Reigate or Redhill?
 

Hi everyone, I’m hoping someone can help me. We’re moving back to the UK in January, and I’m looking at places to live on the line to Victoria. Never lived down south before so it’s hard to know where to start looking!

Anyway, at the moment I’m very interested in Reigate, mainly because Reigate School has got a great Ofsted report - my daughter will be in Year 9 when we go back, so finding a place with a nice school for her is the most important thing really.

Can anyone tell me anything about Reigate as a place to live? Does anyone know anything about Reigate School? Also, Redhill seems so close, is that a nice place to live?

Thanks very much, any help appreciated.

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

Hi ya,

We used to live in Redhill and I worked in Redhill.

Redhill is practical for many things but no where near as nice Reigate. Reigate will be more expensive I think.

Not as many trains going to Reigate if I recall. Lots to Redhill.

Not sure this helps just a quick reply.

Good luck with the move

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

Depends on your budget. Given the choice Reigate, it is more sophisticated, Redhill is like an over sized council estate. Went to school there but would never have lived there. Snobbish I know, but it is what it is.

Look at outlying villages such as Oxted, Merstham, Nutfield. South Park & Woodhatch near Reigate are not quite so pricey and OK.

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

Poppet has hit the nail on the head.

Reigate is generally regarded much more highly and the property prices generally reflect this. Redhill is seen as the poorer neighbour! Reigate High Street is pretty, cute, lots of independant stores and cafes and restaurants - nice to visit for an afternoon, but probably of not much use for 'proper' shopping.

However, good and frequent train links to London and general facilities like leisure centre, shopping, business and employment, small theatre, etc, are potentially better in Redhill (Reigate train lines go east/west I think, rather than north/south) - though the shopping is still not great in my opinion - depends if you like Pound Shops ;). Have a look at areas of Merstham and Nutfield too, but avoid the estate around Malmstone Ave (I think it's that's one anyway). Unfortunately, Redhill seems to be made up of tons of estates, or that's how it appears to me. Having said that, we have friends all over the area, and I travelled to Redhill all the time for my hairdresser!!

Places in the good schools across the area are fought hard for - have you enquired as to whether there actually would be a place for Year 9 yet? I don't want to put a dampner on you but I suspect waiting lists would be long. And there seems no middle ground with the schools - it's either great or pretty poor. Seems the way all over Surrey to be honest :unsure:

I love Reigate and the surrounding areas and if we did ever return, I suspect we would also need to look at those places with good train links to London, and we would also be considering Epsom & Ewell, Banstead, Reigate & Redhill, and Dorking, Leatherhead, Ashtead areas - all well worth a look in my opinion.

Good luck with it all. Pretty area :thumbup:

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

Hi there

Would agree with the others, Reigate is a much nicer area than Redhill! Epsom et al all nice but with house prices to match. I grew up in Epsom but from what I hear these days the town is pretty much a no-go area at night - such a shame. Redhill has it's fair share of trouble on a Fri/Sat night with the night club in town etc.

Why not look at Horley? It's only a few more minutes down the rail track and the houses are cheaper. Nice and handy for the airport as well for hols! Shops in Horley were pretty useless apart from Waitrose etc so you'd need to go to Crawley for anything other than day to day stuff although I did notice last year a new coffee bar had opened - woo hoo! Two nice pubs - The 6 Bells and The Farmhouse.

The senior school in Horley used to have a pretty bad reputation but the headmaster a few years ago turned it around and became really good. Can't say what it is like now as friends kids have all left.

The only problem with Reigate as stated is that the train line it's on is a East to West so you'd have to go into Redhill and change.

Dorking is lovely but so are the house prices, usually people live in North Holmwood on one the new housing estates.

Good luck with your quest for a new home!

KK

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

Thank you so much everyone for taking the time to reply, it’s so helpful.

As I said, although I’m looking on the line to Victoria as a starting point, my number one priority is a decent school for our daughter. I feel bad enough for her having to move at such a crucial time, and in the middle of a school year. I just want it to be as easy for her as possible. We’re going to be renting for the next couple of years, so I know we might have to pay more to get near a nice school. Ann, I haven’t got to the stage where I’m asking schools if they have places – one headmistress I spoke to who was very helpful said that the local authorities won’t really do anything for overseas kids until they’re actually back in the country. This is my dilemma. We’re free to move pretty much anywhere, and will move anywhere if it gets her into a reasonable school, but there’s no point in moving somewhere if we don’t know what school we might end up with.

