The area around the Kingston Gate of RiP nice place to live?

menthel · April 2014

Anyone live in the area around the Kingston gate of RiP? We are idly looking at moving options and it would seem there are nicely sized properties that we could afford in that area. Raynes Park has gone bonkers and despite it making our house shoot up in value, it means anything that would be a decent improvement is unaffordable.

Good schools? At the moment the boy is in a private school but we are not adverse to him going to a state school. Transport links? Don't look great on maps but then we are used to the great links from Raynes Park. Amenities? Decent local shops etc or is it a trip into Kingston?

asprilla · April 2014

I can think of at least three board members who live round there.

ugo.santalucia · April 2014

Mostly residential, not many shops you want to walk in... there should be good schools judging by the number of kids at peak time... close to A & E if your wife decides to stab you, so that's handy...
Otherwise a trip into Kingston... which is walking distance, kind of a long walk

menthel · April 2014

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Mostly residential, not many shops you want to walk in... there should be good schools judging by the number of kids at peak time... close to A & E if your wife decides to stab you, so that's handy...
Otherwise a trip into Kingston... which is walking distance, kind of a long walk

Thought that might be the case. Hopefully the wife won't stab me but it might be nice for her if she is assigned a clinic at Kingston when she becomes a consultant...

Anyone with kids in the area with school experience?

veronese68 · April 2014

I, and a few others here, live between Kingston Gate and Kingston Station in the maze of victorian roads. I love it. It's a short walk into Kingston, likewise to the park, the river is close by as well. Yet it is very quiet and the kids can play in the street. Very good primary schools in the area, secondary schools not so good at the moment, unless they get into Tiffins. But there is another secondary school opening in the area in a year or so. A few good pubs as well, talking of which I think we're going to one next Thursday if you want to check out the area.
We've lived in our house for 18 years now and have no desire to live anywhere else. I know several people that rented in the area and wound up buying a house just down the road.
Did I mention that I like it round there?
How old are your kids regarding schools?

menthel · April 2014

Veronese68 wrote:

I, and a few others here, live between Kingston Gate and Kingston Station in the maze of victorian roads. I love it. It's a short walk into Kingston, likewise to the park, the river is close by as well. Yet it is very quiet and the kids can play in the street. Very good primary schools in the area, secondary schools not so good at the moment, unless they get into Tiffins. But there is another secondary school opening in the area in a year or so. A few good pubs as well, talking of which I think we're going to one next Thursday if you want to check out the area.
We've lived in our house for 18 years now and have no desire to live anywhere else. I know several people that rented in the area and wound up buying a house just down the road.
Did I mention that I like it round there?
How old are your kids regarding schools?

Sounds like you might like living in the area!

My son is in reception at present (4 1/2) so it would not be a great trauma to move him. We also have no realt aversion to paying for education so secondary schools being not so great could be seen past.

We don't really want to leave Raynes Park as it is also a great place to live but it looks like we can't afford the jump in house size here that would be meaningfully different.

How are transport links to get into town (apart from bike obviously!)?

I will look into the possibilities for next thursday, although the diary does look a little full already...

veronese68 · April 2014

I'm surprised houses are cheaper than in Raynes Park, depends what side of the tracks I guess. We nearly bought a house in one of the apostles, but that fell through. The house we bought is a bit smaller but we prefer the area. The house in Kingston was £20k more expensive. Doesn't sound like a lot now, but it was a significant percentage of the price then. My parents live in what used to be Raynes Park but is now referred to as West Wimbledon so I spent my childhood there.
Secondary schools are good, just massively oversubscribed and not as local. Tiffin is the nearest and is a grammar school so entry is only by entrance exam results. Kingston Grammar is fee paying.
Trains to Waterloo are not as frequent as from Raynes Park, the line splits a couple of times as you head out towards Norbiton. But they are still often enough not to be a problem. Kingston Station is a similar distance to walk, but is one zone further out I believe.
There is another Genesis Equilibrium in the area, but it's red so inevitably faster.

menthel · April 2014

Veronese68 wrote:

I'm surprised houses are cheaper than in Raynes Park, depends what side of the tracks I guess. We nearly bought a house in one of the apostles, but that fell through. The house we bought is a bit smaller but we prefer the area. The house in Kingston was £20k more expensive. Doesn't sound like a lot now, but it was a significant percentage of the price then. My parents live in what used to be Raynes Park but is now referred to as West Wimbledon so I spent my childhood there.
Secondary schools are good, just massively oversubscribed and not as local. Tiffin is the nearest and is a grammar school so entry is only by entrance exam results. Kingston Grammar is fee paying.
Trains to Waterloo are not as frequent as from Raynes Park, the line splits a couple of times as you head out towards Norbiton. But they are still often enough not to be a problem. Kingston Station is a similar distance to walk, but is one zone further out I believe.
There is another Genesis Equilibrium in the area, but it's red so inevitably faster.

