Nice areas to move (SW London, within zone 6) ?

[Noelia1]

Hello!
We have finally had an offer accepted on our flat and can start looking at a house. We are thinking of south west as we have friends around there, and not too awful drive to the midlands where we have family. Commute into central for work is still important unfortunately, starting to think that what we want doesn’t exist!
We are open to up to 800k house, with a garden, good schools around and at least a nice pub for a Sunday meal. Would love something with a village feel but not so quiet that we have nothing to ever do.
Eg: would love teddington but it’s too expensive ..
any thoughts ?

Thank you all, I am honestly so impressed by all your lovely responses!

What is your view on Whitton (3 bed house) vs. Carshalton (3 bed house) vs. Strawberry hill area in Twickenham (but a 2 bed house as the prices are way higher)?

Which ones would be nicer for walks, pubs/restaurants, schools, and just area in general?

[quote ChristopherTracy]Carshalton is very nice and Cheam Village too. Cheam Village better located for schools as well.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/119593904#/?channel=RES_BUY[/quote]
+1 for Cheam

@SollaSollew

I honestly think that if you'd be prepared to settle for a 2 bed in Twickenham you'd be much better with a 3 bed in Hampton Hill/Teddington. Other than the faster trains everything else (in my opinion!) is nicer in Teddington.

This is in Hampton Hill just off the High Street (which does have lots of coffee shops, pubs etc.)

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/118959800#/?channel=RES_BUY

These are more the Hampton Hill/Fulwell side of Teddington but in your budget and 3 beds.

this is £700k

[https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/114706598#/?channel=RES_BUY £725k decor not great but size and garden is good]]

or on the same road but done up and more expensive

I've lived round the area for 20+ years so if you have any questions about specific roads in the area then am happy to answer them.

Thank you, that;s super helpful! We have not yet been in that area much so we don;t know it well - but we didn;t find much at the price we are looking at. Are the trains to London ok?

Carshalton is a horrendous drive to the Midlands unfortunately. Lovely park though.

Hi @Noelia1 NP, it's a lot of ground to cover! The trains are ok but it's a slower line than Twickenham, about 35 mins into Waterloo from Fulwell. Twickenham is about 20 mins.

From what I can see I think your budget is ok it's just that there doesn't seem to be a lot on the market round here and what there is is going very quickly still.

DH's parents live in Shropshire so we're often up the M40 to the Midlands. It's about 2hrs 45 to where they live from here and 3 hours if the M25 is bad but it's a straightforward journey to get to the M3, M25 then M40.

Agree the whole Hampton hill etc area is really nice. No idea about how schools work. But it’s a lovely SW London-y area.

In Brentford near isle worth. 3 beds semi detached house parking, massive garden, located near train stations and good schools £550000.

I don't know how anyone would struggle with 800k

@isobeli

In Brentford near isle worth. 3 beds semi detached house parking, massive garden, located near train stations and good schools £550000.

I don't know how anyone would struggle with 800k

I don't know how anyone would struggle with 800k

Have you ever tried to buy in the areas the OP is interested in?

OP we struggled to find somewhere in Teddington with an £800k budget last year, and had a couple of house fall through, so we expanded our search closer to Fulwell/Hampton Hill and found a great house which we've been in for about 8 months now. I'm glad we held our nerve as we were toying with moving out of the area completely, which would have meant the DC having to leave their amazing school, but luckily we are still just within walking distance.

Houses are definitely better value the Hampton Hill end, and still walkable to Teddington and you also have the advantage of Hampton Hill street and the open air pool.

@isobeli

In Brentford near isle worth. 3 beds semi detached house parking, massive garden, located near train stations and good schools £550000.

I don't know how anyone would struggle with 800k

Lol that is what I thought initially - but the past year has been crazy, all properties seem to have shot up 150k and we are struggling to find anything. Even what we find is no longer available within days, and most places end up in bid war which pushes the price even higher. We are getting a bit demoralised by it all can;t lie!

We moved to Whitton last summer. I love it! It’s not pretty but the parks are great, it’s quiet, the people are lovely and you can be in Waterloo in half an hour.

I have found neighbours very welcoming and you can see the demographic is changing from older folk to younger families who are priced out of Teddington, Strawberry Hill etc. So lots of people with young families who have no particular ties to the area - we’ve made friends really easily and so have our kids. I am not used to that sort of support, having always lived in zone 1/2 in flats where I didn’t really know my neighbours. The primary schools are good too.

People will be snobby about Whitton in comparison to Twickenham etc. but you will still be able to get a really good house here for £800k, although like everywhere else not much is coming on the market and things have shot up in the last few months. Happy to advise on anything in particular OP!

@underthewestway

We moved to Whitton last summer. I love it! It’s not pretty but the parks are great, it’s quiet, the people are lovely and you can be in Waterloo in half an hour.

I have found neighbours very welcoming and you can see the demographic is changing from older folk to younger families who are priced out of Teddington, Strawberry Hill etc. So lots of people with young families who have no particular ties to the area - we’ve made friends really easily and so have our kids. I am not used to that sort of support, having always lived in zone 1/2 in flats where I didn’t really know my neighbours. The primary schools are good too.

People will be snobby about Whitton in comparison to Twickenham etc. but you will still be able to get a really good house here for £800k, although like everywhere else not much is coming on the market and things have shot up in the last few months. Happy to advise on anything in particular OP!