My theory is to find an area (maybe within 5 miles of one of the stations for Victoria) where there is only one school, and that school is decent – hopefully avoiding the risk of being sent somewhere else. Shops and anything else like that are of secondary importance at the moment. Reigate had stood out because I thought it only had one school, but since posting I realized there is another one not nearly as good. Although it’s in Redhill, it’s only 2 miles away from the other one, I’m worried that even if we live in Reigate, the Reigate school won’t have any spaces and we’ll just get sent to the Redhill School.

I am wondering if I’m getting too obsessed with these ofsted reports though! It’s been a long time since we were in England and I’m not sure at all about high schools, or what to expect. I just want the easiest transition for my daughter.

KK – I’d looked at Horley, but the Ofsted report for the school you mentioned really put me off. I’ll carry on looking at all these other places you’ve all mentioned, and if anyone has any other suggestions about places or schools (or if I’m placing too much importance on the ofsted reports), I’d love to hear them.

Thanks again everyone.

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

I live in Ewell and have done all my life (except for a few months in Oz). It's a great area to live in and on the Victoria and Waterloo lines (approx half hour journey).
My kids went to Blenheim High and got on really well there. All of them passed all their GCSE's and my youngest is awaiting the results of her AS Levels. Ewell is in a great catchment area for several very good schools. Apart from Blenheim, there is Rosebery (for girls), Glyn (for boys) and several other mixed sex schools.
House prices - well, they have dropped as everywhere else has. I'm selling my 4 bed semi for £430K. 3 bed semi's are going for anything between £245K and £390K.
In Ewell itself, there is plenty of fab restaurants and loads of parkland around.
In Epsom, a mile away, there is a multi screen cinema, a shopping centre, golf clubs and many bars/restaurants. House prices there are similar to Ewell.
Reigate is approx 5 miles away just the other side of the M25 motorway. House prices outside the M25 are usually slightly cheaper.
I'm thinking of moving to Ashtead or Leatherhead which are both a couple of miles from here. Both of these towns are really pretty and again are on the Victoria and Waterloo lines.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you need any more info.
Julie. x

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

:)

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

As above - the likelihood of getting a place at either of Rosebery or the Glynn is less than remote


That use to be so true Ann, but now so many people are trying to get their kids into Blenheim that it's easier to get your kids into Rosebery or Glyn than it used to be. Blenheim is soooo oversubscribed now. Each year they have around 180 places to fill but around 300+ trying to get in. I don't envy parents trying to get their kids into high school nowadays. I'm so glad that those days are over. Now I have to get my youngest a Uni place for next year. :fingerscrossed: Not going to be easy :unsure:

Julie. x

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

I used to live and go to school in Nutley and then moved to Uckfield.
While i dont recommend Uckfield as a town to live in the outlying villages are great especially Nutley and Maresfield. My dad still lives in High Hurstwood and I have taken the train from Buxted station to London Bridge a few times this year when i was over from New York for IT training which is very handy and about an hour commute.

My dad (from Reigate/Redhill area) did live in Dormansland (near lingfield, or lindfield i dont remember), for a few years which was also not bad and has railwayline but not sure what service it is. I think his girlfiends daughter went to Oxted by train from there but she may already have been attending when they moved in together, she used to live in Smallfield.

My mother also lived in East Grinstead for a couple of years before she moved over here with me in New York, that had really good rail connection to London and was handy for Gatwick but is very pricey.

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

Thanks again everyone for these helpful replies. I’m not sure I’ve managed to narrow down my search much though – the suggestions have just made my list longer! My shortlist is now Dorking, Leatherhead, Epsom, Ewell, and Reigate. Fortunately, we’re going to England for a couple of weeks at the end of September, so we can visit everywhere and also go and see some of the schools to see what the situation is. There is one more place that I’ve got on my list at the moment – Woking. Can anyone tell me if Woking is generally a nice area?

Ann, you mentioned your discussions with the admissions officer about this catch22 situation. What was the outcome? Do you just have to bite the bullet, move somewhere and then hope that somewhere has a place? Also, you mentioned that the Warwick has improved a lot in recent years – so it’s ok now?

