Teddington/Richmond/Barnes - which would you choose

[WatteauYouTalkingAbout]

We currently live in Zone 2. The plan was always to move out of London and get a flat for DH during the week but we’ve decided we don’t want to split the family so are staying. But we need somewhere much greener and with good independent schools. Budget is good as we won’t now need to buy a flat. I like Richmond and Barnes but don’t know them well. Also like the sound of Teddington and Thames Ditton. Have discounted Kew because of the planes- are planes a significant issue in these areas too? Would be grateful for any views. Thanks.

Barnes for the village feel. It’s got the lovely green and the little high street. Right on the river too. It’s well connected but feels tucked away.

Thanks everyone so much. Leaning towards Teddington or Richmond at this stage. Our budget is around £2m which sounds a lot but we would like 5 bed with a garden.
Does anyone have any experience of commuting to the City from these areas? I’m concerned it might be difficult from south west.

You will probably get a detached 5 bed for your budget in Teddington - not so much in Richmond. Wonderful though it is, the slightly more affordable bits of Richmond (I speak from experience and looked at a LOT of houses before we bought) can be uncomfortably close to the A205/A316/railway line/flight paths or a long walk from the station and/or with appalling parking and tiny gardens. You'd get a seat on the slower Waterloo train from Tedd, but a faster service from Richmond with the option of the district line if it goes wrong. In normal times lots of people take the bus or W&City line from Waterloo - it's an extremely well worn path from SW London. DH and I both did it for years. We have friends in Teddington and I always think it seems like an idyllic place to live, with the slower train being the only drawback, but that may be a 'grass is always greener' perspective!

A big factor in the the choice will be community feel and also feeling significantly greener than where we are now. I want the feel of a small town but in London!

I know you said not Kew but I would honestly look at Kew Village in your situation. It does feel very small town but you are so close to big city life when wanted. I don't notice the plane noise - you honestly do get used to it. But I think £2m is probably going to get you a smaller house than you want. Have you thought of St Margarets? It has a similar villagey feel and is not as far out as Teddington.

You could afford something like this: www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/90337468#/

2mil budget look at Southfields grid. You could buy a beautiful Georgian house there and very close to Putney high for girls. Village feel, stones throw to Wimbledon Park and common. Lovely little high street with Gails, M&S plus independents. It’s on the district line straight into the city. Also nowhere near the plane noise as Richmond…

That sounds amazing WhataWaste. I don’t know what Southfields grid is. Is it different to Southfields? Wimbledon itself is another option but I do like the idea of being close to the river.

I loved Teddington but we moved to Richmond because the commute drove me mad. Now I have trains that take me less than 20 mins and I can get to work in the city in under an hour. We've also got the option of the tube here.

The Teddington trains are good in that you always get a seat but they are so painfully slow and get delayed all the time. Most of the time, in rush hour, it would take me 45 mins if not longer. If they get stuck it can take an hour! I work every day in the office so it was a real drain on my life. It was taking about 80 mins each way.

Once the kids went to university we sold our place in Ted and moved to Richmond!

Pros and cons

1. Teddington is a great community and the high street is fab. You really want to live less than a mile from the station and no further away if you're commuting.
2. Teddington has a safer feel than Richmond and is massively popular with young families as all the state schools are good.
3. Both have a royal park and the river.
4. Richmond High street has a lot of shops that have closed down but is also getting some fantastic great new restaurants (Scott's, Megans, a new tapas bar).
5. Transport options from Richmond are so much better, so so much better.
6. Plane noise in Teddington is pretty constant because it's under the flight path of planes taking off but it's not as loud as Richmond.
7. Richmond plane noise is loud - but it's only every few weeks. Current plan has us getting the planes directly over us once every 4 weeks. They land in this direction so they are coming down to land (hence the noise!).

£2m will get you a 5 bed in both places. Make sure you get off street parking in both places! We actually found more housing stock we wanted in Richmond than Ted. I would also look at Twickenham (they also have a fast train) as you'll get more for your money.

@WatteauYouTalkingAbout
Southfields grid is a part of Southfields - it’s a collection of streets down from the station that are in a grid format that are all Georgian/ Victorian villas/ houses. It is a really lovely place to live with kids. Take a look on Google maps and you’ll see it straight away 😊

Richmond - Better transport options (although regularly gridlocked), better shopping. Worse aeroplane noise, usually a chavvy dump of pissheads at weekends.

Barnes - Worse transport, but commuting from Barnes Bridge was never a problem for me, you just need remember the train times. Less aeroplane noise but still some (although you tend to get used to it). Has become rather more "nappy valley" recently, although still very family friendly, and has more than adequate shopping for everyday needs. Nice pubs. Dreadful traffic, and driving a nightmare particularly with Hammersmith Bridge closed.

Another one to throw into the mix - Surbiton. Some fast trains to Waterloo (16 minutes for the fastest), quicker than Thames Ditton (which is just down the road). By the river. Plenty of shopping, bars, restaurants. Close to Hampton Court, Kingston etc..

