Cobham/Oxshott?

[HelpMeMNet]

Hi wise mumsnetters!

We are looking to move from our place in central London further out into Surrey. We are thinking perhaps Oxshott or Cobham as visited both and love them. Does anyone have any insight into them? We regularly commute to Heathrow and Canary Wharf.

The houses look lovely but we just don’t know the area.

It's a very nice and handy place to live, close to the A3. Cobham has a very good high street and lots of good schools. Xmas fair is fun with good community spirit. It's a very expensive area which is reflected by the shops! And an excellent day hospital. Also google Garsons.

Thank you for this! Do you know what schools are known to be good? I keep finding old posts! We are currently in Richmond so wondering whether to keep the children registered there and travel or if that’d be too much.

Independent or state? Cobham Free School. Or you have Reeds, Cranmore, St Teresa's, Claremont Fan, Rowans, Milbourne Lodge, St John's, Cranleigh... many choices. I think they all do coaches to Cobham.

Wow wow wow. Lots to google! Thinking of private but if state is good then ever better. Currently have the kids signed up to start at KH in Richmond.

Travelling might be too much, and also friends will be more local. Kids have a great time here, lots to do with sports clubs and days out. Bocketts Farm is somewhere we went to a lot!

Most schools, state and independent, have lots of space for sports and play. Definitely google. Also the American School.

What age are your dc? Re schools what are your requirements? I drive through regularly taking ds2 to football, and used to work in leatherhead, lovely area, expensive houses, Chelsea's football training ground.

You will need a car here. Station is okay but public transport is limited.

You are so helpful. Yes we both drive!

DC are very young still. 4m and 18m. So looking for nurseries and prep schools. Criteria is lots of space/greenery, co-ed and just really nice. We loved KH (DS is signed up for their nursery next year) but the drive seems too far from where we’re looking.

Notre Dame has a good nursery but means you have to cross the A3 which is currently undergoing some major road works.

Argh another thought I just had (thank you for this thread and reminding me!) is that our nanny doesn’t drive. So that may be hard around there!

I used to live in Teddington and now live near Cobham, and DD is at nursery there. I’d definitely rather live in Cobham than Oxshott, yes Oxshott is nice with beautiful properties but the high street is minimal and the traffic on the road through from Esher to Leatherhead and the M25 can be awful, and you need to go on that road to get anywhere. Cobham is a bit more accessible; there are more shops and there is more to do. I think depending on the location of the school / nursery you choose and distance from your house, your nanny would be able to manage without a car. You can even get a bus from Cobham to RHS Wisley, or to Esher to go to Garsons etc.

I wouldn’t want to commute from Richmond 2x a day for the school run, could easily take 1hr+ at busy times.

Good luck ☺️

Thank you so so so much for this insight! Is your child happy at the nursery in Cobham? Would you recommend it?

I'd personally start with secondary schools and which are best, then work back to which primaries feed into them and which of those are good. And then houses, are they in catchment, looking at the school website, how far is your house to the school.

People do things differently but once you have a good school, kids are happy, the rest of your life is settled.

Ring them all, ask what availability is.

Here all the schools are good, good enough, having my 2 at good schools has been a foundation of contentment.

The nanny not driving will be an issue.

Cobham is more bustling and sociable than Oxshott which is more isolated mega-mansions.

Danes Hill in Oxshott is a lovely school, or Notre Dame and Reeds in Cobham.

May also be worth considering Godalming?

St Hilary’s primary school is lovely in Godalming, and Priors Field and Charterhouse are both lovely.

Windsor and Ascot might be a possibility if you want access to Heathrow?

Just seen your nanny doesn’t drive, so Godalming might be a better option as easy to take the train to Guildford for activities, or Windsor which is more central. I don’t think Oxshott is doable without a car, unless you only want to access London.

Hi @TaggieO thanks so much for the insight. We really liked the look of Windsor too but we were concerned about plane noise (part of the reason we are moving!) but perhaps it’s worth considering again. Our nanny is happy to stay with us for a long time but the not driving may be an issue in Oxshott as you mentioned. I’ll have a look into Windsor too! I’m very thankful for your reply.

Cobham is lovely. Its very easy to get to Heathrow, Gatwick even better!

You can actually get to.lots of places on the train by changing at Raynes Park

Honestly, everywhere round there has a lot of plane noise including Oxshott and Cobham but you get used to it!

Ooh I assumed it’s be worse in Windsor though?

Maybe marginally but it’s not great anywhere round that neck of the woods. It is what it is! Anywhere you don’t have a decent amount of plane noise will likely be too far from Heathrow for you.

If you need to access Heathrow and Canary Wharf for work, why not look along the Elizabeth Line?
Burnham, Taplow, (outskirts of) Maidenhead, Twyford…

Or look along the Chiltern Line from Marylebone - Gerrards Cross, Beaconsfield, etc; easy drive to Heathrow, and from Marylebone, walk to Baker St and down the jubilee to Canary Wharf.

Lots of good schools on offer in these areas, both state and private.

Hey! Thanks so much for replying. I admit I have actually never heard of those areas! Which is the nicest? The line into Marylebone is just too long a commute for us so have ruled out Buckinghamshire.

@RedKiteMaidenhead sorry I should’ve added the reasons we discarded the chiltern line is that its too many changes so relying on too many lines. It’s be 3 changes which is quite a lot!