Advice on Esher, Claygate, Oxshott

[ByAzure]

Hi all, we are making the move from SW London (Richmond) to Surrey and would appreciate advice on areas. We have looked around several areas and narrowed down to Claygate, Esher, and Oxshott which seem to tick the boxes.

Main things we are looking at:

• Transport links: We both work in the City and looking for a service into Waterloo in under 40 mins. Need to be walkable to the station. Any comments on frequency, getting a seat etc. We already use SWR for commute from Richmond (borough) so quite familiar with the service but not this far out.
• Family friendly: Planning on having children in next couple of years so keen to hear opinions on local nurseries and state primaries. And general vibe for families.
• Green space: Green space on your doorstop (although this doesn’t seem to be an issue in Surrey!)
• High street: Doesn’t need to have loads but would like a good local pub, cafe, small shop, etc.

A bit more information .. we both drive so that’s an option for getting around alongside public transport. We have a budget of around £1.4m and are looking at detached houses.

Would appreciate any insider opinions on general vibe of these areas esp for families. Also any areas you think we are missing based on criteria. Neither of us are from this area so advice appreciated. Thanks so much!!

I’d suggest looking also at Thames Ditton, Hinchley Wood and East Molesey…

Evening, OP. Site Stuff is generally used to let MNHQ know about usability issues and that sort of thing. We'll move this over to our Property board now where you'll hopefully get a few more answers.

Agree Thames Ditton and East Molesey are worth a look. That’s where I’d go if I wanted to stay around here and had your budget! TD is pretty as hell and right on the river. Very cute high street. EM is more like London (I think it might technically be in London) — very busy high street with loads of independent shops, and beautiful houses near the river. And right on top of Hampton Court. Weybridge might be worth a look too - better independent shop scene than Esher, and just a slightly bigger town with more going on.

Of the three you mention I only really know Esher.

The Esher line trains aren’t terrible, but they are busy. Every 15 mins or so into Waterloo in the morning rush hour. Getting a seat at Esher can be a bit hit and miss; probably safer to assume you aren’t getting a seat, so you can be pleasantly surprised when you do.

Primaries - Cranmere has a good rep I think. My knowledge is a bit out of date though. Loads of families with young kids around here, and as you say plentiful green space. Esher Commons are a couple of miles from the centre of Esher, and very pretty. You’ve also got Winterdown in West End, and walks along the Thames and the Mole. Spoiled for choice for greenery tbh.

High Streets - Esher is fine, but not brilliant. A bit identikit (Gail’s, Costa, Boots) but some nice independents. Quite a lot of tooth-whitening/beauty parlours/brunch outlets. (Whatever floats your boat - just saying it’s that kind of place.) The pubs are honestly a bit rubbish, but I think that’s true almost everywhere in this bit of Surrey.

How about Weybridge or Cobham.

Stay in Richmond or Kew, that area of Surrey is ghastly. So suburban and parochial.

Thanks all!! Didn’t love Thames ditton as found the high street very narrow and crowded but maybe just caught it on a bad day. Definitely got Weybridge on the list now to check out..

Do you own now? The cost of moving at that price is horrendous so you might not get much more than you have now even though moving out.
I looked a few years ago and found places actually near stations were the same price as London!

I liked Guildford, Kingston. The smaller places felt too small for us and very dormitory town like. This was before COVID though.

East Molesey. Technically in Surrey, but zone 6 from Hampton Court station. Lovely walks along the rivers Thames and Mole, close to Bushy Park and Kingston. Excellent primary schools ( can’t comment on senior schools)
Lots of childcare options. Active Scout and Girlguiding groups, swimming pool, rowing, cricket and kids football clubs. Adult Education Centre, library and a good range of local shops, a couple of Tesco’s and an abundance of coffee shops, especially on Bridge Road.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?propertyTypes=detached&sortType=2&channel=BUY&transactionType=BUY&locationIdentifier=REGION%5E469&displayLocationIdentifier=East-Molesey&maxPrice=1500000&index=0

I have a personal grudge against Oxshott as I have wasted many hours of my life stuck in traffic there. You have been warned 😉

£1.4m is not enough for the best parts of Oxshott (ie east of the High St / Warren Lane). It is not really state school territory round there.
Trains: In this part of Surrey, Waterloo lines effectively focus on Guildford as the titular "destination". However, Esher is the (Woking) mainline (15 minute peak frequency), Oxshott/Claygate are a branch line (30 minute frequency). All 3 are solid commuter belt, so as others said, do not always expect a seat in the peak.

Oxshott station is right on the limit of your 40 minutes to Waterloo (and it feels it!). It is relatively isolated from housing so limited ability to get a place within walking distance. People drive and park.