Thank you, this is really helpful. I was wondering if it;s a bit too close to Hounslow in feel etc.

What are good places/streets to look in Whitton? So far we aw something on Milner Drive and something on The Ridge - any thoughts on those?

Are there any local nice restaurants or pubs that you found or do you need to walk to Twickenham for everything?

One last question I promise - how awkward/inconvenient did you find the highway when you try to walk to Strawberry Hill or Twickenham? Do you have to go up stairs and metal bridges; or are there ways to cross the road without having to go through that?

so sorry to bombard you with so many questions! We are in zone 3 in a flat so I feel in a similar position to you before you moved!

Milner Drive and The Ridge are both decent roads - pretty quiet but not too far from the High Street.
There's several nice restaurants and pubs in Whitton. The High Street has a lot of independent shops but also a few supermarkets and a Superdrug.
The A316 separates Whitton from Twickenham - you can cross by subway,footbridge, pelican crossing or, if you're old school, just walk across where there's gaps in the barrier!

I wouldn't discount Isleworth, OP - there aren't many bits that I can think of that are 20 mins walk from the station. This one is about 5 mins away:

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/118825484#/?channel=RES_BUY

Plane noise isn't any worse than most of the other areas mentioned, it massively depends on which flight path is being used - when they're using the southern one, Twickenham will be just as noisy, whereas Isleworth will be quiet.

It's a lovely place to live - lower prices, Thames-side, very family friendly, good schools, nice selection of pubs/places to eat, and so easy to get to Richmond, Twickenham or Chiswick too.

@Seeline True! We are nearer the town centre to be fair and don't mind a walk. But always admired the lovely houses up Beeches way!

not an area we were necessarily looking at, but came across this place and I am really conflicted. Can I ask all your views on the benefits vs drawbacks of having the garden back a river? Can it cause any issues longer term (burglary, flooding, children not being safe, etc)? (can see more photos on the second add on this link)

www.zoopla.co.uk/property/uprn/100021761184/

My friend backs onto a small river (offshoot of the Thames), has had no problems and has never had any flooding. They have a fence which half opens so can see the river if they choose and her garden feels really nice and peaceful. I would have a good Google to make sure it's unlikely to flood.

Thank you.
If anyone knows Whitton / strawberry hill area well and Teddington - how noisy are the planes? Are there specific days in which these areas are on the flight path?
I haven’t heard them when I went in the area on Saturday but I think that’s because the flight path is a different way?
Isleworth was very very loud on Saturday though, with planes right above the houses!

I know someone who decided against buying a house in isleworth when he looked it up on satellite view on Google maps, and right above the image of the road he was looking at, a whopping great big plane had been captured in the view by the satellite - clearly flying v low!

I never noticed the planes much in twickenham (central) so I don’t think it would be that bad over strawberry hill / teddington. Not sure about Whitton as it’s closer but might be ok?

@Noelia1

Thank you. If anyone knows Whitton / strawberry hill area well and Teddington - how noisy are the planes? Are there specific days in which these areas are on the flight path? I haven’t heard them when I went in the area on Saturday but I think that’s because the flight path is a different way? Isleworth was very very loud on Saturday though, with planes right above the houses!

The planes haven't been flying hardly at all it seems since Covid so it seems a distant memory. I don't know about Teddington but Strawberry Hill is not too bad for planes at all. We get maybe a couple of weeks in the summer on and off but it's nowhere near constant. I used to live in Whitton and it was much worse than Strawberry Hill but flight paths may have changed or be changing since I was there. If you join Whitton Village Facebook group you could ask the question.

Kingston on Thames. Not massive but pretty house and it's a vibrant place to raise children - lots of good schools, great facilities, the river, Richmond Park on the doorstep etc and lovely pubs for Sunday lunch.

I also wouldn’t discount Isleworth. I lived in St Margaret’s but near Isleworth and I was never particularly troubled by the plane noise. Some of the houses in Isleworth aren’t too far from St Margaret’s which has a village-feel to it, and as the train station is the stop before Richmond you’re more likely to get a seat (you’re also one stop away from being able to change for the Underground).

@Gingerhills - Like the one you have posted & even though not huge opportunity to extend it would seem. I.m not great with maps but looks walkable into Kingston - which ( friend of mine lives just off Kingston Hill backing onto Richmond Park ) has pretty much everything you could want. But OP if what you want is walkable to pubs etc - you really need to pick some areas and see where you like for your budget & then see the individual houses and pace out the restaurant walk - I do think Kingston is a nice place to live though.

@Noelia1

Thank you. If anyone knows Whitton / strawberry hill area well and Teddington - how noisy are the planes? Are there specific days in which these areas are on the flight path? I haven’t heard them when I went in the area on Saturday but I think that’s because the flight path is a different way? Isleworth was very very loud on Saturday though, with planes right above the houses!

When we lived in the south part of Teddington (school house lane) we could hear planes fairly regularly at certain times of day, but not enough to be annoying. Now we live the Fulwell/Strawberry Hill end we hardly hear them at all, in fact I am now trying to think when we last heard one.

the train service isn't amazing from Teddington. I used to work there and it's obviously, a) slow and not that regular, but b) was prone to delays and cancellations. if you don't need to be in London regularly it's not so much of an issue but worth considering.