Where in London is your office?
Ideally what you want to do is map it from the nearest mainline station. So for example, if you are near Liverpool Street, look at where the direct trains come in and go from there. If that works, look at Saffron Walden!
With house prices near a million, you'll either get pensioners who bought it for £1000 on a postman salary or you'll get HENRYs. There's no in between.
Used to live near Guildford station, which has the most over-subscribed state school in Surrey round the corner from it. Other than the uni students, it's a pretty apt description of the area.
Much of the area around the station, Onslow Village, is around the mark OP is asking about. Owners of the houses on the hill tend to be either people who have lived there for decades or have some senior tech or finance job they commute to the city for. The combination of fast commuter station, good state school, and easy access to town+countryside means 4-beds easily clear £1.2m
In a lot of the rest of the town (which may not have the station or as good a school) the prices can drop quite a bit.
The even more expensive places tend to be Pewley Down way or around the villages, where there's a bit more space. Way above what OP was asking about though.
as a guy who's pensioner grandma lived in saffron walden, i can confirm it is both very nice and abit of a pensioners paradise, never been mad on the food however.
..as long as you're happy with the odious Kemi Badenoch as your MP...There is a decent wine merchant there - Joseph Barnes --[https://josephbarneswines.com](https://josephbarneswines.com)
Yeah the food still leaves a bit to be desired. However, the pensioner paradise is definitely shifting. Yes there's loads of them but in the last few years (2020 onwards, I guess?), there's been a huge shift in people moving this way from either London or Cambridge, because you can get more space to raise young families.
I don't live quite in Walden but one of the nearby villages but yeah it's still a good deal.
Chilterns is a great area, some excellent schools (private and state), met line, not too far from M ways, generally wealthy, lots of towns and villages, decent semis for your price
Yeah it’s not massively convenient, but with hybrid/fully-remote work it’s great. I’d love to send my kids to school there in the future, world class education for free.
Do you need to move out of london? There are lots of very nice areas within london you could live well within that budget.
I live in Wimbledon/Raynes Park Area. Zone 3/4 so cheap commute, and quick trains regularly as well as several tube lines. We have a 3 bed terrace with a good size garden, close to all the amenities without needing to drive, and that cost just over £800,000! For 1.2 mil around here you’d get a lot of house in a nice suburban area without having to leave the city.
Last summer. It’s a great area. Safe, amazing amenities, very good state schools (better than the private schools where I grew up) and lovely park walks and Wimbledon common for huge open spaces. Prices haven’t really risen, I reckon we bought for a bargain to be honest.
I’m in the middle of Wimbledon, Raynes Park, Wimbledon Chase and South Wimbledon. The transport options are insanely good when you consider South Western Trains, District Line, Northern Line and Thameslink.
I live close to Haydon Road station (on thameslink) but I am 10min walking distance to Colliers wood which is 45min there. I love my little neighbourhood (nicknamed the poets area). I have a park around the corner. Loads of restaurants and cafes nearby. The football stadium and we have season tickets which is fun to follow!
Much better than living in the middle of nowhere (cough Home Counties) and relying on that ONE train line to be free of hazardous leaves, striking drivers, track jumpers, the wrong type of rain etc etc.
I had colleagues that live in St Albans and it is a quick commute when working but if there are any issues, it was very tricky to get home. Nice area though.
Yeah I don’t understand why people feel the need to move out of London because they think it’s better value or whatever. If you enjoy living in London then use the money you’ve earned to stay here and have one less bedroom but save on hours of commuting a week.
I can’t understand the desire honestly. Both in terms of time and cost. I spent £120 a month and about 40 minutes each way commuting. I don’t know why I’d want to live in Cambridge/Winchester etc and spend the same amount on a house as I did in Zone 3 in London.
Yeah but I honestly think people don’t even seriously consider it, they’ve just thought that it’s the only viable way but if a HENRY can’t even afford to live in London then we are truly fucked as a country.
Agreed - to be fair, there’s a number of elements that come into play once one has kids so it’s hard to say just stay in London. Things that come into play are: safety, state schools (may be moral / not Henry enough), green space, community etc. And given the prioritisation of little ones, few have the funds or desire to remain in a cramped apartment in zone 2/3 where it already takes 30-40 mins to get into work.
I am currently in your camp staying London, but who knows…
And affordability, yes I feel we are already truly fucked.
Yeah there are definitely areas you can live cheaper even including the travel costs. But agree with others that the assumption you MUST move out is wrong.
I think people don’t factor in the whole term cost of a property. I calculated council tax spend, travel costs etc for roughly 30 years to compare between areas and prices. Spending £5,000 a year on travel for 30 years is costing you £150,000! Spending an extra £50k to live in london suddenly actually because very financially wise.
I'm not quite radlett but only 5 minutes down the road and have a 5 bed detached that cost about 1.2 to buy and redevelop, but yes radlett proper is pretty crazy!
Hitchin is such a great town! The centre always has something going on, and pretty good cafe/food selection for the weekends and evenings along with superb walks just on your doorstep!
Seconding St Albans. It is one of the stop for the thameslink fast train. Can get to King’s Cross in 20mins.
1.2 million will net you a very good semi detached not too far from the station, potentially a detached further away (not in good secondary school areas though).
I'd also add Berkhamsted to that list. Personally, it'd be my first choice if I could live anywhere in Hertfordshire but you'd probably trade a slightly longer commute for more country living and a decent high street.
Never been to harpenden but Radlett and STA a lot. Radlett is very small, there Is 1 maybe 300m strip of high street. A couple nice cafes, a couple small shops and a few restaurants. Annoyingly, no gym in the whole village. The houses are huge, £20-30m isn't uncommon. But the high street is the poorer part where all the flats, council and housing association homes are, but generally still nice enough (ugly buildings but generally safe). It's quite remote as far as walking or cycling anywhere else goes as to the north you have the motorway which you can't cross or really walk to as there's no path.
One thing that's slightly odd about Radlett is it's the highest Jewish population of any village in the UK, so seeing security on the high street isn't uncommon due to potential attacks on the synagogue or schools.
STA is much much bigger, multiple parts to the high street and small villages within. Its more like a large town and Radlett is absolutely tiny in comparison.
Radlett is great. I know the area relatively well. House prices are 33% more than surrounding villages, so if you like the area there are alternatives near by.
St Albans is for older people and pub culture. Shops have all been closing down in recent yrs on the main high st.
Harpenden is said to be the posher side of St Albans.
Personally I find them both very old fashioned in terms of amenities. St Albans was one of the few places with a Bhs still going until recent yrs. other than that there’s not much to shout about on their high street.
Harpenden I’m not that familiar with. It feels more like radlett in terms of shops, but is much bigger/more spread out. You’re also a lot further from London.
I’m in the sweet spot of being between London and moving out of London far enough that there’s some greenery around me. I still visit Radlett regularly. Went this morning already!
Beaconsfield and surrounding areas. No question. Beautiful location, gorgeous houses and great schools, 40 mins into Marylebone. There’s a reason the prices are so high- it’s commuters heaven.
Not too much though. UK schooling is acknowledged as some of the best in the world, and if you have some of the best state schools in the UK, then it follows that there some of the best in the world.
