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!

Also I hear Pizza Express in Woking is a good place for a party! It gets a bit hot in there but you'll be OK if you can't sweat.

Indeed ... RIP George

Because that is what I would determine as “ deprived “ and was giving this as an example.

The suffering is unreal .

Woking and Guildford are anything but deprived. To use that terminology to describe those places is sheer ignorance .

If you've got a temporary traffic light fetish, Woking is definitely the place for you.

Bringing SA in was totally unnecessary. It's at par with the crappy children in Africa are starving, so eat your dinner.

There are very many deprived parts in the UK, not that the OP asked you to benchmark deprivation at any rate.

Its not really about Surrey or the North. It's about money and wealth and the attitude that often accompanies.
Many many areas of southern England are not stuffy, judgemental, they're relaxed and friendly, like the north.

Just what I was thinking.

This has to be a wind up...?!

Guildford is not deprived by any stretch of the imagination.

All areas of the UK have deprived parts and people who smoke weed.

I genuinely don't understand how you think diversity happens without some deprivation. Unless you mean everyone has to be middle class but different colour skins?

Hi @ilovecandyy I live just outside Guildford and I don't think it's deprived (in comparison to some inner city areas of the UK). There are areas of low-income in some of the outlying districts but it is mostly affluent, white middle class families and older adults. Very safe, and I would say more well-off than most towns. I am white female, so it's difficult for me to comment on racism, but I have never witnessed or heard anything like name-calling in the street, shops, or racially motivated intimidation on public transport etc.
I don't know Woking as well as Guildford, but my son lives there. Woking council pumped a lot of money into redeveloping the town centre (before it went bankrupt). It is now a lot nicer than it used to be, and a lot of young people live in the new apartment blocks as it is a 20 min commute into London. It always looks well off when I visit (I can only gauge by the types of restaurants/shops I see) but like most towns I expect it has its more daggy areas.
Woking is definitely more multi-cultural compared to Guildford, although Guildford is a university town and so does have an influx of students from all over.

You will find pockets of deprivation here in Bath where we live OP- we've got some whopping council estates and student areas- virtually everywhere of any size has!

As it happens I'm in Guildford today for a work thing- and know it well- on the whole very middle class small city- good shopping, nice pubs and bars- nice parkland- I could live here perfectly ok and I'm fussy!!

Town! 😉
Despite the cathedral and university!

It's definitely evolving, albeit slowly.

My daughter is in a state primary in Guildford and there are at least 7 or 8 different nationalities in her class.

This is easy to look up and several people have posted links to the tools to explore indices of multiple deprivation. Assuming you are being serious, Guildford is one of the least deprived boroughs in the UK by all measures. It has two 'deprived' areas (Park Barn and Bellfields) but this is extremely relative - they bear no comparison whatsoever to areas of say, Blackpool, or Middlesbrough.

Woking is pretty similar in terms of lack of deprivation but is unfortunately a bit of a dump, and the lack of university has a knock-on effect to the (lack of) cultural life of the town. It's just a boring and ugly medium sized town with a bankrupt borough council (although Guildford might be going the same way).

Guildford is actually pretty diverse in terms of nationalities - there are a lot of foreign students, and a lot of people from overseas working in the games industry which employs over 3000 people in 50-odd studios. Lots of South Africans and Americans too.

I live in one of the 'deprived' areas of Guildford, and it really isn't. Most of the houses are privately owned, there are at least two cars on a lot of the drives, and the houses and gardens are well-maintained. Beyond the trees at the bottom of our garden are miles and miles of beautiful woods and fields - the Surrey Hills.

I moved here from Devon. The people here are polite and friendly, the shops are excellent and we have some cracking restaurants.

I miss the sea, though 😞

@Mildura Oops- you are of course correct!!

This property is for sale and located in one of the ex-council estates to the north of Guildford, and gives you an idea of how deprived the area is.

Deprivation in Guildford

I mean….look at the state of it 😂😂😂😂😂 so run down and ill kept!

Oh please. I am well aware of this. Hence my answer.
Deprivation is the wrong word. In my opinion.
“ shitty.. rough.. run down.. “ would be so much more appropriate for what the op is asking .

Fuck me.

But Woking has a University Campus - Italia Conti moved to New Victoria Place in September 2022. Running degree courses accredited by the University of East London.
When I visited both Guildford and Woking on the same day last month Woking had fewer empty shops than Guildford probably as around 500 students enter the shopping centre every day.
Woking is also the home of McLaren F1 and cars.

I grew up in Surrey and “a bit reserved and not friendly upfront like in the North” is par for the course. If you want to chat with strangers then Surrey is not the place for you.

Alas, the Bearded Lady is no longer with us. Neither are all the other amazing characters that used to frequent the town centre. 🥺

I don't know Woking very well but Guildford is definitely not deprived. It's a safe, genteel county town with some very wealthy people living in and near it.

When I was there about 25 year ago there was a man in a yellow sou’wester who was often seen on the high street. I’m guessing he has gone on too.

There’s a lot more to Guildford than the Friary (shopping centre) which I’ll give you does have a lot of empty units. However the main shopping area (High St/North St and the cross streets) is doing very well.

Anywhere that has nice branches of ole&steen, Ivy Asia , cosy club and Rituals really isn't deprived. I'm there tonight. A bit shocked to see though it's lost its house of Fraser

Woking is actually not pretty but very practical and has really nice bits on the edge and is still handy for Guildford with a better commute