Thanks for that. I live in the apostles at present and the house prices have gone crazy- they have gone up at least 50% since we bought 5 years ago. Looking on rightmove etc houses of a decent size are cheaper in Kingston etc than Raynes Park. I think its probably due to the knock on effect from wimbledon, the transport links we have being so good (trains to Waterloo every 3-5 minutes during the week) and the regeneration that is going on. Still, the price increases are crazy!

Much to think about and consider!

davmaggs · April 2014

If you are interested in getting into town, then you'd probably want to look at Surbiton as the Kingston line is slow.

Surbiton houses tend to be larger than Kingston ones for the same money. Surbiton also keeps you out of the shopping related traffic jams of Kingston when going about daily life, but remains close enough for you to pop into Kingston easily.

I'd say that if schools were something on your wishlist then you need to be aware that catchment areas are down to metres in the borough for primary schools. High schools less so as the borough doesn't actually have many of them, and it seems that those with money opt out of using them.

okgo · April 2014

I will point Ed-F this way, he lives very close to there.

For the record, yes, I think most of it around there is lovely, and priced accordingly.

greg66_tri_v2.0 · April 2014

ugo.santalucia wrote:

close to A & E if your wife decides to stab you, so that's handy...

Hmm. Less so if you decide to stab your wife, I suppose.

menthel · April 2014

Thanks all, appreciated. Not too fussed about speed into town, just the ability to do it when required. I also don't really like Surbiton for some reason but the area near RiP has a nice appeal to it! Still, when the time comes I am sure we will throw our net as wide as we really want to and see what comes up. Hopefully something bigger with off street parking for a single car. And plenty of room for bikes!

okgo · April 2014

davmaggs wrote:

If you are interested in getting into town, then you'd probably want to look at Surbiton as the Kingston line is slow.

Surbiton houses tend to be larger than Kingston ones for the same money. Surbiton also keeps you out of the shopping related traffic jams of Kingston when going about daily life, but remains close enough for you to pop into Kingston easily.

I'd say that if schools were something on your wishlist then you need to be aware that catchment areas are down to metres in the borough for primary schools. High schools less so as the borough doesn't actually have many of them, and it seems that those with money opt out of using them.

Prices in Surbiton have also gone mental, though.

You cannot seem to get much house in Surbiton worth living in for less than £700k.

The reason I went to the area between Tolworth and Surbiton (Ellerton Rd area) is because its slightly more affordable and still easy to get to the station, and there is a decent housing stock for when I may want to move from maisonette to house but even there now, is bordering silly, 2 beds flats going for over £360k, any 3 bed semi is £500k minimum, and for that its going to be 1k sq ft, there are now I think two properties on those roads over £1million, staggering considering Tolworth is a total dump and that is what is on the road signs.

One of surbiton's issues is that actually, there are not that many houses there when you think about it. House wise - anything down a river road over 2 bed is going to be near a million if not over, most are small cottages less than 1k sq ft, anything bigger down the Mall etc will be £1million+, anything down roads like Victoria Avenue where there is some central housing stock is over a million now, 4 bed semi down there on at £1.25 million currently. Anything in the Southborough area is usually large and over a million if not 2-3.

So options wise (unless you have near a million) you are kind of pinched towards where I am, or Berrylands which is not to my tastes (not period). I may be stating something you already know, but I am very much always looking at the market as I want to buy a house, and its rocketing. The rises you mention in Raynes Park are happening in Surbiton and surrounding areas, in some cases there are 100% prices rises in less than 5 years. 15-20% in my area is common for last year - 18 months.

I would wait a bit to be honest, it cannot continue like this. And nobody wants to buy at the top of the market!

Ed F · April 2014

It's a great place to live. Having the park within spitting distance is just wonderful, and it makes the first quarter of your commute by bike a dream.

