Does anyone live in/near Newbury?

[Herewegoagain84]

We are moving out of London and have seen a lovely house near Donnington, Newbury. Did a bit of exploring last weekend, but feel like we’re still making a decision with very little knowledge of the area! Children are 2 and 5, so schools relevant (considering state and private). It’s closer to the town than I was expecting to want, but also has the countryside on the doorstep so thinking it’s best of both. Any inside info greatly appreciated! Is Newbury a nice place to live / bring up children? Things going on etc? Many thanks!

We like Newbury, though it is quite quiet, but easy enough to get to Reading. No kids so can't advise there, sorry. Only issue for us is that we don't drive and there is no A&E here, just a minor injuries in the community hospital. If you can drive though, no issue.

Lovely by the river and like the town centre

Newbury is lovely IMO along with Hungerford and Marlborough (both smaller than Newbury though), but I'm not a city person and loathe London, I find Reading a dump too and Bracknell the same, Newbury is much nicer than them IMO. I don't know about schools at all though.

Thanks both for your input! If anyone has children in the area would love to hear your thoughts.

I can't say anything about schools, but I've been visiting for decades, including with a small child, and I really like Newbury. There's plenty of amenities inc shops, there's the massive common to walk on (really beautiful), opportunities to meet people and build communities if that's what you want.

I was brought up near Newbury (Hungerford) and have a lot of friends there, many with families. It's a very safe place to bring up kids, albeit not the most exciting or diverse, but much better than it used to be. Good schools - St Barts has a v good rep amongst state schools and I also know several parents with daughters at St Gabriel's who are happy. Good transport links so when they hit their teens they can visit Reading for a bit more life.

Agree with the poster above who said Hungerford and Marlborough were nicer though - bit more green space, slightly nicer community I think. Also, some nice villages if you are ok with a bit of a commute - Kintbury, Inkpen, Lambourn, Eastbury.

School wise you have a massive selection of both state and private schools locally.
In Donnington State primary would be Shaw-cum-Donnington (tiny c of e), wincombe three form entry community, Robert sandilands three form entry community, st Joseph's two form catholic and Speenhamland one form community are the closets primary's. Secondary state you are catchement for St Bart's and Trinity both excellent results.
Newbury is a well kept secret easily into London - once Elizabeth Line goes to Reading it will be about 55mins to Tottenham Court Road and rapid access to countryside.
We have three theatres, a cinema and thriving creative arts scene and pretty much any sport you would like has a club. There are two markets a week and then once a month a farmers market and once a month an artisan market.
So much more than the size of the town suggests.
I came for two years and 24 years later I am still here.

Yes, I've lived here for20 years, have one ds.

State schools are pretty good, primaries especially so. Small friendly, local. Independent schools, St Gabriel's is co-Ed from this September. 2-18 I think. Cheam and Horris Hill are traditional prep schools 4-13 I think. St Gabriel's usually runs a summer sports club too.

Other things for dcs, there are all the normal sports clubs, martial arts, tech clubs, Northcroft leisure centre for swimming etc. Plus David Lloyd and another private sports club. There's sailing and horse riding within a couple of miles.

More indoor town centre type stuff in Basingstoke, 20 miles away.

Public transport isn't bad, buses to Reading & Basingstoke, London and Hrow. Donnington is close enough to cycle to most town venues..

Newbury is my closest town. I like it. Close to Reading, Oxford, Basingstoke. Easy access to London. Some areas better than others (as with everywhere really)! Donnington is nice. Most secondaries are great in Newbury, especially the Downs School at Compton, although I don’t think Donnington falls in their catchment area. Not sure about primaries though, possibly the ones towards Thatcham might not be so good. Great for families, has lots of things to do. It’s also very near to the Ridgeway for walking, running, mountain biking, horse riding etc Has a swimming pool, leisure centre, skate park, lovely parks, canoe club, cycling club, cinema, theatre, library. Farmers market on Thursdays and some Saturdays. Independent shops as well as chains. It’s close to Pangbourne and Wallingford if rowing is your thing.
Be careful with Donnington itself though as, depending on where the house you are looking at is, because ‘Donnington Heights’ is being built on the hill between Donnington Village and the A339 Vodafone office. This is a development of masses of new estate style homes (unless this is where you have seen the house)!
If you want more community feel and better access to M4 go for something north of M4/A34 interchange, as coming to M4 from the south can be slow in the mornings and getting back in of an evening too. Look at Chieveley, Hermitage, Curridge, Cold Ash, Hampstead Norreys, Compton, East or West Ilsley, Farnborough or towards Hungerford or Wantage.
Why not visit for the day, view the house, then see the area? Good luck 👍

I lived just outside Newbury and it's nice and a good place for family

Downe house is a very good private girls school and I have heard really good things about Trinity and Kennet which are state secondaries

I live in the Speen area of Newbury which is close to Donnington and we love it here! Our daughter is 4 and will be going to Robert Sandilands where I also teach one day a week, so I'm biased but it's a lovely school, as are Shaw-cum-Donnington and Winchcombe. Trinity is the nearest secondary school, and although it doesn't have the best reputation (St Barts is 'better') actually everyone I know with children at Trinity is very happy.