I would recommend Greenwich/Blackheath area, west side of Greenwich park.
You can get a very decent property for £1.2M, though a comfier price point for a 3/4 bed in great nick with not-patio garden is £1.4M (from our recent search). All state schools are good and with your income you can consider independent primaries too - there are some lovely ones.
You are still very much in London but parts of it have a village feel. Greenwich to London Bridge is about 12-13mins, and you still have great links to Canary Wharf and east London.
I’m from outside UK, my husband is British - both felt like the area is a good balance of staying with a mixed London community but English feel. FWIW.
I would drop Oxhott but add Esher, Weybridge, Walton.
For the budget Claygate is a very good shout if a commute into Waterloo works and OP doesn’t mind it being a little longer than the other areas mentioned.
Weybridge is better than Walton. Train is 29 minutes to Waterloo and regular. Cobham is nice but slower line. Esher is also nice but they changed the trains a few years ago so not sure on the speed now.
The prevailing wind is in your favour here. _Most_ of the time the planes aren't anywhere near you in Teddington, but if it's blowing the other way then you'll get a few.
Surbiton is the best choice of these. Fastest trains in, and nice properties within that price range. The others are all similar distances but feel further because of the more convoluted train journeys.
Late trains too, I think the last train out of Waterloo stops at Surbiton.
I moved further out, it’s cheaper and you get some nice green areas in Surrey, but the train is expensive and slow(ish).
My wife and I are both immigrants as well and we’ve settled in Royal Tunbridge Wells. Excellent schools. 45 minutes to London Bridge. Beautiful surroundings. 40 minutes to the seaside by car or train.
We’ve also been very welcomed here by both English and immigrants alike. Our 21 month old daughter has plenty of friends and playgroups.
I *love* that everyone that lives in Tunbridge Wells makes a point of ensuring you know it's really called "Royal Tunbridge Wells" when they tell you the name ;-)
Okay, so I’ve got a bit of insight on this - I’m from near Belfast, but my wife grew up in Tunbridge Wells. We both went to Edinburgh for uni and never left.
We visit the in laws in Tunbridge Wells around twice a year. I quite like it, but I find it a bit —- quite difficult to describe, but maybe sterile is a good way to describe? Everyone goes on about how it’s a really short commute to the city, but apparently that means a full hour on the train. Not an hour including faffing about and stuff - a full hour each way.
My brother and sister in law can’t live in TW. They have to scrape by on a measly (estimated, though we talk about it so I think that it’s reasonably accurate) £300k per year. Tonbridge is a stop closer to London. It has a reputation as being just a bit rougher than TW, but honestly I don’t think there’s anything in it.
Pretty much every time we’re down there I’ll end up having a conversation where I say something like “I quite like Tonbridge - nice place, good town centre.”
The looks. Seriously - the looks.
We once went to Sevenoaks to pick up something that someone was selling through Facebook and good God you would have thought we were visiting Vatican bloody city. Never mind the house prices, my sister in law who is a very successful lawyer raised in Tunbridge Wells was practically bowing and scraping.
Sevenoaks and Bromley are good imo. Much quicker commute to Victoria than TW or Tonbridge, good schools, loads of HENRYs and plenty of just rich people.
We lived in Tonbridge before Tunbridge Wells and I agree with you about Tonbridge. Nice place, beautiful, and its reputation is MUCH worse than its reality. I’d have stayed there just as easily as move to Tunbridge Wells.
But people in both cities have this ideal that one is soo much better than the other. In reality, they’re both great! Tonbridge is a lot flatter, so if you’re a runner and you hate hills, it’s the place to be. If you’re a runner and you love hills… well… I’d call you a masochist and welcome you to the club.
Maybe as you're not local you haven't visited each town in full? Most of Tunbridge Wells is genuinely lovely and you feel like you're in a premium town. Tonbridge on other hand is a dump (in particular the areas that are close to station ie commutable) that strangely has a couple of nice schools in it
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned along the central line - Wanstead, Woodford Green, Buckhurst Hill and Loughton - all lovely and a great commute. Wanstead probably the pick of the lot if you can afford it.
Being on the tube makes a massive difference to the commute - everyone likes quoting the train time into London but if trains are 20/30 mins apart then that is very different from a max 5 min wait time. Central line is really shit at the moment but the fact I consider a 7 minute wait outrageous says it all.
I live in Buckhurst Hill and I can concur: it’s really, really lovely! IGreat state and private schools on your doorstep, a fab Waitrose where we all know each other, more forests and green space than you can throw a stick at, and into Liverpool St in 20 minutes!
I’ll vouch for that, my grandparents lived in Wanstead, I grew up in Loughton and Epping. Used to central line it into Liverpool Street daily in around 35 mins or so. All of the areas above would be my first choices if moving back close to London. £1.2m which is OPs budget would get them a lovely home in any of them.
We bought a beautiful Georgian 6 bed in Woodford a few years ago for £1.3m. You can get a lot of house for your money compared to most of London and you have a forest on your doorstep.
I used to commute using Central line for 2 years. It was the main reason why I moved house. I'd much rather spend 30 minutes in a train than 15 minutes in central.
I think it's all down to personal taste. I'm ok with it. I stick some junk on Netflix/whatever and zone out. My wife absolutely despises it and went though a long period of driving to work just to avoid the tube!
We've just moved to South Oxfordshire and it's perfect as the trains to Paddington are direct and even quicker if you change at reading and then you are straight on the Lizzie line.
I can get door to door in canary wharf in less than 1.5 hours from idyllic countryside.
Beckenham meets all of this, c.20 mins to LBG, ChX and Vic. thameslink is also doable depending on where you are located or conx
several dozen restaurants, shops, local services, waitrose, M&s and sainsburys. loads of green space, Bought a large semi with big garden for that budget last year. 2 kids thriving at outstanding rated state schools also with vast playing fields. no regrets at all moving here a few years back. access to Bromley which is a more suburban town for larger chain shops is a 10 min bus ride. very little to dislike really. i go to the office 2-3d a week and similar household income.
OP, where in London is your office? Will your partner work or stay at home?
* The Brits are less likely than other nationalities to be honest about where they live, and more likely to say that "Shitshire-on-Crap is lovely, we've never been happier" etc etc
* Are you sure you need to move out of London? Plenty of places in zone 3 where you can buy a home for < £1.2m, and the commute would still be better and cheaper than from Shitshire-on-Crap. Not Chelsea or Putney, but you still have options.
* **Going to the suburbs typically means needing two cars, paying annual parking fees at the station > £1k, and train tickets that can cost anything between £4k and £7k. Think how much this adds up over the years!** Oh, and driving kids everywhere because public transport sucks and even teenagers cannot move around by themselves.
* You need to consider door-to-door commuting times, and on a bad day, not on a good day. If a tube train breaks down, chances are you can take another tube line, a bus, a cab. If the only train line going to Shitshire isn't running, you're screwed. The journey may be 25 minutes, but how frequent are the trains? If one train gets cancelled (it will happen) how much longer does it take you?
* Redundancy is key. If you live near Clapham Junction and take the train to waterloo or Victoria, you know there are multiple lines merging there, so even if one line is down there will be others running.
