Marlow vs Maidenhead - Help!

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Hi all, we are moving closer to DHs work and have a choice between Marlow and Maidenhead. We've seen some lovely places in Marlow and love the town but its pricey and we keep getting outbid on houses. We started looking at Maidenhead but, I'll be honest, its really not so nice! We've found some lovely houses but we're not so sure on areas and in particular schools.

What are the good primary schools in each town? I've heard good things about Marlow schools except for Foxes Piece, is it really that bad? I know nothing about the schools in Maidenhead. DS is 18 months old so its a big consideration.

Also heard talk of a big regeneration of Maidenhead, is it actually happening? and is it helping? Any local knowledge from anyone would be highly appreciated before we make a very expensive mistake!

I'd stick with Marlow if you can afford it. You should look at secondary schools rather than primary if you are planning to stay long term. Yes I know your child is only 18 months old but you really don't want to be moving again a few years' time.

Marlow is in the grammar catchment. Very little reliable public transport. You have to drive everywhere although it’s a nice town. High Wycombe is the big town which is not so great. Maidenhead is much better in terms of transport. The regeneration is happening but is taking time. I know both areas very well so ask away.

Marlow by a country mile. The public transport is awful if you have any sort of commute but the town beats M'head IMO as a place to live. That is, of course, reflected in the house prices.

Thank you all! @Filsbilswils What's Maidenhead like in terms of a community? We don't really know anyone in either town and we're hoping to have a second baby so I'm looking for somewhere I can make friends. Marlow seems smaller and more community focused - therefore less scary to make adult friends! Maidenhead feels more like a small city to me, a bit lonely and isolated.

@Pigletin Do you know what the secondary schools are like in Maidenhead? I know Marlow is in the grammar catchment but tbh both me and my husband are dyslexic and would not have done well in a grammar school! If DS takes after us I'd prefer he was in a good school that was less academically inclined than a grammar.

living in Marlow, you won’t get into any Maidenhead schools. You used to get into Furze Platt but no longer. Secondary schools in Maidenhead are generally good. If you’re both dyslexic, don’t move to Marlow. Yes it has more of a community feel but it can also be exclusionary too.

maidenhead is good if you join groups or have children in nursery / schools. It is what you make of it. What areas are you looking at? I’d avoid around Shoppenhangers area, Furze Platt is lovely and easy for teenagers to get around.

Marlow, but that is only as I used to live there. Lovely place.

Well, Marlow is in a grammar school county and Maidenhead isn't, which may affect your choice. I hear William Borlase (Marlow's only grammar school)is co-ed nowadays, too. I used to have to catch the bus to Wycombe High as a teen.

Personally, I wouldn't go within 100 miles of either, but that's pretty typical for the area you've lived in as a teenager, isn't it! Mind you, my DC really don't like Marlow either ("boriiiiing!"), so 🤷‍♀️

Relatives used to live in- I think it was Holy port?- on the edge of Maidenhead, which is quite pretty with a village green etc. Probably accordingly pricey too.

Marlow is lucky that both the comp (Great Marlow) and grammar are genuinely sought after schools.

Marlow is more community minded than Maidenhead simply because it’s smaller and less commutable to London. The high street is useful enough but very bougie!

I think you'll fit right in if you're the type who double parks your Chelsea tractor with the hazards on while you pop into the White Company 😆

Marlow over Maidenhead any time, assuming you can scrape enough cash together. I liked Marlow so much, I lived there on two separate occasions. (Bought a house in what I'd call the servants' quarters.)

Although what about Henley? Nor far away and nice too. There's also more to it. (No idea about schools...)

I moved to Maidenhead from London a few years ago. Couldn’t afford Marlow, didn’t like High Wycombe and me and my DH both commute into London so we were looking for good transport links. We also have 2 young children so schools were a big consideration for us.

So far, we’ve been very happy here. We could buy a decent sized property for our family. We’re very friendly with our neighbours and I’ve made lots of parent friends through soft-play, playgroups and nursery. I’ve felt more community here than I did living in London. Our friends who’ve sent their older children to the local primary schools are very happy with their choices, so we’re hopeful that our children will settle in well too and lots of the schools have good/outstanding OFSTED reports.

I won’t lie, Marlow town centre is a lot nicer, better shops, nicer feel to it, right on the river - although the traffic is horrendous. We sometimes go there at the weekend for a walk along the river and look around the shops and you can tell it’s more affluent and a better area. Maidenhead town centre is very run down in comparison, but we’re hoping the rebuilding of the shopping centre will help (will be closing soon for building works I think).

