Which places in SW London have a village feel?

[OnlyOneBike]

We are looking to move to SW London but unsure about which place to move to.

Ideally we'd like a place that has a village feel but still has lots to do locally, especially for young kids (we have a 1 year old). We are based in a small village at the moment. The community are fantastic, e.g. we have street parties on Halloween, kids Gala every year and all sorts of mummy groups, etc. But the downside is that you have to drive quite a bit to get to anywhere even grocery stores. I wondered if we could find a place in SW London which has similar feel (community) but more convenient in terms of day to day activities.

We have been looking at Kingston (mainly KT2), Teddington, Surbiton, New Malden. Recently we discovered Raynes Park but haven't looked at it closely. We are not familiar with any of the places mentioned. Could people who know these places share some thoughts on where we should focus on please?

We are looking to buy a 3-4 bed with a good sized garden. Don't mind semi or detached but I'd rule out terraced as I'm very sensitive to noise and don't want a narrow garden. With a budget of 1m (or slightly more if property is too good), is that possible in SW London?

Both of us work in the City but we only need to go to the office once a week (or less). DS is going to an independent school. So school catchment and commute are not our priorities.

Thanks in advance.

I can only comment on the one place I've lived on your list and that is Teddington. It has a very villagey feel. Our street used to do street parties all the time, everyone knew each other and looked out for each other. Lots of little independent shops and cafes. There's a reason it was voted best place to live in London. Your £1m is not going to get you much there though, that's the issue!

Surbiton is nice - fast train link. It's quite a sprawling area so different feelings in different parts but we have a lot of friends who live there and love it.

You're likely to get more value for money in New Malden/Norbiton/Raynes Park area - there is some lovely housing stock in those areas and wide open spaces and the train is not that bad from there either (quicker than Teddington) though less of a village feel I would say (but more house for your money).

As above plus also Kew, though it's pricy.

I’m in Surbiton. We have an annual festival and food festival, lovely indie cafes and bookshops and lots of streets do street parties, go all out for Halloween on the street, etc etc. Lots of groups and green spaces etc - I would look at the northern end of Berrylands or around the Coterill/Ellerton/Bond Rds below Ditton Rd for family areas with strong community vibes though I’m sure there are others! I’m in an area that’s a bit more young professionals - we’re in the only pair of semis in a road of 2-bed terraces, the areas with larger houses seem to be those with the street WhatsApp group etc. I’m quite jealous of them!

(And your £1m will get you something good in those areas, or even something moderate more towards Southborough.)

Teddington is nice but I’m not familiar with current prices. It definitely has a village-feel. Kew is also nice (and would be my choice of the two) but probably not possible on your budget unless you’re willing to consider a terraced property (which I would, for the area, but appreciate everyone’s priorities are different!).

Carshalton has a lot going on for kids and families, it’s a nice place with great parks, the ponds, cafes etc.

I wouldn’t class it as villagey though.. good transport links to London via the Thameslink line.

Cheam? Really villagey, relatively good transport and your money would go further than SW heartlands like Kew, teddington etc

The grid in Southfields but for a semi might be a bit too pricey…

No idea of prices but would suggest Barnes (mortlake & north sheen too) or Long Ditton (Surbiton) area. I have friends who lived in both areas so busted fairly often. They do seem to offer the kind of lifestyle you are after.

Visited. Not busted.

Teddington has a lovely villagey feel but would but hard to get a semi for under a million I think. Hampton has a lovely village feel too and your money goes a bit further.

I’m in New Malden, really love it. Definitely a community feel. Drop me a message if you want to know anything specific.

We are looking in similar places to you with the same budget. I grew up in teddington and still live in area so know it pretty well. The prices in many areas of sw London have gone through the roof recently.

As others have said, teddington sounds perfect for you but i don't think you would get the house you want for a £1m. A small terraced 3-4 bed with tiny garden is about all you would get. If you could stretch to £1.1m you may get something a bit better but there are very slim pickings at the moment.

I also recommend hampton and we are looking there now too. The highstreet is not as nice as teddington but there are a few cafes, a bakery, a village green etc plus hampton hill high street is really nice and borders bushy Park which is amazing, and about 20 min walk away from hampton.