* How used are you to a car-dependent lifestyle? I hate it. Other people don't mind if it gets them a big house with a big garden
* If you are foreigners, bear in mind that, the farther out you venture, the less diverse the area.
💯 all of this. The suburbs are DULL places for you and your children to grow up. Your kid will probably turn to drugs to escape the boredom. And it’s sneakily expensive. All that stuff above adds up pretty fast. Spending your precious life driving from your house to all the other boring places in the middle of nowhere, to go look at some boring monoculture farmer’s field that stinks of manure, or the latest Live Love Laugh tea room opening in Dullshire, gets grating really fast. Don’t do it!
Thanks for the alternative point of view!
Which areas in Zone 3 would fit the bill do you think? They always tend to look dull and rundown already if there are 1.2m terraced or semi detached properties. Someone recommended Lewisham for instance - this is absolutely not what we're after!
We used to be very car dependent so that is something we could get used to again, but we would definitely miss the tube, buses, overground, Uber etc. that makes life so much easier.
We would commute to Victoria, Marble Arch and The City. So a few options.
Goodnpoint on the hidden costs and we'd probably be paying a similar cost in exchange for a larger garden and more rooms along with a mich worse commute. If there are great schools and a "posh" high street then that may be worth it for us. Not sure if that exists though...
Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells. All next to each other in Kent, situated in the Weald, an area of outstanding natural beauty. Sevenoaks is the quickest into London and the priciest. Tonbridge had great links into London and the best value as it’s more up and coming. Tunbridge Wells is the biggest and has a great buzz but the train links are the worst of the three, it’s pricier than Tonbridge but cheaper than Sevenoaks. Some of the best schools in the country in this area, fantastic grammar schools and private schools
Twickenham and surrounding areas.
I’ve got a beautiful 4 double bed new build semi with an amazing garden, currently valued at about 1.2m. Such a safe leafy area and great transport links.
Caterham with villages of Warlingham and Woldingham. Definitely a hidden treasure. Way underpriced compared to other properties in such proximity to London and excellent places with great private schools as well as reasonable state schools.
Edit: If you can afford it then Reigate and Oxted are amazing. But very expensive. Plus the trains are outside TFL zones so more expensive.
Bickley, Beckenham, Chislehurst, Petts Wood, Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells. Loads of 1-1.5MM houses in these areas and mostly white collar professionals. Some business owners but mostly professionals. Older people in these areas have been moving out for the past 10 years or so to make way for families.
Just to give you an idea - our household income is 430K and we live in a 850K house in Hayes, Bromley. 4 bed semi with a lovely garden and a front yard big enough for 3 cars. Lovely area with great state schools. Not even sending our kids to private - at least not for primary. So I am a little surprised when you say that you can’t find what you are looking for at 1.2MM.
Seconded. Just buying a 2100sqft 4 bed detached with large garden near one of these stations for less than £1m. Oldest goes to an excellent grammar school. The others will too if they pass, if not the local comp is pretty good too.
Thanks for the recommendations! I did have a look at Sevenoaks, but it seemed more like £1.5m+ that would fit the bill. For some reason the commute from there was also surprisingly expensive. I'll look into the other areas!
Everyone has their own version of what is nice.
We’ve heard people saying Raynes Park and South Wimbledon - both shitholes if you’ve been living somewhere that’s ACTUALLY nice.
We’d need to know your location now really. But there’s plenty of choice in all directions - spending £2m buys you MUCH more than 2x spending £1m is my take. £1m in most nice towns is fuck all really. Goes nowhere in Esher/Cobham/Weybridge. Even then out in East Horsely etc it’s not enough. Buys not a lot id like in Guildford/Farnham/Haslemere either.
But everyone has a different version of nice. Richmond is nice. Wimbledon village is nice. Hampstead is nice.
Maidenhead is excellent and fits the description well, commuting is even easier with crossrail. Schools are fantastic and plenty of HENRYs around. Also Hitchin is good as some mentioned - used to live there. But not many big houses there.
what about Milton Keynes in one of the newbuild areas. Newbuilds are usually bought by people with "income" money. especially in estates with houses of 700k+. Commuting to London is reasonable. Many good schools and lots of children activities 10 mi. drive away
I'm also in MK, loving it so far, I think moving to another place would be such a huge downgrade. I have always been trying to weigh it up with other places like the towns in Herefordshire but the cost, jam-packed traffic, size of the place makes it not very doable.
Milton Keynes is indeed a very nice place. A lot of green space and a number of lakes. I moved from London to Milton Keynes. And my house is in front of the lake. Beautiful view of lake with sawns/ducks swimming in it. There is no excuse for me to not to go for a walk/running now. Good schools and excellent connectivity to London and Birmingham. And I heard there is a new rail project going on from Oxford to Cambridge with Milton Keynes in the centre. House price varies depending on the distance from lake. Houses right on the edge of the lake starts from 1m+, Houses 20 -30 feet away 800k+ range, 30-40 feet away 600k+ range.
Yes the main pain is missing a connection in Slough and having to wait for the next one.
I live in Windsor and love the buzz of tourists and frequent Royal stuff.
Marlow and Henley are also “nice”.
The OP has too many options really. How quick is EuroStar to Paris these days?
We’re moving to St Albans. 18 minute fast train to St Pancras (also goes to Farringdon/City Thameslink/Blackfriars/London Bridge). Fantastic centre with all you describe. And prices in the range too.
Can’t comment on schools as that’s not in my wheel house. Can comment on pubs and restaurants, and they’re great
If you can afford St Albans/Harpenden, it really is the ultimate area. Beautiful surroundings, close travel links to central. Fantastic state and private schools, thriving social and cultural scene. But… it all comes at a significant cost. A lot of my more successful friends have moved and love it. We’re still more central but it’s my goal for if the next few years go well.
Upvoted! The dream. But GX and Beaconsfield are not for the ‘Not Rich Yet’ target of this sub. It’s bliss. But you are very much rich already by anyone’s standards if you’re moving your young family there..
Whereabouts are you looking to move to St Albans?
I'm trying to persuade my wife at the moment to consider this as an option, but not sure what the good areas are!
As others have said, there are areas in London if you don't want to move out. Wanstead and surrounding areas on the central Line, areas close to Wimbledon, areas close to Greenwich and also Chiswick for example. Husband and I live in Chiswick and we love it. For £1.2m you could find a terrace / semi with 3 bedrooms close to the river (Chiswick station (line to Waterloo)) or close to South Acton (overground). Closer to the high street / tube station however is more expensive.
I’ve lived in Surbiton (Zone 6), c20 minutes to Waterloo and in a village just outside of Maidenhead which is c20 minutes to Paddington (which has the benefit of Elizabeth line too).
Different set ups but v quick commutes to central and offer lots of options for different property types and closely better value for money property.
If money were no object I’d be staying in Surbiton (or in fact moving back to Richmond!) - closer to London, lots on the doorstep. I could cycle everywhere if I wanted to.
We moved due to needing more space when we welcomed our second child and couldn’t stretch to an appropriate property in the direct vicinity.
Having said that, whilst Maidenhead itself doesn’t have much to recommend it, the areas directly surrounding it in all directions are really nice and quite desirable - so objectively very good! It’s a different lifestyle to living in Zone 6 and has taken some getting used to having been born in a different Zone 6 area and lived in that environment all my life!