So on balance Marlow is a probably a better, nicer area, not as good for commuting - but we’ve been happy in Maidenhead, just our experience 😊 Feel free to message me if you have any questions about Maidenhead.

Where is your DH’s work - where does he need to commute to?
Do you work, is there your commute to consider as well?

My only knowledge of Marlow is the very good but very expensive Indian restaurant, like £50 a head expensive!

We live in Maidenhead. It is alright I think. Marlow is nice of course. It IS posh. You can get to some grammars from Maidenhead actually. You might be overpaying for some specific grammar school catchment areas if you buy in some areas around Maidenhead, Taplow, Burnham, Beaconsfield, so avoid these areas if you’re not aiming for grammars. If wealthy circles are important, Cookham Dean and Marlow are where you need to go. Newlands and Holyport college are reputable secondary schools in Maidenhead, see if they seem alright to you and if you can get within catchment.

Totally depends on your budget and whether you need the Elizabeth Line or London commute at all.
I know both areas extremely well.
For secondary schools without the stress of the unknown, definitely Marlow. (Newlands in Maidenhead is a highly sought after, non-Grammar, but it’s Girls).
For primaries, you don’t need to worry in Marlow, or in Maidenhead areas like Furze Platt area etc Cookham has 3 very good primaries, all highly regarded, and sits between Marlow and Maidenhead.
For community I’d say Cookham with its 2 nurseries, anywhere in Marlow as it’s all nice and walkable with buggy, or Furze Platt or Belmont in Maidenhead.

Just chucking Bourne End into the mix here.

Pretty riverside like Marlow, village centre quite scuzzy- relative to Marlow. On the Marlow- Maidenhead branch line.

They’re poles apart. Marlow is gorgeous. I’d love to live there.

I think with Bourne End you have expensive houses but the village has none of the charm.

However, there is a benefit in that Marlow is often heaving, while Bourne End stays pretty quiet.

I hadn't checked, but just assumed the houses might be cheaper than Marlow.

They are really different, so it does depend on what you want and need. Try viewing a few houses in both. We did the same with Windsor and Maidenhead many years ago, thinking we would prefer Windsor and were surprised to find that Maidenhead won by a mile once we saw the specific areas in Windsor that met our budget, feel it might have felt similar for us had we been looking at Marlow.
Worked out really well with an excellent primary school (there are several). Our grammar school children actually went to Marlow for school from age 11, so ended up spending a lot of time there too, but didn't have to worry about our non-grammar school offspring, as the secondary schools in Maidenhead are excellent.
Marlow has a pretty high street, but Maidenhead is also beautiful for walks and cycling, with the river, Jubilee River, Pinkneys area, Braywick/Bray, Cookham etc. There are some lovely cafes and restaurants now in Maidenhead.

If you need to commute, or even just like going into London every so often, Maidenhead is much better for the transport links. It is so much easier than adding on the train from Marlow (when cancelled, the children often need a lift or get stuck partway home from school).

I live in Cookham, which is middle of the two, so know them both well. They’re so different, it really depends what your priority is. If you’re commuting even semi-regularly go for Maidenhead. The branch line that will take you from Maidenhead to Marlow can be pretty patchy at times- often there’s not even a direct train and you have to change at Bourne End. And the traffic in Marlow can be pretty atrocious. It’s also grammar school territory, being in Buckinghamshire, whereas Maidenhead isn’t (the River Thames is the county line with Berkshire). But the High Street in Marlow is lovely, and Maidenhead I’d never going to compete, despite the ongoing regeneration (although the redevelopment in the Waterside quarter is a big improvement with lots of nice restaurants)
Are you tied to being in a town? There’s lots of lovely villages in the surrounding areas with a great community feel.

Great Marlow isn’t a comprehensive - it’s a secondary modern. It’s where the kids who don’t pass the 11+ go. It’s an entirely different system than in Maidenhead which is genuinely comprehensive (i.e. non selective).

It’s worth knowing that in both Marlow and the leafiest bits of Maidenhead kids who don’t make it into a selective state school will often vanish into the private system, after parents being perfectly polite about the non selective options and often insisting they’re very happy with them. It can come as a shock if yours is the only child that actually goes to the state option.

Just to be clear, the non grammar school in Marlow is not a comprehensive. It’s clearly not got most of the brightest dc who are attending the grammar school. I like Marlow
more than Maidenhead but both have pleasant roads to live in.

Thanks so much everyone for all your advice and tips! We don’t need to commute to London but my DH office is in Maidenhead. We’ve had a good look round MH this weekend and it’s nice! We’ve found some really lovely bits (and some not so nice bits buts that’s normal!). As yet we haven't found the right house but we’re going to keep looking in both. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to answer - thank you!