Winchester or Horsham or Lewes?!

[KobaniDaughters]

Would love some on the ground thoughts on these three areas - we’re moving home to the U.K. from the states, previously lived in London, and have narrowed down to these three areas based on budget, schools, commute to London, distance from family, distance from the coast and now would just love thoughts from people who live there!

I’m more drawn to Winchester and Lewes though they are an hour away from my parents and Horsham only 30mins, they both feel like there’s a bit more to them but I’m happy to be corrected re Horsham. We have guaranteed school places Horsham and Lewes but not Winchester though all the schools we’d be happy to go to so would just depend which one we can appeal or get into

Housing as it is for everyone everywhere js obviously an issue in terms of availability, we’re going to use a relocation agent to find us somewhere to rent but after 6-12months we’ll look to buy so interested in the surrounding areas too

I’m feeling the pressure to get this right as we don’t want to move again for 10years and we can’t reccy before we move.

Family of 4, 10yr old and 13yr old, looking for a welcoming, creative community!

Argh Mumsnet you were all supposed to come on and say THIS is def the place to move to and help me decide! Maybe we should just go with where we can find a house. Right now the major benefit of Horsham is it’s just much closer to my parents but all of them are closer than an 11month flight!

My fear with Winchester is the school thing - they’re all oversubscribed with waiting lists and I know we have to be in the country to apply and be rejected and then appeal

Horsham is really quite boring. Can't wait to be able to move somewhere with more going on and a more diverse community

I lived in Winchester after moving to the UK from the US aged 8 and chose to come back here after living abroad for a few years to raise my kids. Sometimes I look at rightmove and think arrrgh look what I could get for my money if I didn't live here...

Like most places it really depends what you want and need. Does it need to be detached? Big garden? Close to the station? What is your budget? Are you ok with driving everywhere or taking the bus? I think that will make a huge difference to how the area feels. We are walking distance to school and town in a nice community and our home is charming but will need to save up for ages to extend and it will never feel spacious, but that was the compromise.

I used to live right in town and found it polluted and cramped, and my mother moved away from the university because of the student noise. It's just so hard to say, things like orientation of house and flood zones mattered to us too- which could narrow it down to one side of the street over the other. There is probably somewhere in or around Winchester that would tick most of your boxes but would need more info. I know people whose children are very happy at Perins in Alresford, if the schools in Winchester are full.

My mother now lives in a lovely chocolate box village outside of the town and there have been people targeting a lot of the eye-wateringly expensive homes there (I don't mean us!) breaking in to garages etc. It could well be a nation-wide issue that over the past few years people have become more desperate as living standards have slipped.

There is homelessness and shops are closing, I don't know how much of that is unique to here. It is not as nice as it was, is anywhere? I genuinely don't know.

I still chose to be here. It's the baby bear's porridge of towns for us, big enough that children have a good choice of activities, beautiful countryside is close, rail links are decent. The fact that it is so expensive means a lot of newcomers are from London. For us the benefit of that is that they tend to be more liberal (I think? generalisation I know!), although this still isn't a very diverse area unfortunately. We wanted pretty and, like you, creative, and only areas like Bradford on Avon and Frome fit the bill, but they were just too far from family.

BIG but- If I had to live in a part of town I hated or that didn't work for our needs I might not want to be here anymore.

Yes the traffic is dire. I hear the same from my friends in other market towns.

I would definitely choose Winchester or Lewes over Horsham. They're both lovely and I like the surrounding areas too but I think Lewes would be my preference because of being close to Brighton and Hove. I love Sussex.

I don't know Petersfield well but I don't think I'd choose it over Winchester or Lewes.

This thread is so helpful - I think it’s definitely hit the death knell for Horsham! Which is one down. We are pretty much at the point of needing to identify 3 areas (and schools) then just moving to wherever we can find a house!

So interestingly it now looks like Petersfield or bust for us after all that!! Lewes we’re still keeping on the table as I’d love to move there, Horsham I’ve decided is def too commuter belt for me and Winchester the stress of all the schools being oversubscribed is just another thing on an already toppling plate - but we have a guaranteed place at schools in Petersfield and Lewes with amazing staff who have already been so positive and welcoming

Hello, I live near Winchester and grew up near Lewes so know both pretty well. I'd rule out Horsham..
Both W and L are just lovely and I don't think you can go too far wrong in both. They have a different feel.
Pros of Lewes:
Slightly more lefty, arty feel, and a very strong identity which certainly has undercurrents of radicalism. This has pros and cons depending on where you stand! But I love it. Very guardian reading.
It's near brighton, which is great. Good primary schools. Secondary school is good-ish (people have different views) and LOGS the private school is ok I think.
Generally very friendly and lots of cool independent shops.
Winchester pros:
Possibly better primary schools and more choice of them as there are many and almost all are very good.
Surrounded by tonnes of stunning villages all 10-15 mins drive from the town.
Better train service (SW trains generally more reliable) so depends if you're commuting to London. This was v important for us.
There are a couple of stunning towns near Winchester (Stockbridge and Alresford) which are much smaller but have lovely high streets.
For us Winchester had the better location as we have friends in Wiltshire, we love Dorset etc so I guess depends on where your friends and family are.
I'd say Winchester feels less arty.. to put it in context, many people from Winchester seem to have moved from Wandsworth, Balham, Ealing etc in the last few years whereas many from Lewes have come more from Hackney, Walthamstow etc. That's a huge sweeping statement of course but gives you a sense.
More choice of housing in Winchester - in Lewes there are lots of characterful town houses with no gardens or parking - more of a mix in Winch.
If location hadn't been an issue we'd have been very very happy in Lewes.
I think if you're going for a creative community that's more lewes.. but Winchester really does have a huge mix of people too so you'd definitely find your tribe here - esp in the city rather than the villages.
In short, I love living here, it's fantastic and super friendly.
Good luck and do DM me if you have any questions!

Just seen your more recent post.. Petersfield is lovely too! Lots of people v happy there. More for your money there than WInchester!

I hope you find a place in Petersfield.

Personally I disagree with everyone on Horsham and I would choose it over Petersfield any day as it's significantly bigger, more shops, more going on. I know some very nice people round there - cultured, arty, friendly.

Also faster line into London - just under an hour compared 1 hour 30 for Petersfield. Once the kids are older being able to get into London easily is a big plus. Also - you can get to Gatwick easily.