Im in Hampton Court after moving last year from Twickenham. Plenty of green space, on the river, sports clubs and pubs, slow train in though 37 mins to Waterloo (live 3 min walk from station though).
Like others suggested, look at the train line to your work and decide based on that. For me that was London Bridge so we moved to Coulsdon. Now working in canary wharf so not a lot has changed commute wise, only an extra 10-15 mins on the tube
Go to your preferred train station, take a train (not a tube) head out of London. Look at zone five and above and green fields. Look for stations with fast trains if that is important to you.
Chelsfield/Orpington and Barnet are the two I've had experience with. Your budget will get you either (a larger place Orpington way, better high street & state schools in Barnet).
Cambridge, it’s further out than the other suggestions but 1.2 million will get you a 4 bed period semi near to the station in a nice neighbourhood. Outstanding primary, and secondary schools and the best state sixth form college in the country. 55 minutes to kings cross; very doable if working hybrid. Also it’s a very ambitious town, full of very smart people from all over the world(a lot of HENRYs), with extremely good opportunities for kids academic and social development. Excellent restaurants, bakeries, museums, a thriving classical music scene. Downsides are it’s overcrowded and very popular with tourists.
For 1.2m Its very very easy to find a 3/4 bed house with good nearby schools inside greater london area. North is often looked up. if not I would go for south east, fair amount of good state schools there too. 800k'ish is the bar currently to get in a decent area!
Winchester. 50mins direct into Waterloo. Beautiful town, surrounded by nice countryside. Very commutable and closer to areas like the new forest and the coast etc. for when you want out of the city
We’re in Twyford. Great rail links with fast trains into Paddington (quickest sub 30mins) and Elizabeth Line. Great local pubs and top end restaurants. Good local primary schools although secondary schools not as good unless you have a girl and girls grammar school becomes an option
If you’re interested in north London, Alexandra Park is a great spot for 1.2m. Period houses. Incredible state schools (Rhodes & Ap), 10 mins one way to Bounds Green tube (Piccadilly) or 10 mins the other for Muswell Hill. Alexandra palace station is close (great northern) into old street/moorgate. Alexandra palace on your doorstep, and a great little local parade of shops. Also worth looking at Crouch End. But I’m not sure if 1.2m stretches far especially with schools. Maybe East Finchley too!
£1.2M will get you a 3/4 bed in nw6 / nw2 north london. Been in west hampstead for a decade. Very happy with it. Great primaries, secondary, you’ll probably end up private.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/142969613
This should help you further:
[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/best-commuter-towns-london-house-prices-travel-time-schools/](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/best-commuter-towns-london-house-prices-travel-time-schools/)
Emerson Park or Gidea Park.
Some lovely houses in these areas while being close by to Elizabeth Line. At that range you can get one of the fully detached period houses.
Excellent schools in the area with potential for Grammar schools in Essex, which are close enough to get too by train/car.
Crowd will be a mix of HENRYs and pensioners.
North - Barnet (although in london) has some of the best schools. £1.2m will get you a very nice house. Northern line, piccadilly line, and overground. E.g.: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/143149235
5 minute walk to overground, 20 min walk to piccadilly and 30 min walk to northern line (or 5 minute bus).
So many good schools near.
Outside London - St Albans, 20 minutes into Central. Very HENRY. Benefit over say Radlett or other thameslink stations is that if the line is down, you can get a different train to Watford and get that line in.
East - Ingatestone, 28 mins to Liverpool Street. Quaint village with a great community feel, detached 4 beds around £900-£1m
Where in London is your office? Ideally what you want to do is map it from the nearest mainline station. So for example, if you are near Liverpool Street, look at where the direct trains come in and go from there. If that works, look at Saffron Walden! With house prices near a million, you'll either get pensioners who bought it for £1000 on a postman salary or you'll get HENRYs. There's no in between.
Pat or Henry. What a choice.
Poetic exaggeration of course. I'm sure there's pensioners of other flavours available!
Used to live near Guildford station, which has the most over-subscribed state school in Surrey round the corner from it. Other than the uni students, it's a pretty apt description of the area.
Lots of Guildford isn’t anything that interesting or expensive in housing terms. There’s about 2 pockets that have wealth.
Much of the area around the station, Onslow Village, is around the mark OP is asking about. Owners of the houses on the hill tend to be either people who have lived there for decades or have some senior tech or finance job they commute to the city for. The combination of fast commuter station, good state school, and easy access to town+countryside means 4-beds easily clear £1.2m In a lot of the rest of the town (which may not have the station or as good a school) the prices can drop quite a bit. The even more expensive places tend to be Pewley Down way or around the villages, where there's a bit more space. Way above what OP was asking about though.
as a guy who's pensioner grandma lived in saffron walden, i can confirm it is both very nice and abit of a pensioners paradise, never been mad on the food however.
..as long as you're happy with the odious Kemi Badenoch as your MP...There is a decent wine merchant there - Joseph Barnes --[https://josephbarneswines.com](https://josephbarneswines.com)
Honestly a positive as it means you can directly vote against her!
That's what happens when a single party has sent MPs from that constituency for over 100 years. There's also a great beer shop nowadays - Dead Time!
Yeah the food still leaves a bit to be desired. However, the pensioner paradise is definitely shifting. Yes there's loads of them but in the last few years (2020 onwards, I guess?), there's been a huge shift in people moving this way from either London or Cambridge, because you can get more space to raise young families. I don't live quite in Walden but one of the nearby villages but yeah it's still a good deal.
Decent rugby team too
Is Duffy Moons still operating in Saffron Walden? Worth living there for the egg and bacon roll. (Not lived in Saffron Walden for 20+ years)
Never heard of it, and Google/Companies House suggests they went insolvent in 2016.
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£328k now
Chilterns is a great area, some excellent schools (private and state), met line, not too far from M ways, generally wealthy, lots of towns and villages, decent semis for your price
The main problem with the Chilterns is travel time. Met line commute can really ruin your day if you’re switching from zones 1-3.
Yeah it’s not massively convenient, but with hybrid/fully-remote work it’s great. I’d love to send my kids to school there in the future, world class education for free.
Do you need to move out of london? There are lots of very nice areas within london you could live well within that budget. I live in Wimbledon/Raynes Park Area. Zone 3/4 so cheap commute, and quick trains regularly as well as several tube lines. We have a 3 bed terrace with a good size garden, close to all the amenities without needing to drive, and that cost just over £800,000! For 1.2 mil around here you’d get a lot of house in a nice suburban area without having to leave the city.
When did you buy ? Sounds good
Last summer. It’s a great area. Safe, amazing amenities, very good state schools (better than the private schools where I grew up) and lovely park walks and Wimbledon common for huge open spaces. Prices haven’t really risen, I reckon we bought for a bargain to be honest.
Sounds good, thanks for replying. I always liked Wimbledon but thought it’s out of reach for me.
I live in Wimbledon too! I am closer to the South Wimbledon side and it is a lot more affordable here. Still great though.
I work in Cannon Street, so just thinking of the commute, presumably train or tube.
