad. And you certainly do get a lot more property for your ££ than other nearby towns, which is a kind of vote with the feet about how people see it

So I'd say mixed feelings about it! Better than Sleaford (which also has excellent schools but nothing else going for it). About the same as Newark. Not as nice as Stamford or Oakham.

Bluesheep8 · 17/08/2020 09:26

Lincoln is a city and so very different to Grantham

Lincoln is only classed as a city because it has a cathedral though. In reality it is a large town.

Twizzleisadancer · 17/08/2020 09:49

Grantham is not a very nice place to live avoid avoid avoid! some of the villages around it are okay and if you head south it improves! look at possible places like south witham, colsterworth, stamford, oakham etc

you get what you pay for generally

Bluesheep8 · 17/08/2020 12:47

There are good and bad bits, same as anywhere.

GoGoGone · 17/08/2020 13:12

Villages in the Vale of Belvoir are lovely although I'm not sure about the school situation. I suspect Grantham is due a bit of a revival. As you say it has good transport links and it's a fairly easy commute to London. Is the job in the town?

1990s · 17/08/2020 13:17

Grantham is fine. Just that really.

As PPs have said, you can get some nice Victorian houses near the middle (so walkable to the train station) for cheap.

It has a market town centre, some new brunch cafe type places coming, cinema has just been redone.

Very easy to get to London, Nottingham, beautiful countryside around.

Lived there for five years or so and never experienced any particular crime.

You could do worse I'd say!

Original poster
Ootneg · 17/08/2020 13:54

Thanks for the advice! We need to go and visit I think and get a feel or the area. We don’t need to be in Grantham itself and a bit of a commute is fine. I’m having a look at Colsterworth and Oakham. Lots of lovely chocolate box cottages!
Which villages are in the vale of Belvoir?

OP posts:
Panpig · 17/08/2020 13:58

Oakham is lovely, and would be preferable Grantham in my opinion

notheragain4 · 17/08/2020 14:06

We looked at Colsterworth and really liked it, we went a couple of times and couldn't get over how friendly everyone was, we only live about 25 minutes away but it's like another world lol.

I guess it depends if you want a town or a village, we decided we wanted a town in the end as children are nearly teenagers, but to be fair to Colsterworth it has a good bus service so had the right house come up there I think we'd have moved there.

Cat323 · 17/08/2020 14:12

The town centre has a down at heel feel but there's a M&S food hall so not all is lost!
Good theatre.
Be careful if you want to commute from a nice Grantham village as the traffic is horrendous at certain times.
And it costs £11 a day to park at the station Shock

Bottesford is a nice largish village, 7 miles from Grantham, 16 from Nottm. Very good comp (comes under Leicestershire) and your DC can sit the 11plus if they wish.

Lots of other pretty villages in the Vale but could be dull for DC as they turn into teens.

Belvoir Castle is stunning with a very good cafe (Allez) outside the grounds if you come on a fact finding mission!

It's a very flat county!

ChewChewsBiscuitTin · 17/08/2020 14:17

I have relatives in grantham and they like it there but personally I think it's a bit of a hole (I grew up in one of the villages a few miles away and went to school there) the high street is mostly pound shops, charity shops and grim pubs - people may tell you about the 'regeneration' but what that actually means is that the cinema is less shit than it used to be and even then there are no takers for the other units on that new site. I went to school there may years ago and have friends who teach there now and the schools are still good, (the boys grammar is well regarded although the girl's grammar is not what it was and the other girls school is arguably becoming the better of the two these days). As someone else said, the villages in the vale between Grantham and Nottingham are nice, eg Denton, Belvoir, Redmile etc. There are also nice places between Grantham and Newark, eg Marston, Long Benington, Dry Doddington. That said, my auntie wont hear a word against the place and bit where she lives towards manthorpe is very nice.

Lincolnshireyummy · 17/08/2020 16:32

Have you thought about a little further North? We’re selling a lovely house in a village called Wilsford, it’s full of character and has excellent new gates.

Cat323 · 17/08/2020 17:07

Give us the link, @Lincolnshireyummy!

Lincolnshireyummy · 17/08/2020 21:01

If you search a popular property website you will find it, it’s the one in Wilsford with the snazzy gates!

notheragain4 · 17/08/2020 21:16

@Lincolnshireyummy the £375k one? It's beautiful! I can't believe it's been on the market that long, it's so beautifully done.

quantumdog · 17/08/2020 21:22

I'm from Stamford but currently live in Bourne due to being priced out of my home town now by Londoners moving in.
Stamford or Oakham are lovely, I wouldn't recommend Grantham at all...it's got a rep for being pretty down trodden and crime ridden. On the other hand there are lots of beautiful villages on the outskirts.

GoGoGone · 17/08/2020 21:56

The map below has most of them although a few of the smaller ones seem to be missing.

There is an 11-16 school in bottesford but you would have to go to Grantham/Melton/Nottingham for 6th form.

Tell me about Grantham!
Toddlerteaplease · 17/08/2020 21:57

Lincoln is only classed as a city because it has a cathedral though. In reality it is a large town.

Having a cathedral does not automatically make a town a city. It had to have a total charter to make it a city.

Lincolnshireyummy · 18/08/2020 00:46

That’s good to know.

EdithWeston · 18/08/2020 06:32

It was a large and prosperous mediaeval city - growing from an important strategic settlement on Ermine Street (a main Roman Road), William I had a castle built there (at the top of Steep Hill, opposite the cathedral, and incidentally a good day out though I expect the hands on and dress up stuff might be paused)

The cathedral was one of the tallest buildings in the world when it was completed. And important enough to be the holder of one of the four copies of the Magna Carta (which it still has).

Definitely a proper city! Even though it has never been as wealthy as it was during the centuries of the wool trade.

As a side note, St Wulfram's in Grantham also has an immense spire (3rd highest of any church, 6th higest of any church/cathedral) and a chained library which has a small but extraordinary collection of books. Not exactly a reason to buy there - but worth dropping in (if open) if you have time to kill whilst in the town

augustusglupe · 18/08/2020 09:32

Another for the Vale of Belvoir! Very desirable..without being pretentious, gorgeous countryside, handy for Nottingham and Grantham, with train times to London just over an hour.
Rutland is beautiful too but doesn’t have everything on its doorstep and can be a bit ‘gin n jag’ in certain areas. Nice to visit and all that though.

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