Prices are no longer cheap though. North Kingston has been well and truly discovered. And with the influx of young families there has been tremendous pressure on school places. When my kids attended their local primary school it had three classes in each year. It has since gone up to four, and I now hear it is to increase to five classes a year. With that number of children, you begin to wonder whether the school may be losing its soul; it is much more difficult for teachers to know all of the kids and for their individual needs to be focused on and catered for. So I wouldn't move for the state schools, whether at primary or secondary level.

menthel · April 2014

okgo wrote:

davmaggs wrote:

If you are interested in getting into town, then you'd probably want to look at Surbiton as the Kingston line is slow.

Surbiton houses tend to be larger than Kingston ones for the same money. Surbiton also keeps you out of the shopping related traffic jams of Kingston when going about daily life, but remains close enough for you to pop into Kingston easily.

I'd say that if schools were something on your wishlist then you need to be aware that catchment areas are down to metres in the borough for primary schools. High schools less so as the borough doesn't actually have many of them, and it seems that those with money opt out of using them.

Prices in Surbiton have also gone mental, though.

You cannot seem to get much house in Surbiton worth living in for less than £700k.

The reason I went to the area between Tolworth and Surbiton (Ellerton Rd area) is because its slightly more affordable and still easy to get to the station, and there is a decent housing stock for when I may want to move from maisonette to house but even there now, is bordering silly, 2 beds flats going for over £360k, any 3 bed semi is £500k minimum, and for that its going to be 1k sq ft, there are now I think two properties on those roads over £1million, staggering considering Tolworth is a total dump and that is what is on the road signs.

One of surbiton's issues is that actually, there are not that many houses there when you think about it. House wise - anything down a river road over 2 bed is going to be near a million if not over, most are small cottages less than 1k sq ft, anything bigger down the Mall etc will be £1million+, anything down roads like Victoria Avenue where there is some central housing stock is over a million now, 4 bed semi down there on at £1.25 million currently. Anything in the Southborough area is usually large and over a million if not 2-3.

So options wise (unless you have near a million) you are kind of pinched towards where I am, or Berrylands which is not to my tastes (not period). I may be stating something you already know, but I am very much always looking at the market as I want to buy a house, and its rocketing. The rises you mention in Raynes Park are happening in Surbiton and surrounding areas, in some cases there are 100% prices rises in less than 5 years. 15-20% in my area is common for last year - 18 months.

I would wait a bit to be honest, it cannot continue like this. And nobody wants to buy at the top of the market!

We won't move for the money but for living needs. We bought at the top of the last boom, extended out back and did the loft and the place has still gained >50% of the money we put into it.

Also, the London market (more specifically the West London market) has its own protections built in- its simply a desirable place to live in a world city that is very close to the major airport hub- its never going to suffer the fluctuations seen elsewhere in the country.

I think the transport links hold the key really and are influential on the price rises that are seen in certain areas. I know Surbiton has gone crazy, my brother moved there a couple of years ago and their flat has really jumped in value.

menthel · April 2014

Ed F wrote:

It's a great place to live. Having the park within spitting distance is just wonderful, and it makes the first quarter of your commute by bike a dream.

Prices are no longer cheap though. North Kingston has been well and truly discovered. And with the influx of young families there has been tremendous pressure on school places. When my kids attended their local primary school it had three classes in each year. It has since gone up to four, and I now hear it is to increase to five classes a year. With that number of children, you begin to wonder whether the school may be losing its soul; it is much more difficult for teachers to know all of the kids and for their individual needs to be focused on and catered for. So I wouldn't move for the state schools, whether at primary or secondary level.

Thanks, will bear that in mind re: schools. More than happy to pay for the small class size and more intimate feel as he has at the moment. It may even be possible for him to stay where he is as its only in Wimbledon.

okgo · April 2014

Don't laugh but for such things Mumsnet is often a good source of info (especially schools, catchment and the like).

I read Tiffin has 10 applicants for each place, and some kids travel for over an hour to get there as they don't have a catchment and its based on merit.

menthel · April 2014

okgo wrote:

Don't laugh but for such things Mumsnet is often a good source of info (especially schools, catchment and the like).

I read Tiffin has 10 applicants for each place, and some kids travel for over an hour to get there as they don't have a catchment and its based on merit.

Its like my old school was even back when I left (1996). Sutton Grammar may as well have been called most of west and south London grammar!

I may send the wife onto mumsnet- not sure I can go there since I read that thread with the proctological holiday camp fixation.

anonymousblackfg · April 2014

Okgo is right to point out Surbiton has a poor supply of housing stock, either too big or too small. We chose New Malden as a discount to it but would have liked Raynes Park. I think the schools over our side are meant to be good but I think that's due to them being full of Korean kids working four times harder than everyone else.