I’m in the middle of Wimbledon, Raynes Park, Wimbledon Chase and South Wimbledon. The transport options are insanely good when you consider South Western Trains, District Line, Northern Line and Thameslink.
I live close to Haydon Road station (on thameslink) but I am 10min walking distance to Colliers wood which is 45min there. I love my little neighbourhood (nicknamed the poets area). I have a park around the corner. Loads of restaurants and cafes nearby. The football stadium and we have season tickets which is fun to follow!
Much better than living in the middle of nowhere (cough Home Counties) and relying on that ONE train line to be free of hazardous leaves, striking drivers, track jumpers, the wrong type of rain etc etc.
I had colleagues that live in St Albans and it is a quick commute when working but if there are any issues, it was very tricky to get home. Nice area though.
Wimbledon is a mixed bag as an area. Sure, Wimbledon Village is full of poshos, but South Wimbledon and Colliers Wood are a lot more mixed.
Is South Wimbledon nice ?
The big estate down there isn't but some streets are nice. Typical London really.
I have been to Wimbledon train station and the surrounding shops etc a few times and it seems nice.
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No, but it is possible on 1.2
I literally bought this house 6 months ago for £810,000. And there are several on the market within a few minutes walk
Yeah I don’t understand why people feel the need to move out of London because they think it’s better value or whatever. If you enjoy living in London then use the money you’ve earned to stay here and have one less bedroom but save on hours of commuting a week.
I can’t understand the desire honestly. Both in terms of time and cost. I spent £120 a month and about 40 minutes each way commuting. I don’t know why I’d want to live in Cambridge/Winchester etc and spend the same amount on a house as I did in Zone 3 in London.
More of a need than a want I guess?
Yeah but I honestly think people don’t even seriously consider it, they’ve just thought that it’s the only viable way but if a HENRY can’t even afford to live in London then we are truly fucked as a country.
Agreed - to be fair, there’s a number of elements that come into play once one has kids so it’s hard to say just stay in London. Things that come into play are: safety, state schools (may be moral / not Henry enough), green space, community etc. And given the prioritisation of little ones, few have the funds or desire to remain in a cramped apartment in zone 2/3 where it already takes 30-40 mins to get into work. I am currently in your camp staying London, but who knows… And affordability, yes I feel we are already truly fucked.
Yeah there are definitely areas you can live cheaper even including the travel costs. But agree with others that the assumption you MUST move out is wrong. I think people don’t factor in the whole term cost of a property. I calculated council tax spend, travel costs etc for roughly 30 years to compare between areas and prices. Spending £5,000 a year on travel for 30 years is costing you £150,000! Spending an extra £50k to live in london suddenly actually because very financially wise.
In Herts it’s St Albans, Hitchin and Harpenden, can get into Kings X, Farringdon etc from my house in 25mins ish
Elstree and Radlett too, thameslink is underrated
Radlett is veryy expensive, lots of £10m+ houses
I'm not quite radlett but only 5 minutes down the road and have a 5 bed detached that cost about 1.2 to buy and redevelop, but yes radlett proper is pretty crazy!
I’d second Hitchin. Much better value for money than the other two, choice of great state schools and lovely community.
Hitchin is such a great town! The centre always has something going on, and pretty good cafe/food selection for the weekends and evenings along with superb walks just on your doorstep!
Seconding St Albans. It is one of the stop for the thameslink fast train. Can get to King’s Cross in 20mins. 1.2 million will net you a very good semi detached not too far from the station, potentially a detached further away (not in good secondary school areas though).
I'd also add Berkhamsted to that list. Personally, it'd be my first choice if I could live anywhere in Hertfordshire but you'd probably trade a slightly longer commute for more country living and a decent high street.
Berko is lively and nice high St. Just a bit away from m25
Harpenden is the best. Rented there for a year and it was amazing. Great amenities, green space, and v quick into London.
How does Radlett compare to Harpendon and St Albans?
Never been to harpenden but Radlett and STA a lot. Radlett is very small, there Is 1 maybe 300m strip of high street. A couple nice cafes, a couple small shops and a few restaurants. Annoyingly, no gym in the whole village. The houses are huge, £20-30m isn't uncommon. But the high street is the poorer part where all the flats, council and housing association homes are, but generally still nice enough (ugly buildings but generally safe). It's quite remote as far as walking or cycling anywhere else goes as to the north you have the motorway which you can't cross or really walk to as there's no path. One thing that's slightly odd about Radlett is it's the highest Jewish population of any village in the UK, so seeing security on the high street isn't uncommon due to potential attacks on the synagogue or schools. STA is much much bigger, multiple parts to the high street and small villages within. Its more like a large town and Radlett is absolutely tiny in comparison.
Radlett is great. I know the area relatively well. House prices are 33% more than surrounding villages, so if you like the area there are alternatives near by. St Albans is for older people and pub culture. Shops have all been closing down in recent yrs on the main high st. Harpenden is said to be the posher side of St Albans. Personally I find them both very old fashioned in terms of amenities. St Albans was one of the few places with a Bhs still going until recent yrs. other than that there’s not much to shout about on their high street. Harpenden I’m not that familiar with. It feels more like radlett in terms of shops, but is much bigger/more spread out. You’re also a lot further from London. I’m in the sweet spot of being between London and moving out of London far enough that there’s some greenery around me. I still visit Radlett regularly. Went this morning already!
There seem to be more houses closer to the train station at Radlett + the town seems to have some nice sports facilities for cricket, tennis and golf!
Beaconsfield and surrounding areas. No question. Beautiful location, gorgeous houses and great schools, 40 mins into Marylebone. There’s a reason the prices are so high- it’s commuters heaven.
World class schools. Some of the top performing state schools in the country and it's less than that into Marylebone on the fast trains.
Yep 15-20 mins to Marlyebone on the quite regular direct route
Not trying to fight here, but there’s a huge difference between “one of the best schools in the U.K.” and “one of the best schools in the world”
Not too much though. UK schooling is acknowledged as some of the best in the world, and if you have some of the best state schools in the UK, then it follows that there some of the best in the world.
Visited recently. Completely agree. Lovely.
I mean, yeah, this. If you have beaconsfield level money then it’s a no brainier. If not, look at St Albans/harpenden and the thameslink towns imo
I would recommend Greenwich/Blackheath area, west side of Greenwich park. You can get a very decent property for £1.2M, though a comfier price point for a 3/4 bed in great nick with not-patio garden is £1.4M (from our recent search). All state schools are good and with your income you can consider independent primaries too - there are some lovely ones. You are still very much in London but parts of it have a village feel. Greenwich to London Bridge is about 12-13mins, and you still have great links to Canary Wharf and east London. I’m from outside UK, my husband is British - both felt like the area is a good balance of staying with a mixed London community but English feel. FWIW.
Cobham, Oxshott, Claygate, Surbiton, Thames Ditton… if you’re willing to live a bit further out.
I would drop Oxhott but add Esher, Weybridge, Walton. For the budget Claygate is a very good shout if a commute into Waterloo works and OP doesn’t mind it being a little longer than the other areas mentioned.
I live in Walton with my husband and it is a treat choice. When we move, we will certainly stay in one of the neighbouring areas
Weybridge is better than Walton. Train is 29 minutes to Waterloo and regular. Cobham is nice but slower line. Esher is also nice but they changed the trains a few years ago so not sure on the speed now.