@WatteauYouTalkingAbout

Thanks everyone so much. Leaning towards Teddington or Richmond at this stage. Our budget is around £2m which sounds a lot but we would like 5 bed with a garden. Does anyone have any experience of commuting to the City from these areas? I’m concerned it might be difficult from south west.

It's super easy, 35 mins to Waterloo (from Teddington, or even quicker from Richmond) then hop on the Waterloo and City line :)

I like twickenham better than teddington. Less plane noise than Richmond as well. Twickenham is just a bit more interesting and more going on and less off to the side than teddington. There are lovely areas, some just off to the side like strawberry hill someone mentioned. It’s really really green down along the river between twickenham and Richmond. Also fast trains from twickenham.

You're literally choosing between my three dream living destinations - as someone who could never afford to live near any of them, let alone in them, I am crying!

Personally I'd probably go for Richmond - transport links are better, easy access to the river etc. But honestly they're all great areas. I grew up in Teddington and it was lovely even then with great schools.

Oh ugh. Zombie.

I don’t know Barnes. I grew up in Twickenham so know Teddington and Richmond. If you’re after a more suburban feel than as someone else mentioned, the Strawberry Hill area is nice between Twickenham and Teddington. It has direct train links to Waterloo. Teddington and Twickenham have frequent bus services to Richmond and Kingston. I always preferred Kingston for a day out shopping. I always found Richmond a bit busy for me but you do have Richmond park and lovely walks along the Thames.

Hi @peachgreen - yes it’s a zombie thread but we’re STILL trying to decide on an area to focus on so it’s useful to hear!

Hello! I grew up in Richmond and still have family there. The truth is there is plane noise but you just get used to it and you genuinely don’t hear it after a while, most places are double/triple glazed so that helps. The main problem right now is that there is major traffic into town with Hammersmith bridge being closed so Chiswick and Putney bridges are chocka and you can’t go through the park from sheen gate to roehampton gate now so the “south circular” between sheen and Putney can be a nightmare. Barnes is just lovely but not being able to drive or bus over the bridge would stop me (but not everyone) buying there (especially as some great secondary schools are over the bridge). For what it’s worth we are in Wimbledon and love it. Not close to the river but great transport (close to northern line in South Wimbledon) and main/district line in town centre. With £2m I would look at pine grove as they some nicer 5 beds I think (half way between town and village) and you would be likely to get into Bishop Gilpin for primary if you didn’t go private. Or look around South Park gardens (kings road, Dudley road, but that might be over budget). Southfields Grid is not somewhere I would spend a lot of money. A bit “middle of nowhere” to me. But that’s personal as people love it.
Good luck!

I'd say Barnes every time for community and village feel. I live in Putney which is great but would love to afford Barnes. Has the advantage of the river just as Richmond has.

Watching as we are in a similar position to OP and also considering moving in this direction from zone 2 SW London.

If you need the commute which you do Richmond every time.

My DH and I live there for a bit he was going in to Liverpool Street too.

I loved it there and would have stayed when we moved up the ladder but we moved because he wasn't keen on West London and we both like North London.

I lived in Barnes for ten years so definitely have a bit of a bias for it. 4 trains an hour to Waterloo which is 22 mins away. Nice 'village' feel to the place, lovely spot on the river, Richmond park on your doorstep, all the local shops, restaurants, cinema and pubs that you need. If you can afford it then it's a great spot.

Plane noise in Richmond. Flooding in Barnes. Teddington not very accessible.
Have you considered Wimbledon - no plane noise, no flood risk, very good transport, lovely outdoor spaces, good schools, lovely village

I live in the South Park grid of Wimbledon. Three bed plus box room (if loft converted) and prices for terrace are £850-1.2m. Two or three Ofsted rated excellent primary schools keep the prices up, as does the park - really pretty Victorian park with a coffee/ice cream kiosk at the top. Loads of families use it, and it has a strict dogs on lead policy. The houses surrounding it are £2.5m and up but the grid is cheaper. Walk to Wimbledon train/tube and a zillion restaurants and shops plus Wimbledon theatre. But I'd still vote for Richmond, though it's pricier. (Actually I'd like to move further in, Parsons Green being my preferred area, but I'd only afford a flat there).

Flooding in Barnes.

When did this happen?

Grew up Mortlake/Richmond, College in Twickenham, worked in Barnes.

Traffic round Barnes/Mortlake/Sheen is currently horrific due to Hammersmith Bridge being shut. As in takes 30 mins to drive 1.5 miles. DF days like that all rush hours. And they've extended the ULEZ out too, so DSis having to get new car as current one doesn't comply (but guess given your house budget you could afford a new car).

Reading your post again I say be careful, done of those places are the worst of all worlds, not really rural at all (which sounds like you want) but absolute ars*holes for commuting). Of your list I would only consider Richmond, but for location but also for the journey. I would consider, however, looking further east as commute would be much much easier, I am South Croydon (which is lovely, good schools and we are 10 mins away from actual country with cows but isn't Richmond lovely) but we do have 6 Thameslink trains an hour to London Bridge/City which takes 17 minutes. Also very good commuting from further out Sussex towns like East Grinstead/Reigate/Horsham. Sometimes it's quicker to travel from further away

Good luck!