I used to live in Greater London and much prefer it here, you're right that the mixture of town and country is a big plus. There's quite a lot to do here - cinema, Corn Exchange, leisure centres, good parks and playgrounds, walks by the canal... One thing I love is the community feel, like this weekend when the Corn Exchange had one of their free outdoor events - a huge dominoes run through the town, they're were so many people there and it was good fun. www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/in-pictures-thousands-gather-to-watch-dominoes-topple-throu-9260934/ Feel free to pm me if you want to ask specific questions.

PS promise I'm not paid to advertise the town, but this was a great recent article about Newbury berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/travel/travel-guides/insiders-guide-to-newbury-berkshire/

This is all super helpful- thank you! Sounds like a lovely area in lots of respects. Hoping to go back this weekend for more exploring

@cadentiasidera i might PM you if that’s ok!

I’m between Basingstoke and Newbury, most parents I know who are going private send their kids to Newbury schools so they must be doing something right. The town has lots of character and as others have said easy access to lovely countyside and other towns. I do always get lost on the ring road getting out of town, but that’s probably just me.

Lived there for years (still work there, but now live between Newbury and Andover)

It's a nice little town. Grew up in Slough, spent a few years in Reading (dump!) so Newbury to me was a breath of fresh air!

Nice walks along canal, Snelsmore Common and Greenham. I've no kids, but hear Trinity is good?

Another vote for how lovely Newbury is! My 4 year old is going to winchcombe in September and i went to Robert sandilands back in the day, both fantastic schools. There’s a great nursery in speen (so close to donnington) called Abacus, staff are so lovely. As previous posters said there’s a couple of new housing developments close by so bare that in mind, but living within walking distance to town is great and having places like snelsmore so close is also great. If you come back to Newbury to visit there’s a fantastic cafe called Collines Kitchen, definitely worth a visit. Good luck with your decision/move

@Herewegoagain84 what did you decide?!

LOVE the sound of Newbury. I grew up not far from there but don't know the town itself.

Currently in SE London and dreaming of escape..... Wondering how much of a shock Newbury would be from here. Kids are 9, 6 and 2.

Has anyone made a similar move? How did it go?

Hi there, I just found your thread and so happy you started it. I am wondering what decision you made in the end :) ? Did you stay in London, or move to Newbury?

Me and my husband are strongly considering Newbury, mainly for the quieter, cleaner and great access to the countryside perks. The main thing putting us off is that there is no A+E and healthcare feels a little inaccessible.

I am wondering what the GP services are like in Newbury, and what referrals to specialists and access to A+E is like? Where is the nearest proper A+E?

The nearest proper A&E's are Basingstoke and the Royal Berkshire in Reading. The RBH refers patients who require some specialist services to Oxford (like vascular and neurosurgery)

For me the lack of a big hospital nearby is probably the biggest inconvenience about living in Newbury. There is West Berks community hospital between Newbury and Thatcham which has a minor injuries unit, can do blood tests, x-rays etc, but yes the nearest A&Es (and maternity units) are Reading, Basingstoke or Swindon. To me this seems crazy, especially given all the new housing developments in Newbury and Thatcham. My daughter has had referrals to audiology at Basingstoke and optometry at Reading which is a bit of a pain, especially as we don't drive! However, overall we love living in Newbury for so many reasons so it doesn't make me want to move elsewhere. Our GP is at Strawberry Hill medical centre, and although they were very slow to move back to more normal appointments after COVID, it is now usually possible to get an appointment on the day or else within the week if less urgent.

Coming from Suffolk the fact that the nearest A&E is Basingstoke (25mins) seems pretty close. Travelling to A&E or a major trauma centre is the reality of living anywhere that is a market town/rural.
I have several friends who have received wonderful emergency care - air lifted to theJohn Radcliffe in Oxford with a brain aneurysm in theatre in under two hours.
Minor injuries is good they can x-rays etc if you then orthopaedics your x-rays are emailed direct to either Basingstoke or Reading and whilst you travel you are already in the queue to see them.
Our GPs are stretched by they all are and compared to the service my elderly parents get in Suffolk it's pretty good.

Thank you so much for this valuable information. It's great you have had good access and find it really good considering there is some distance. I really love market/rural towns and I guess a part of me feels anxious about the healthcare side as I think we will be taking care of my mum in older age. I appreciate you and the others above, taking the time to help us :)

Hi, also really glad to have found this thread as DH and I are also looking at Newbury to buy a family
home, though we have only just started visiting so don’t know it well at all!

We would need to be able to walk to the train station in 15-20 mins maximum - any recommendations on nicest areas to live / any to avoid that fit that bill? No DC yet but plan to in future so primary schools also a consideration.

I also saw crime stats were quite bad for Newbury compared to most of the rest of Berkshire / SE England which surprised me. Can anyone that lives there comment on that, is it something you have noticed getting worse or are there some specific factors that explain it eg. drunken behaviour after the races??

Crime figures:
Yes there is bad behaviour and drug crime on race nights in clubs/bars my daughter works the late shift in one, but it doesn't really spill out the security teams have a great relationship with the police and it gets cleared up quickly.
Probably the recent spate of high value car thefts is the reason for figures rising. There are not a lot, but they are carried out by highly organised teams who probably steal to order. Tracks disappear within 100 yards of the home address where the car has been stolen from at night.
15-20 mins from the station would be St John's, West Mills, Elizabeth Avenue and possibly wash common (if you walk fast areas). Great primaries and mostly in catchment for the best secondary, but wash common has a secondary that recently went from outstanding to failing due to safe guarding there is a new academy in charge so remains to be seen what happens.