Mumsnet is also handy if trying to decide if to book a holiday at Centreparcs just to get some censored .

menthel · April 2014

anonymousblackfg wrote:

Okgo is right to point out Surbiton has a poor supply of housing stock, either too big or too small. We chose New Malden as a discount to it but would have liked Raynes Park. I think the schools over our side are meant to be good but I think that's due to them being full of Korean kids working four times harder than everyone else.

Mumsnet is also handy if trying to decide if to book a holiday at Centreparcs just to get some censored .

And there was me trying to be subtle.

I quite like New Malden- it has the benefit of a good mix of housing, a decent Hifi shop and lots of awesome Korean food. Then again we never get that far as Cah Chi in Raynes P is absolutely awesome.

anonymousblackfg · April 2014

I was told by my Korean neighbours that Gin go gae (spelling?) was meant to be the best in that no man's land midway between us, opposite Champion Timber.

menthel · April 2014

anonymousblackfg wrote:

I was told by my Korean neighbours that Gin go gae (spelling?) was meant to be the best in that no man's land midway between us, opposite Champion Timber.

I know the one you mean, may give it a go. In fact I could do with one of those fantastic pancakes right now...

asprilla · April 2014

okgo wrote:

Don't laugh but for such things Mumsnet is often a good source of info (especially schools, catchment and the like).

I read Tiffin has 10 applicants for each place, and some kids travel for over an hour to get there as they don't have a catchment and its based on merit.

One of my neighbours kids goes to Tiffin. She leaves at about the same time in the morning as me; 7.30. The other daughter didn't get in.

veronese68 · April 2014

Asprilla wrote:

okgo wrote:

Don't laugh but for such things Mumsnet is often a good source of info (especially schools, catchment and the like).

I read Tiffin has 10 applicants for each place, and some kids travel for over an hour to get there as they don't have a catchment and its based on merit.

One of my neighbours kids goes to Tiffin. She leaves at about the same time in the morning as me; 7.30. The other daughter didn't get in.

Tiffin has more than 10 for every place quite often, it's ridiculous. My Mum knows one of the women in the office there. A prospective mother rang and was asking questions, when told there was an open evening the following week she replied that it was much too far for her to go and see it. The woman asked her why she was prepared to send her child there then. Pushy parents :shock:
My son did the exam and didn't get in, I think it was nerves on the day. He did the Sutton Grammar exam as a practice run and easily got in, but it was too far to send him in our opinion. We wound up playing the RC card and he goes to a good school Worcester Park way, cycles there most days.
Saying all that I think the entry criteria may be changing slightly in future so distance may become a factor.

okgo · April 2014

Rc card?

davmaggs · April 2014

anonymousblackfg wrote:

Okgo is right to point out Surbiton has a poor supply of housing stock, either too big or too small.

I wouldn't say that is true at all. Around the high street and riverside is old Surbiton and people pay a premium for location and ye olde housing. Around the library you have the 1920s stock, which becomes 1930s as you go into Berrylands. The houses in the Berrylands come in all sorts of sizes and prices vary dramatically depending on size, and walk to the station (Berrylands is divided into areas once you know it). Some of the gardens come in at 120+ feet, which is rare in North Kingston.

In the end it comes down to budget.

Ye Olde housing always costs more as people like the look, but as it was built before the modern era the room layouts rarely fit with modern life so you need places that have had lots of work done otherwise you are stuck in small home cleverly called a villa.

Torvid · April 2014

okgo wrote:

Rc card?

Roman Catholic

veronese68 · April 2014

okgo wrote:

Rc card?

Being half Italian I was brought up a Roman Catholic, although I'm not religious. So we went for a church school as it was the best alternative for us.

asprilla · April 2014

okgo wrote:

Rc card?

Roman Catholic I assume.

In order to avoid the crappy school round our way I've doubled my mortgage and I help out at Sunday School.

I'm such a cliche.

okgo · April 2014

@Davemags That's Berrylands though isn't it, and most people don't really class that as Surbiton (apart from possibly people that live there).

veronese68 · April 2014

Asprilla wrote:

okgo wrote:

Rc card?

Roman Catholic I assume.

In order to avoid the crappy school round our way I've doubled my mortgage and I help out at Sunday School.

I'm such a cliche.

Church attendance definitely increases at certain times of year. I always made a point of being over friendly to the priest to make sure he remembered me. If I saw him out and about I'd say hello, thankfully after the pub by the church shut he started drinking in my local.
Cliches are us.

The area around the Kingston Gate of RiP nice place to live?

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