Where to live in Suffolk?

[Stilldreamingofsun]

Hi all,
DH and I , 2 year old and small baby are considering selling our flat in SW London and moving to Suffolk/ Essex. DH works in Canary Wharf so we want the commute to be no more than 1 hour 15. We need a family house and our budget is around £900,000. I have taken a couple of years off to be SAHM so would like a village or town that has lots going on. Would also be important that there are good schools nearby and nice countryside. We are very sociable and would like to be around similar minded people. I am not English so would like somewhere that is welcoming and not full of Brexit types 😊 We are familiar with Manningtree and Flatford Mill so that's the area we are focusing on but are open to other suggestions! Thank you!

In a perfect world we would live in Devon or Cornwall. They are so beautiful and remind me of my home country 😊 BUT DH needs to work in London

What the actual- we are speaking the same language! That is stunning!!

I agree about the commuting times (Manningtree 654am gets in at 758 Stratford).
However everywhere closer to London are the sort of places you describe not wanting. Essex (poss not parts of Colchester/Wivenhoe) are hotbeds of Brexiteers. Even most of Suffolk. Ipswich is one of the few Labour Councils around (and even then with a Tory MP, albeit a very pro European).

Ipswich is quite multicultural - along with a longstanding African /Caribbean community most of the Baltic states/ Portuguese migrants locally live in Ipswich and work elsewhere in Suffolk and even as far as Witham. The rest of Suffolk and North Essex have little diversity.

The house that Fugg showed is in West Bergholt, not East Bergholt. both nice but very different locations. This is the sort of thing in East Bergholt if you like modern www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-55208929.html

If anyone has any experience of good schools in the area that would be good too? I am a teacher and taught for five years in a gorgeous prep school in West London. Would love to find similar around Suffolk/ Colchester so in a couple of years will be back on the job trail...

That's fab too! I would love a fairly big garden and a house situated on a quiet road/ lane with walking option to shops/ pubs. Am I too fussy?! 😬

The amount you describe is realistic in South Suffolk (so as stated focus on East Bergholt, Shotley Peninsula and Haleigh). If you go further towards London prices increase significantly.

I've PMd you op.

I was brought up in Dedham where my dad was the village Bobby! Gorgeous place and have such happy memories. I have moved away now so can't help with the commute etc apart from the fact that I used to commute to CW which took 1.5 hours from where I live now and I didn't really notice the long commute. However it sounds like my DS is older than your DC so I still had time with him. Good luck with your search, I love the Essex/Suffolk border area.

Desolate Waste

That is a cool picture of Ipswich!

Ipswich is under rated imho. Here are my shots of the Ipswich waterfront.

Prof - they are lovely... definitely think Ipswich is underrated. Just wish they would "join up" the town centre with the waterfront- with a clearly marked and smart walking route.

Very true, the pedestrian access (especially if you're coming from Cardinal Park) is a bit haphazard.

We live just outside Ipswich and definitely not Brexiteers!
Agree about Woodbridge- quite an artistic/alternative community and is a bit like Southwold on a river. Schools are very good too on the eastern side of Ipswich and Woodbridge area.
There's a direct train from Woodbridge to London which is 1h 37 so might be a bit far.
What's your budget like?

Trouble is the highways decisions are Suffolk CC- none of their Exec are from Ipswich. Highways planners are all obsessed with car journeys across town, thus dissecting the routes for pedestrians who have to walk further than they ought, to access crossings. Plus odd bits of privately owned waste land ruining the view. We need an agreed series of high quality walking routes, with encouragement for more indie shops, cafes etc like they have in Norwich.

Perhaps the new wet dock route will ease the traffic. Even small things like not having to wait so long (in the rain) for the pedestrian lights to change outside the University would help

The semi-fast trains from Ipswich stop at Stratford - usually takes around 1 hr 10 mins. There are more frequent trains from Colchester. There are a couple of fast trains which do Ipswich to Liverpool Street non stop in 1 hour.

Private schools locally in Ipswich and the Ipswich Girls School at Shotley, also slightly further afield in Woodbridge, Framlingham, and Royal Hospital School at Shotley. Colchester has a grammar school.

Excellent state schools in Ipswich (Northgate and Kesgrave), Woodbridge (Farlingaye), Debenham, Framlingham (Thomas Mills) - my children went to Debenham up to Yr 11, then one to Farlingaye, one to Northgate, both did very well.

Have you looked at places further south like Hampshire. You can get into London quite quickly from Winchester and it's a beautiful place. We live in Essex in one of the towns mentioned above and it's basically an extension of London now.

I think that Woodbridge would be great- but have others have said, the commute would be longer. I think that if I were in your position, I'd look at villages around Colchester (potential for a shorter commute).

^ that should be, "as others have said" 🙄

justicewoman - Oh Lordy, don't wish for Norwich style planners! We don't go into Norwich anymore, can't cope with the traffic and constant route changes.

Woodbridge is lovely, so is the Dedham area.
Woodbridge and east Ipswich have some very good schools.
Didn't realise there were so many Ipswich residents on here!

There's a lot of love for Ipswich! I've never even been there so must pay a visit! Good news that there's fast trains from there as well!

Still dreaming....

Ipswich is one of those places slightly under the radar. It is not as obviously pretty as other towns and downright ugly in part. But it is honest, safe, quite friendly and relatively inexpensive. It has some lovely , big parks (Christchurch Park and Manor is a must see and right in the town centre); a lot of good culture and accessible country and seaside. Ipswich School is the most academic of the private schools (mixed) with Ipswich High School for girls slightly out of town towards Shotley.

Shops are not as good as Norwich but agree about the comments about traffic there. We were the first to get a combined Waitrose/John Lewis Home if that is your thing. Unlike a lot of places, you have to dig a little deeper to find the good stuff (like alternative art scene or smart restaurant)... but it is there.

Lavenham is beautiful.

My nanna lived in a tiny village called Assington her whole life.

I think they have built more houses there now though.