how deprived are Woking and Guildford? Looking to buy...

[ilovecandyy]

hi all, i've come on to mumsnet because I really hoped people from Woking and Guildford could help me understand the area better.

After doing some research and meeting a few locals in coffee shops and chatting, I've been told both towns have quite a lot of deprived areas, but there is also a lot of wealth on one end. There isn't much in the middle. In other words, there's quite a huge wealth disparity.

I have also visited both towns quite a few times now. In terms of living there, I like the more popular areas in both towns for families (Woking - Horsell area; Guildford - Pewley Hill area). School seems very good in both towns. People seem nice, although a bit reserved and not friendly upfront like in the North. Guildford has a prettier town centre, but Woking is perfectly adequate with a few good pockets of prettiness.

When in Woking town centre, I did smell cannabis every now and then, and there were a couple of people who looked... how do I put it... like they were looking for a fight. But it was literally once or twice. But generally, people seemed nice and normal. I also noticed it is quite ethnically diverse in Woking which I prefer and more used to from my upbringing (I also have a very mixed extended family).

When in Guildford, I noticed some homelessness, and a few groups of teenagers (probably aged around 14-15) vaping and smoking, which I find off-putting. It was not very diverse at all, I'd say 99% of people are white there, which makes me wonder about racism too.

I'm hoping people can advise me about the culture of both towns so I know the areas better. Safety and living somewhere nice and pleasant is really important to me and my mixed family.

Thank you for your help!

Wow, did you find the middle of Woking?? It seems a sprawling labyrinth every time I go there.

I must admit my jaw did drop reading your title tbh. I go to a some of the rougher parts of these areas and they are not at all my idea of ‘deprived’. Maybe in relation to the very rich around here, but not compared to the actual nation. You can’t go wrong with schools around here, and I think Royal Surrey is one of the best hospitals in the country. I mean that says it all really if we’re looking at markers of deprivation.

It has a cathedral and a university but it does not have city status 🤓

Guildford isnt a city. Its applied several times and the Queen kept saying no.

Its not deprived as a town. It has huge employers of its own, with high quality jobs at the university, business park and hospital plus London money and good schools.

It does have pockets of deprevation. People are just used to deprevation looking a particular way. Like a whole area with no employnent and poor transport and poor school. Whereas in a high employment area with good transport there are other issues at play in deprevation.

It is white but more like 86% than 99%.

Deprived 😂

What town in the North do you come from? if it makes Guildford seem 'deprived' -I want to visit

Think you might be right there! 🤣

Every day’s a schoolday @Spendonsend

I thought places with cathedrals were automatically classified as cities but I was wrong 😑

To an OP, Guildford is in no way ugly...weird comment, Woking on the other hand.....

Both have very wealthy areas, and also, gasp, council estates. Guildford is far superior in terms of town center, and it has a good hospital, a fab uni, a cathedral, GLive, Yvonne Arnaud theatre which often has pre-West End productions, Spectrum and Surrey Sports Park. It has two of the top ten private schools in the country, the state schools are also good. Also good access to countryside. If you want to live in Pewley Hill you'll need 3m plus.

Woking may be more diverse but I wouldn't live there if you paid me.

OP, I think St George’s Hill in Weybridge might suit your needs. Or Fairmile in Cobham. It depends on your budget, of course, but 5 million or so should cover it.

I have never lived in Surrey but I know people who do/have, and from what I hear about the rampant snobbery in many parts, I would never choose to live there.

You are missing out then, I live here and it’s great. We are not remotely snobby, search out yellow label reductions and even go to Lidl 🙂

If OP is concerned about less nice areas, inevitable in these two larger towns, there are plenty of smaller towns in Surrey which might fit the bill. Esher, Reigate, Farnham, Haslemere.....

That's the case in every town centre now for shops.....but you have a good theater, cinema, bowling, restaurants, library, the light box most places don't have any of that with even the library on reduced hours.

Yes, calling either Woking or Guildford deprived is very odd. Like most cities and towns in the UK, there are of course poorer areas, but overall both are solid middle class towns. Guildford is more upmarket and expensive, with a better high street etc, but I am fond of Woking. The town centre has been improved, it's very user friendly and convenient to get your shopping done, people tend to be friendly too and the schools are, as far as I can tell, almost all excellent.

In fact, I am toying with a trip to Woking in the lead up to Christmas for some shopping. Not because it's a super fun shopping experience, but because it is practical and easy to use, good parking etc. I Find Guildford a bit too sprawling for Christmas shopping and Kingston is a bit hit and miss. From experience, I know I can go to Woking and get the vast bulk of my day to day Christmas shopping done.

Guildford is very middle class I’d definitely not call it deprived in general.

There are some deprived areas the other side of the uni, Park Barn area - where I lived a student but I didn’t find the area dodgy I just know it had a high % of council or ex council houses.

If you want deprived try Southall it does seedy, druggy and run down very well. Woking is not deprived unless your very wealthy.

Hard to gauge what you actually want in your area; do you want diversity in it's entirety (because that also includes having the odd poor person)? Guildford always has been "posher" than Woking but it is certainly not a diverse area. I lived there for nearly two decades and found it very white, quite blinkered, nice but dull and full of people who can spend £20 on a Christmas bauble. It's a town of Londoners really. Great sports centre, uni, schools and shopping.

Agree with the peak mn comment 😂.

Wowsers. The less well off areas are not a patch on truly deprived areas.

As with everywhere, there is a variation in housing types in both towns. The centre of Woking isn't as picturesque, but I think Woking is actually a really smart place to buy. You get a lot for your money, and plenty of the areas are lovely to live in, with community high streets, such as Horsell and St John's.

Both are perfectly safe places to live. Woking is more diverse.

Guilford and Woking deprived.... mumsnet is sometimes a parallel universe!

Guildford is a town not a city. The first mosque built in the UK is in Woking.

I'm in a very middle class town and the stench of weed coming from the £600k apartments is overpowering! Honestly drugs do not equal deprivation in my experience (the police do give the dealers a ticking off occasionally but they are back by coop before they restart the engine of the only police car covering 2 towns!)

there were a couple of people who looked... how do I put it... like they were looking for a fight

This is the funniest comment I've ever read 🤣

Haha it was probably just a couple of mums looking uptight over which one would get the last cupcake in the teashop

People smoking cannabis, someone hold my pearls!

(Sorry OP, know that's a bit mean but I couldn't resist)

@Twiglets1 and yet we love a bit of weed in Hampstead - and dodgy people like George Michael on the Heath back in the day.