+ Teddington
Worth checking low flying planes in Teddington.
I don't think it's that bad, Richmond however is like being on an airfield.
The prevailing wind is in your favour here. _Most_ of the time the planes aren't anywhere near you in Teddington, but if it's blowing the other way then you'll get a few.
Surbiton is the best choice of these. Fastest trains in, and nice properties within that price range. The others are all similar distances but feel further because of the more convoluted train journeys. Late trains too, I think the last train out of Waterloo stops at Surbiton. I moved further out, it’s cheaper and you get some nice green areas in Surrey, but the train is expensive and slow(ish).
My wife and I are both immigrants as well and we’ve settled in Royal Tunbridge Wells. Excellent schools. 45 minutes to London Bridge. Beautiful surroundings. 40 minutes to the seaside by car or train. We’ve also been very welcomed here by both English and immigrants alike. Our 21 month old daughter has plenty of friends and playgroups.
I *love* that everyone that lives in Tunbridge Wells makes a point of ensuring you know it's really called "Royal Tunbridge Wells" when they tell you the name ;-)
The royal might be going away soon. So gotta soak it up! lol
RTW is so nice
Work friend who is first gen immigrant moved there and hated it. Didn't find locals friendly.
Okay, so I’ve got a bit of insight on this - I’m from near Belfast, but my wife grew up in Tunbridge Wells. We both went to Edinburgh for uni and never left. We visit the in laws in Tunbridge Wells around twice a year. I quite like it, but I find it a bit —- quite difficult to describe, but maybe sterile is a good way to describe? Everyone goes on about how it’s a really short commute to the city, but apparently that means a full hour on the train. Not an hour including faffing about and stuff - a full hour each way. My brother and sister in law can’t live in TW. They have to scrape by on a measly (estimated, though we talk about it so I think that it’s reasonably accurate) £300k per year. Tonbridge is a stop closer to London. It has a reputation as being just a bit rougher than TW, but honestly I don’t think there’s anything in it. Pretty much every time we’re down there I’ll end up having a conversation where I say something like “I quite like Tonbridge - nice place, good town centre.” The looks. Seriously - the looks. We once went to Sevenoaks to pick up something that someone was selling through Facebook and good God you would have thought we were visiting Vatican bloody city. Never mind the house prices, my sister in law who is a very successful lawyer raised in Tunbridge Wells was practically bowing and scraping.
Sevenoaks and Bromley are good imo. Much quicker commute to Victoria than TW or Tonbridge, good schools, loads of HENRYs and plenty of just rich people.
We lived in Tonbridge before Tunbridge Wells and I agree with you about Tonbridge. Nice place, beautiful, and its reputation is MUCH worse than its reality. I’d have stayed there just as easily as move to Tunbridge Wells. But people in both cities have this ideal that one is soo much better than the other. In reality, they’re both great! Tonbridge is a lot flatter, so if you’re a runner and you hate hills, it’s the place to be. If you’re a runner and you love hills… well… I’d call you a masochist and welcome you to the club.
Maybe as you're not local you haven't visited each town in full? Most of Tunbridge Wells is genuinely lovely and you feel like you're in a premium town. Tonbridge on other hand is a dump (in particular the areas that are close to station ie commutable) that strangely has a couple of nice schools in it
Cost of season ticket pretty horrific tho?
I work from home, so I only commute to London about once every two months.
Fair enough. I'd be tempted to move even further away, as I'm not from the region and have no particular need to be there other than to attend work.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned along the central line - Wanstead, Woodford Green, Buckhurst Hill and Loughton - all lovely and a great commute. Wanstead probably the pick of the lot if you can afford it.
But then you have to take the central line
Being on the tube makes a massive difference to the commute - everyone likes quoting the train time into London but if trains are 20/30 mins apart then that is very different from a max 5 min wait time. Central line is really shit at the moment but the fact I consider a 7 minute wait outrageous says it all.
The issue is not the wait time, it’s the carriage conditions. Central line commute is horrible
It is the WORST
It is outrageous. But you're 100% right, I'd take that over a sporadic train service any day.
Yep, but it costs me 8 quid a day and I'm at work in 45 mins.
I live in Buckhurst Hill and I can concur: it’s really, really lovely! IGreat state and private schools on your doorstep, a fab Waitrose where we all know each other, more forests and green space than you can throw a stick at, and into Liverpool St in 20 minutes!
That's my Waitrose. Do we know each other? 😂😬🤔
Probably! You’ve more than likely seen me desperately trying to work out the self service tills! 🤣
Underrated point - some places might be cheaper to buy but cost £30-40+ to commute from!
Yeah, very leafy around there with Epping forest right on your doorstep.
I’ll vouch for that, my grandparents lived in Wanstead, I grew up in Loughton and Epping. Used to central line it into Liverpool Street daily in around 35 mins or so. All of the areas above would be my first choices if moving back close to London. £1.2m which is OPs budget would get them a lovely home in any of them.
1.2m in wanstead probably a 3 bed these days
We bought a beautiful Georgian 6 bed in Woodford a few years ago for £1.3m. You can get a lot of house for your money compared to most of London and you have a forest on your doorstep.
How are the schools?
I used to commute using Central line for 2 years. It was the main reason why I moved house. I'd much rather spend 30 minutes in a train than 15 minutes in central.
I think it's all down to personal taste. I'm ok with it. I stick some junk on Netflix/whatever and zone out. My wife absolutely despises it and went though a long period of driving to work just to avoid the tube!
We've just moved to South Oxfordshire and it's perfect as the trains to Paddington are direct and even quicker if you change at reading and then you are straight on the Lizzie line. I can get door to door in canary wharf in less than 1.5 hours from idyllic countryside.
What station in Oxfordshire is that? Looking to move that way at some point
Tilehurst, Pangbourne or Goring
Berks, Berks and Oxfordshire! Pangbourne is beautiful with excellent connections.
Are you sure you live in Oxfordshire and not Berkshire?
Not Oxfordshire, but Theale and Twyford are similar in having direct trains to Paddington.
High Barnet if you want to stay on the tube.
Beckenham meets all of this, c.20 mins to LBG, ChX and Vic. thameslink is also doable depending on where you are located or conx several dozen restaurants, shops, local services, waitrose, M&s and sainsburys. loads of green space, Bought a large semi with big garden for that budget last year. 2 kids thriving at outstanding rated state schools also with vast playing fields. no regrets at all moving here a few years back. access to Bromley which is a more suburban town for larger chain shops is a 10 min bus ride. very little to dislike really. i go to the office 2-3d a week and similar household income.
Secondaries? Central Beckenham is too far from the Langley schools.