Shops in Oxshott are very limited but you do have a "small shop" and Post Office. Generally Oxshott High St is somewhere you pass through. Slightly better range of eateries in Cobham (a more natural focus starting from Oxshott) or Esher and, at a push, Leatherhead.

Claygate obviously one stop closer to Waterloo but still the same 30 minute frequency peak service and even less chance of a seat. Does try to maintain a community/village feel and has a more diverse range of shops, much more so than Oxshott.

Esher is a town, I don't personally know it (I drive through it with no reason to stop) but it will be a noticeable step down from what you may be used to in terms of Richmond's facilities. We do go to Richmond for nights out, we don't go to Esher for that purpose)

All 3 of your considered areas are prime Surrey suburbia where people are family focused. What pubs still survive do so because they are food places.

Consider schools.
would you be able to afford private for your future children? These areas are heavily serviced by private schools. the states schools… not all great.

I’d try and live in the catchment of Tiffins (grammar) and Hinchley Wood (non selective state), or Heathside Weybridge (non selective state) secondaries.

To be fair, I wouldn’t base where you decide to live on senior schools, especially as you don’t have any children yet, as so much could change in the next 10 to 15 years, but Esher High has a ‘good’
ofsted, and Heathside has a newly opened senior school in Walton. Most East Molesey children go to either of those. Cobham Free School is also an option. Tiffin in Kingston is a massive gamble even for the most able. And the local private schools currently offer bus routes from Molesey. But, as I said, this so far in the future you. @ByAzure

If you’re looking at Weybridge, have a look around the Oatlands area around St Mary’s Road - nice Victorian houses and a good sense of community. Bang next to Cleves school, which is one of the sought-after primaries around here, and should be alright for getting into Heathside at secondary too. Also features The Flintgate, which is the best pub I know of around here (it’s not amazing! But it is as good as it gets, IMO). Plus I suspect you’re more likely to get rush hour seats if you’re getting on at Weybridge - three stops further down the line than Esher (an extra 10 mins or so)

Thank you all so much for your comments!! We have decided to narrow down to Claygate or Weybridge. Does anyone have experience of primary schools there? Claygate seems pretty small but Weybridge more of a centre. Are there any “bad” areas of Weybridge? We have found a couple of nice houses in the Brooklands area which is less than 10 mins walk to station (important as we both commute into central London regularly). Downside is the area is further from shops and primary schools. Would a 1 mile drive be a problem in rush hour? Seems like the roads are quite busy so not ideal for cycling / walking. Thank you 🙏🏻

The area around Weybridge station is a bit of a ‘mare for traffic at peak times.

Brooklands isn’t too far from Manby Lodge school, as the crow flies - that’s probably the closest state primary and always used to have a good reputation (my knowledge is quite out of date though.) Has feeder status for Cleves, which has always been sought-after. (Lots of schools are split into infants and juniors around here, which is a bit of a pain.)

To get to Manby Lodge, or any school really at peak time, I suspect you’d either have to get in the car and queue with everyone else, or do a walking route through back streets. (Once you’re established at a school you can often set up run-shares with fellow parents.)

I don’t think there are any properly ‘bad’ areas in Weybridge - not that I know of, anyway.

depends what you want from a "centre"
as previously mentioned, Claygate is a village feel and has limited retail offerings, but what local shopping does one want these days? Weybridge is not a "destination" shopping centre, but obviously has much wider range of coffee places and restaurants.

Brooklands obviously has the huge advantage of Tesco (and M&S if concerned about "food quality").
With the open spaces from the old airfield the Brooklands development certainly offers space for (young) kids
The three roads around Brooklands (Brooklands Rd, Parvis Rd, Oyster Ln) do experience peaks as traffic heads to/from the M25 junction but it is not routinely chronic.

There is an estate at the bottom of monument rd / greenlands rd that is the less salubrious part of town in weybridge, but tbh even here many houses have been bought up privately now. St James primary is good. Brooklands rd is a nightmare for traffic… & you might have to look at schools in byfleet depending which end you’re on.

The Brooklands area of Weybridge can be tricky for schools and traffic around the main road is consistently terrible.

Couldn’t agree more.

I had a meeting in Brooklands the other day and decided to drive - I left 90 mins which should have given me loads of time but I got stuck for an hour in that traffic around queens road/oatlands drive - people told me it’s appalling when the private schools are in but in holidays it’s not too bad. I can tell you I’m never driving round there in term time rush hour again!

Tbf roadworks on brooklands rd have log jammed it & the surrounding are more than usual since sept. They have finished now & it’s a bit better but still backs up & no doubt more temporary nights will pop up before long too. I’d opt to live on town & walk up to the station personally.