I would also suggest weybridge or cobham. Both are in Surrey but are commutable into London on train. They aren't cheap but at the moment you would get more for your money than anything I've seen in teddington or surbiton (I've been searching on rightmove for about a year now...) . They both have lovely villagey high streets.

@Woooooman @fictionreader

Thanks for the advice. We actually started our search from Teddington (Strawberry Hill to be precise) but then we soon realised with our budget it was not possible to get a decent sized house. It's really a shame as we heard lots of comments on its good vibes.

Re Kew - it is a bit far away from DS's school so we didn't have it on our list. But a friend of us is currently buying at that area. She quite likes it.

@JassyRadlett

I’m in Surbiton. We have an annual festival and food festival, lovely indie cafes and bookshops and lots of streets do street parties, go all out for Halloween on the street, etc etc. Lots of groups and green spaces etc - I would look at the northern end of Berrylands or around the Coterill/Ellerton/Bond Rds below Ditton Rd for family areas with strong community vibes though I’m sure there are others! I’m in an area that’s a bit more young professionals - we’re in the only pair of semis in a road of 2-bed terraces, the areas with larger houses seem to be those with the street WhatsApp group etc. I’m quite jealous of them!

So glad to hear Surbiton has that kind vibe cos it is one of the tops on our lists. My only concern is the sewage treatment plant. I heard it could be smelly in summer depending on which side you live.

@mobear

Teddington is nice but I’m not familiar with current prices. It definitely has a village-feel. Kew is also nice (and would be my choice of the two) but probably not possible on your budget unless you’re willing to consider a terraced property (which I would, for the area, but appreciate everyone’s priorities are different!).

Thanks for replying! I never lived in a terraced house before. But my experience living in a flat was a bit unpleasant due to noises from neighbouring flats. The neighbours aren't in particular loud. But I'm very easily distracted by noises and a very light sleeper. I suppose a terraced house is not much better?

@Kfjsjdbd

Hi Thanks for helping. Would you mind commenting on which areas of New Malden are the 'good' ones? How about the community? Are there many young families?

Thanks All for the replies. Very helpful. Sorry can't thank everyone individually.

Re Hampton, Cheam, Long Ditton and Barnes - we looked at these areas very briefly. They seem to be good areas and get recommended very often. They are a bit far away from DS's future school but not impossible to travel. If we cannot afford what we like in the more central areas, these will be the areas we'll look at. But that means we will rethink about schools.

Will check the other areas mentioned too. But as said although we do not have to consider school catchments, we do have a restriction on where we live.

Thanks again.

I've just bought a terraced house in Wimbledon for a bit under £1m. Came from a large detached (price of which would have only bought a small flat here). Couple on side, couple on other with toddler - I never hear anyone in the morning except when they leave the hoyse as I'm over the front with window open, and only very occasionally in the evening just as they entr the house. I'm really happy as I anticipated much more noise. Treet noise just kids walking to park, people off to work- very quiet overnight and my window is always open! Both neighbours came out to introduce themselves and one across the street too - that never happened in the smallish town we moved from. We are near two.outstanding primaries (I know you said independent but I mean lots of families) and we used to come to this area for trick or treating as it was so welcoming. Annual Easter egg hunt in the local park and group dog walks etc. 15 minutes walk to train and tube.
May be too small housing for you. I do find for the 'community' feel you have to get involved - harder to do unless you live very close to your school as do other pupils. My kids were private and the kids lived quite far apart. And I used to work in Teddington for years and didn't get any sense of community feel because I wasn't really part of it as all the time I was there I was in an office.

Have you looked at Ham?

With you budget you can afford something on the common
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/76823184

Nice areas of NM are Malden Hill (Hillbrow, Park view etc.)...something like this is in a great area and also in catchment of an outstanding primary:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/103917716#/?channel=RES_BUY

Or Christ Church/the Groves:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/105223973#/?channel=RES_BUY

New Malden is great for young families. We have a 3 year old and 1 year old and there’s loads for them to do (ballet, dance, drama, football, soft play, parks, swimming, gymnastics, trampolining all in central NM). Also really great schools.

It’s not a village feel at all. More a small town. And the awful towers really let it down. But there are farmers markets and kids events throughout the year.