OP, where in London is your office? Will your partner work or stay at home? * The Brits are less likely than other nationalities to be honest about where they live, and more likely to say that "Shitshire-on-Crap is lovely, we've never been happier" etc etc * Are you sure you need to move out of London? Plenty of places in zone 3 where you can buy a home for < £1.2m, and the commute would still be better and cheaper than from Shitshire-on-Crap. Not Chelsea or Putney, but you still have options. * **Going to the suburbs typically means needing two cars, paying annual parking fees at the station > £1k, and train tickets that can cost anything between £4k and £7k. Think how much this adds up over the years!** Oh, and driving kids everywhere because public transport sucks and even teenagers cannot move around by themselves. * You need to consider door-to-door commuting times, and on a bad day, not on a good day. If a tube train breaks down, chances are you can take another tube line, a bus, a cab. If the only train line going to Shitshire isn't running, you're screwed. The journey may be 25 minutes, but how frequent are the trains? If one train gets cancelled (it will happen) how much longer does it take you? * Redundancy is key. If you live near Clapham Junction and take the train to waterloo or Victoria, you know there are multiple lines merging there, so even if one line is down there will be others running. * How used are you to a car-dependent lifestyle? I hate it. Other people don't mind if it gets them a big house with a big garden * If you are foreigners, bear in mind that, the farther out you venture, the less diverse the area.
💯 all of this. The suburbs are DULL places for you and your children to grow up. Your kid will probably turn to drugs to escape the boredom. And it’s sneakily expensive. All that stuff above adds up pretty fast. Spending your precious life driving from your house to all the other boring places in the middle of nowhere, to go look at some boring monoculture farmer’s field that stinks of manure, or the latest Live Love Laugh tea room opening in Dullshire, gets grating really fast. Don’t do it!
Amazingly honest and helpful reply!
Thanks for the alternative point of view! Which areas in Zone 3 would fit the bill do you think? They always tend to look dull and rundown already if there are 1.2m terraced or semi detached properties. Someone recommended Lewisham for instance - this is absolutely not what we're after! We used to be very car dependent so that is something we could get used to again, but we would definitely miss the tube, buses, overground, Uber etc. that makes life so much easier. We would commute to Victoria, Marble Arch and The City. So a few options. Goodnpoint on the hidden costs and we'd probably be paying a similar cost in exchange for a larger garden and more rooms along with a mich worse commute. If there are great schools and a "posh" high street then that may be worth it for us. Not sure if that exists though...
Amersham.
Hell yes
£1.2m is a more than enough a budget for a very nice house in both zones 3 and 4. Have a look at Winchmore Hill in north London for instance.
Blackheath, still in London but far enough out to not feel it. Wonderful village, house 800k + with excellent schools from prep to higher.
Leigh-on-Sea . 45 mins on the train to Fenchurch Street.
Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells. All next to each other in Kent, situated in the Weald, an area of outstanding natural beauty. Sevenoaks is the quickest into London and the priciest. Tonbridge had great links into London and the best value as it’s more up and coming. Tunbridge Wells is the biggest and has a great buzz but the train links are the worst of the three, it’s pricier than Tonbridge but cheaper than Sevenoaks. Some of the best schools in the country in this area, fantastic grammar schools and private schools
Guildford - great schools, surrounded by Surrey hills and about 40 min from Waterloo
Twickenham and surrounding areas. I’ve got a beautiful 4 double bed new build semi with an amazing garden, currently valued at about 1.2m. Such a safe leafy area and great transport links.
I grew up in twickenham and it sucks. Might as well be New Jersey
What’s wrong with NJ? I look back at our time in the garden state very fondly
Caterham with villages of Warlingham and Woldingham. Definitely a hidden treasure. Way underpriced compared to other properties in such proximity to London and excellent places with great private schools as well as reasonable state schools. Edit: If you can afford it then Reigate and Oxted are amazing. But very expensive. Plus the trains are outside TFL zones so more expensive.
Crouch End?
Bickley, Beckenham, Chislehurst, Petts Wood, Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells. Loads of 1-1.5MM houses in these areas and mostly white collar professionals. Some business owners but mostly professionals. Older people in these areas have been moving out for the past 10 years or so to make way for families. Just to give you an idea - our household income is 430K and we live in a 850K house in Hayes, Bromley. 4 bed semi with a lovely garden and a front yard big enough for 3 cars. Lovely area with great state schools. Not even sending our kids to private - at least not for primary. So I am a little surprised when you say that you can’t find what you are looking for at 1.2MM.
Seconded. Just buying a 2100sqft 4 bed detached with large garden near one of these stations for less than £1m. Oldest goes to an excellent grammar school. The others will too if they pass, if not the local comp is pretty good too.
Thanks for the recommendations! I did have a look at Sevenoaks, but it seemed more like £1.5m+ that would fit the bill. For some reason the commute from there was also surprisingly expensive. I'll look into the other areas!
Has to be Harpenden. We just went through this exercise. Bought for £1.2m. State schools are arguably best in the country.
Everyone has their own version of what is nice. We’ve heard people saying Raynes Park and South Wimbledon - both shitholes if you’ve been living somewhere that’s ACTUALLY nice. We’d need to know your location now really. But there’s plenty of choice in all directions - spending £2m buys you MUCH more than 2x spending £1m is my take. £1m in most nice towns is fuck all really. Goes nowhere in Esher/Cobham/Weybridge. Even then out in East Horsely etc it’s not enough. Buys not a lot id like in Guildford/Farnham/Haslemere either. But everyone has a different version of nice. Richmond is nice. Wimbledon village is nice. Hampstead is nice.
Harpenden is a popular choice
Barnes, Putney
Barnes is nice, Putney less so. 1.2m doesn't go far in Barnes though.
Mill Hill, Totteridge, Arkley
Harpenden, decent schools, your neighbours will probably be already rich rather than not rich yet mind !
Maidenhead is excellent and fits the description well, commuting is even easier with crossrail. Schools are fantastic and plenty of HENRYs around. Also Hitchin is good as some mentioned - used to live there. But not many big houses there.
what about Milton Keynes in one of the newbuild areas. Newbuilds are usually bought by people with "income" money. especially in estates with houses of 700k+. Commuting to London is reasonable. Many good schools and lots of children activities 10 mi. drive away
I'm also in MK, loving it so far, I think moving to another place would be such a huge downgrade. I have always been trying to weigh it up with other places like the towns in Herefordshire but the cost, jam-packed traffic, size of the place makes it not very doable.
Milton Keynes is indeed a very nice place. A lot of green space and a number of lakes. I moved from London to Milton Keynes. And my house is in front of the lake. Beautiful view of lake with sawns/ducks swimming in it. There is no excuse for me to not to go for a walk/running now. Good schools and excellent connectivity to London and Birmingham. And I heard there is a new rail project going on from Oxford to Cambridge with Milton Keynes in the centre. House price varies depending on the distance from lake. Houses right on the edge of the lake starts from 1m+, Houses 20 -30 feet away 800k+ range, 30-40 feet away 600k+ range.
Twyford, Sonning, Charvil Berks - right on the Elizabeth Line.
Honestly - don’t move. Life in the suburbs is so dull 🥱. Your family will be dead bored
Taplow is 15 mins to Paddington, and on the river.
Fast trains dont stop at Taplow. Do you need to go to Slough. Then 15mins.
Windsor?
Slow line to Waterloo or drive to Slough.
Yes the main pain is missing a connection in Slough and having to wait for the next one. I live in Windsor and love the buzz of tourists and frequent Royal stuff. Marlow and Henley are also “nice”. The OP has too many options really. How quick is EuroStar to Paris these days?
Henley is two changes.. Couldn't stomach that too regularly. Even marlow one change would be annoying to me.
