Tell me about living in Essex

[Mollyeyes]

Hello
I’d like to hear from anyone living in Essex towns and villages, your experience etc. We need to be near train line to get into London

Thank you

Essex is very diverse...any particular places you are looking at?

Any particular train line or area you are looking at? Larger towns with amenities like Chelmsford and Harlow (don’t move to Harlow, it’s not the nicest) or smaller cuter villages?

Essex ranges from some very chocolate box little villages to proper East London urban that fall within London boroughs. But whatever you go for, as the previous poster said, don’t move to Harlow. It’s a hole.

Well, it's quite a space. Ideas of where you want to go?

Would you rather get into Liverpool Street or Fenchurch Street? They're two different train lines (with very different quality/cost of trains!).

Did you want village? City? Nice town with a high street? Are you focused on schools for particular ages? Grammar-focused?

FWIW I moved to Essex with DH (who was born here) around 7 years ago and I love it. We're 20 minutes from the beach (where I drag him and the DC pretty much year round whatever the weather) but there's great shopping, cinema etc nearby too when the apocalypse allows them all to open.

You need to narrow down what you're asking - it's a very diverse county.

North Essex is very rural, there are far fewer transport options and you have real peace and quiet.

South Essex is much more suburban, with quite a few London Boroughs also being referred to as Essex. The trainline from Liverpool street via Chelmsford gets progressively cheaper the further you travel out, as you might expect. The C2C from Fenchurch Street goes through a few different places, and house prices and the environment quality fluctuate - the Estuary is beautiful but the urban environments can vary quite significantly.

There are some beautiful little towns in the south though (thinking of Rochester) that have excellent transport and the peace and quiet.

Overall, traffic is an issue in the whole of Essex though - much as it is in every county surrounding a major population area.

I am in herts on Essex borders
Dh used to get train to liv st
Dc born in Essex though
Some older Essex houses too beamy for my liking

Thank you all for your advice and comments. We don’t need to think about schools. We don’t want anything rural as we are currently in London. Looking for a town with not too many newbuilds, either train line is fine but prefer the faster one. I prefer not too much if the towie vibe. Somewhere with a few shops, cafes and other amenities like a leisure centre. We prefer older properties like 1930s. Don’t like Harlow myself. Thinking of along the train line Brentwood Shenfield, Ingastone etc which is a billiard but hopefully close to towns such as Chelmsford.

Sorry meant to say Ingastone is a village, excuse my typos😀

Ingatestone is lovely - a proper village but with a good high street and excellent transport links. You pay for that though.

Shenfield and Brentwood (and Hutton and Warley) are very much a town feel. It's friendly and small town, but there is the element of struggling High Street in Brentwood that you only get in a town. Transport is still really good, and you can be in Stratford in less than 15 minutes from Shenfield.

Chelmsford has some beautiful houses (and some not so nice ones) and has really benefitted from regeneration in past years. It has completely bucked the trend of declining high streets, and I really like popping into Chelmsford market for lunch and to use the delicatessen/ butcher when I am in town. The train station can be awful in the morning and the trains overcrowded. I think it's the busiest 2 platform train station in the country or something. There are plans to build another North Chelmsford station, but who knows when that will appear.

On the TOWIE vibe - I don't think it exists any more than it does in comparable South East/ home counties towns. People just seem to notice it more and/ or feel its appropriate to comment rudely on what is actually normal human life in other towns. Thinking of the time I was told I was 'so Essex' for having a G&T in the high street on a Sunday afternoon

@ClaudiaWankleman thank you so much!! If you had to choose out of these to live which one or ones you’d go for. I have been to Brentwood and Chelmsford but don’t know the others. Would we get a little bored in Ingastone? Shenfield houses seem to get snapped up quickly because of Crossrail o think

I would choose Shenfield or Ingatestone, and maybe look at Billericay too. I don’t think you would get bored in Ingatestone, but compared to London, you have much less variety on your doorstep in all locations.

Billericay High Street is nicer and doing better than Brentwood’s.

What is your budget? That would likely have a big influence. I would choose a house within your walking tolerance to the high street in any case - I’d be happy with 20/25 minutes and a bus route in case of bad weather, but there are some people who take a cab from Shenfield station just to go 400m up the hill to home, so it does depend!

Oh, and of course visit! Start in Ingatestone, then to Shenfield for lunch and Billericay for dinner maybe? (Or just a pub visit in all three).

@ClaudiaWankleman thank you, our budget is approx 465k. Looking for 3 bed house but not new build or old new build style. I don’t mind a 20 min walk to station. Yes I think a visit is required and access to lovely parks/some rolling countryside would be lovely. Are you around those areas?

From looking at the map its within walking distance to station.

Long Ridings Avenue, Hutton, Brentwood, CM13
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-81004174.html

Station still close ish

Heybridge Road, Ingatestone
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-55309392.html

Bit far from the station but gives you an idea of what you can get for your money.

Augustus Way, Witham
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-95403314.html

Seventh Avenue, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-96810575.html

I don't live in Essex anymore , but see someone has suggested Witham.
I lived there a up to a few years ago and thought it was a lovely place to live. It also has a railway station.

Have you looked at Leigh on sea? I'm a little biased but it's by the water nice shops and restaurants, good live music/events (usually) , C2C straight into fenchurch Street. I really love it here.

I would not recommend Billericay, it’s probably the dullest place I’ve ever lived. Brentwood is lovely as are ingatestone and Shenfield. I’ve lived in Hutton and Brentwood and they’re lovely places to live.

I am in Billericay ( born and bred!)
We have some lovely parks here ( Lake Meadows and Queens Park country park) and Norsey Woods a very ancient woodland really beautiful- especially in the spring when the bluebells are out. There are lots of other nice places nearby- Danbury Lakes, Hylands park, Galleywood Common.

Great primary and secondary schools and a quick commute into London.

The town has a nice feel and it's a strong community on the whole. The local Facebook page is quite amusing at times ( lost shoes and rants about flowers bought in Waitrose! 😁) but the people are generally very supportive to each other. We have one of the best Christmas markets around and an amazing fireworks display ( although sadly neither on this year.)
If you are prepared to go just a little further ( 2 stops down the line) then have a look at Rayleigh. Also a really nice town with a good shopping centre and some very good schools.

Saffron Walden is lovely - train station is in Audley End which is a fast route but a couple of miles away. Lots of lovely cafes, restuarants and shops and countryside all round, definitely not TOWIE at all, very family friendly but may be too far out. Lots of old houses in centre - some from C16th like on Gold Street.

Bishops Stortford is a bigger version, more large town like, closer to London but just over Essex border in Herts.

In the south some places are on tube like Epping, Loughton, Buckhurst Hill though prices are over that I think for 3 bed.

Not keen on Harlow.

@KarlKennedysDurianFruit

Have you looked at Leigh on sea? I'm a little biased but it's by the water nice shops and restaurants, good live music/events (usually) , C2C straight into fenchurch Street. I really love it here.

Hi neighbour 👋🏻 Grew up in Rayleigh & worked in Billericay for years and just came on to agree that L-o-S shits all over them OP, if you haven't visited, you should, it's by far the nicest place to live in this neck of the woods

Thank you to all of you for all your support !! You are great! I have been to Leigh and it’s lovely but seems a bit further out and also Saffron Walden. I do quite like Bishops Stortford but my partner says lots of Harlow lads go there and get pissed and misbehave but I think you could get there in many towns!! Can’t convince him. Will check out those other areas recommended xx