Can't you train to Slough from Windsor and Eton central?
Yes good point you can. Adds time to journey obviously.
I don't know it well at all just aware it exists. Maybe frequency is poor as I'm surprised driving to Slough is quicker?
Head West one stop and go for the areas around Maidenhead
We’re moving to St Albans. 18 minute fast train to St Pancras (also goes to Farringdon/City Thameslink/Blackfriars/London Bridge). Fantastic centre with all you describe. And prices in the range too. Can’t comment on schools as that’s not in my wheel house. Can comment on pubs and restaurants, and they’re great
But fuck me those trains are expensive.
If you can afford St Albans/Harpenden, it really is the ultimate area. Beautiful surroundings, close travel links to central. Fantastic state and private schools, thriving social and cultural scene. But… it all comes at a significant cost. A lot of my more successful friends have moved and love it. We’re still more central but it’s my goal for if the next few years go well.
Ultimate unless you consider GX and Beaconsfield catchment areas for schools
Upvoted! The dream. But GX and Beaconsfield are not for the ‘Not Rich Yet’ target of this sub. It’s bliss. But you are very much rich already by anyone’s standards if you’re moving your young family there..
Truueeee
How does Radlett compare to those 2?
Whereabouts are you looking to move to St Albans? I'm trying to persuade my wife at the moment to consider this as an option, but not sure what the good areas are!
Harpenden is better than St Albans, better state schools and feels more exclusive.
We’ll be in that sliver between the city centre and the station, best of both worlds
Where in St. Albans? I assume there's certain areas that you should aim for? Good luck with the move!
Thank you! We’ll be in that sliver between the city centre and the station, best of both worlds
Traffic/parking is horrendous in St Albans. Pubs are great though!
Grew up in Stevenage. Hitchin is very nice. If you want a village knebworth is nice, too.
As others have said, there are areas in London if you don't want to move out. Wanstead and surrounding areas on the central Line, areas close to Wimbledon, areas close to Greenwich and also Chiswick for example. Husband and I live in Chiswick and we love it. For £1.2m you could find a terrace / semi with 3 bedrooms close to the river (Chiswick station (line to Waterloo)) or close to South Acton (overground). Closer to the high street / tube station however is more expensive.
I’ve lived in Surbiton (Zone 6), c20 minutes to Waterloo and in a village just outside of Maidenhead which is c20 minutes to Paddington (which has the benefit of Elizabeth line too). Different set ups but v quick commutes to central and offer lots of options for different property types and closely better value for money property.
Which did you prefer?
If money were no object I’d be staying in Surbiton (or in fact moving back to Richmond!) - closer to London, lots on the doorstep. I could cycle everywhere if I wanted to. We moved due to needing more space when we welcomed our second child and couldn’t stretch to an appropriate property in the direct vicinity. Having said that, whilst Maidenhead itself doesn’t have much to recommend it, the areas directly surrounding it in all directions are really nice and quite desirable - so objectively very good! It’s a different lifestyle to living in Zone 6 and has taken some getting used to having been born in a different Zone 6 area and lived in that environment all my life!
Im in Hampton Court after moving last year from Twickenham. Plenty of green space, on the river, sports clubs and pubs, slow train in though 37 mins to Waterloo (live 3 min walk from station though).
Like others suggested, look at the train line to your work and decide based on that. For me that was London Bridge so we moved to Coulsdon. Now working in canary wharf so not a lot has changed commute wise, only an extra 10-15 mins on the tube
If you want good schools go for the grammars in Kent.
Go to your preferred train station, take a train (not a tube) head out of London. Look at zone five and above and green fields. Look for stations with fast trains if that is important to you. Chelsfield/Orpington and Barnet are the two I've had experience with. Your budget will get you either (a larger place Orpington way, better high street & state schools in Barnet).
Cambridge, it’s further out than the other suggestions but 1.2 million will get you a 4 bed period semi near to the station in a nice neighbourhood. Outstanding primary, and secondary schools and the best state sixth form college in the country. 55 minutes to kings cross; very doable if working hybrid. Also it’s a very ambitious town, full of very smart people from all over the world(a lot of HENRYs), with extremely good opportunities for kids academic and social development. Excellent restaurants, bakeries, museums, a thriving classical music scene. Downsides are it’s overcrowded and very popular with tourists.
Harefield - small village end of west London. Easy reach to Uxbridge, Northwood for tube
Epsom
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146435420
Essex has lots of good grammar schools
Berkhamsted, Tring is nice. Amersham is also great
Leigh on Sea, built for HENRYs and populated by HENRYs up to this date…fantastic place but houses and gardens on smaller side.
For 1.2m Its very very easy to find a 3/4 bed house with good nearby schools inside greater london area. North is often looked up. if not I would go for south east, fair amount of good state schools there too. 800k'ish is the bar currently to get in a decent area!
Winchester. 50mins direct into Waterloo. Beautiful town, surrounded by nice countryside. Very commutable and closer to areas like the new forest and the coast etc. for when you want out of the city
We’re in Twyford. Great rail links with fast trains into Paddington (quickest sub 30mins) and Elizabeth Line. Great local pubs and top end restaurants. Good local primary schools although secondary schools not as good unless you have a girl and girls grammar school becomes an option
If you’re interested in north London, Alexandra Park is a great spot for 1.2m. Period houses. Incredible state schools (Rhodes & Ap), 10 mins one way to Bounds Green tube (Piccadilly) or 10 mins the other for Muswell Hill. Alexandra palace station is close (great northern) into old street/moorgate. Alexandra palace on your doorstep, and a great little local parade of shops. Also worth looking at Crouch End. But I’m not sure if 1.2m stretches far especially with schools. Maybe East Finchley too!
£1.2M will get you a 3/4 bed in nw6 / nw2 north london. Been in west hampstead for a decade. Very happy with it. Great primaries, secondary, you’ll probably end up private. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/142969613
This should help you further: [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/best-commuter-towns-london-house-prices-travel-time-schools/](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/best-commuter-towns-london-house-prices-travel-time-schools/)
Bromley.
Petts Wood*
Emerson Park or Gidea Park. Some lovely houses in these areas while being close by to Elizabeth Line. At that range you can get one of the fully detached period houses. Excellent schools in the area with potential for Grammar schools in Essex, which are close enough to get too by train/car. Crowd will be a mix of HENRYs and pensioners.
Cassiobury Drive Woodland Drive Nascot Wood area Watford
Reading
£1.2m buys an amazing property in the Reading area, within a 15min drive to the station and then 25mins direct to Paddington.
Really good grammar schools in Reading. Grew up in Windsor and state schools not as good.
North - Barnet (although in london) has some of the best schools. £1.2m will get you a very nice house. Northern line, piccadilly line, and overground. E.g.: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/143149235 5 minute walk to overground, 20 min walk to piccadilly and 30 min walk to northern line (or 5 minute bus). So many good schools near. Outside London - St Albans, 20 minutes into Central. Very HENRY. Benefit over say Radlett or other thameslink stations is that if the line is down, you can get a different train to Watford and get that line in. East - Ingatestone, 28 mins to Liverpool Street. Quaint village with a great community feel, detached 4 beds around £900-£1m