Julie, Epsom & Ewell sounds lovely from what you’ve said, and the good schools sound great, but the thing that worries me is Epsom & Ewell High School – it sounds terrible from its ofsted report – is it really as bad as it sounds?

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

Woking is OK, but quite built up. Some of the outlying areas are are quite nice, not somewhere I'd go to as a first choice. Now you've added Dorking to your list, I'd go there in a heartbeat if I were going to return to the UK. Take a look out on the Westcot Road, Punch Bowl Lane, Ashcombe Road area, also between Dorking & Leatherhead is quite nice, Westhumble & Mickleham. If you stay in Dorking, there is a nice old world hotel, 'The White Horse' It is smack in the middle of town, another is the Burford Bridge, which is between Leatherhead and Dorking.

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

Have you thought about Tonbridge? Heaps of good schools here & the train into London is good with a frequent service to Charing Cross, London Bridge & Waterloo?

Having said that, we're heading for Oz at the first opportunity, but the kids have been happy in Tonbridge. Tunbridge Wells, next stop up is the posher version, with prices to match...

Oh & the reason I clicked on the link is that we also looked at Reigate & Redhill too for the schools, but soon learned the waiting lists were unreal!

Best ofluck :)

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

I wouldn't be so crude as to ask your budget for housing, but Surrey is still an expensive area of the country - I think - even with some house price drops over the past year. However, if you want to live in the South East with easy commutes to London, I have to wave the Surrey flag proudly as it is a lovely, busy but green and lush county. HTH :)

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

We used to live in Brockham, it is now reputed to be the most expensive village in Surrey to live in. Shame I still don't have the houses there anymore.

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

It's that darn village green that does it! How dare it be so cute and picturesque with a church and pub and a post office? :p And then, of course, the fireworks.

I like Brockham too :thumbup:

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

Two pubs on the green - Bonfire night was mayhem. Everyone always wanted to visit then so they had somewhere to park and go afterwards for refreshments. Buckland is pretty nice as well, but getting up their in prices too.

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

Oh absolutely - hell if you lived there, and had a life, and needed to get anywhere. But everyone else within a 30 mile radius loved it. I found a good view from the top of Boxhill often worked well ;)

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

Would definately recommend a look at Oxted or Westerham (short drive to Oxted train station), which is just down the road from where we have moved back too. Good schools and very green, clean and tidy. House prices are fair, but like anywhere, if you want to be near a good school, you may need to pay a little more.

Good Luck

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

E & E High had a pretty bad reputation at one point, but they recently got a new "super headteacher" in and the school has improved big time. But this school is at the far end of Ewell (as if you are going out towards Chessington). If you are living in Ewell Village itself, it's a couple of miles away so not one that you would immediately think of sending your child to.

As another poster said, you will have to move into the area and then put your name down for a school place rather than the other way round.
I was living in Brisbane for just 3 months back in 2006. I gave up my youngest daughters school place at Blenheim High at the end of August that year. She had just finished Year 9. When we came back we presumed that she could just fit straight back in to Year 10, but the headteacher said that wasn't possible. My daughter was distraught as all her friends were there. I went to the education department at the local council and within a couple of days got a phone call from the head to say that my daughter could get back into school there. (I knew that no one had taken her place while we were away and used that as my trump card!).
As I've said before, Ewell is in the middle of some fab schools, both state and private so you should have no problem getting your daughter a place.
When you get over this way, feel free to give me a shout and I'll gladly show you around :)

Julie. x

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

Thanks everyone for these suggestions, it’s really good to hear from people with actual local knowledge. An extra problem I have though is that I have to make sure that wherever we choose is reasonably convenient for Reading (no more than a 90 minute commute) as well as Victoria. For this reason, I have to dismiss places near to the Kent border, as well as anywhere that’s a bit too far south.

Ann, yes, we will be going back this academic year – January. Like you, I’m expecting that the Priory will be the one we’re offered if we go to Dorking, so we’ll visit there and see what it’s like. I’m worried about the Warwick, and I think for that reason alone we’ll have to avoid Reigate.

Julie, you have reassured me about E & E High. As you say, there are so many great schools in the area - I’m hoping that just one will have a place. Again, maybe once we visit the schools next month, we’ll get a better idea of what the situation will be. I’m glad it worked out for you back in 2006 anyway – and thank you for your offer to show me round, I will definitely take you up on that :)

I feel like I’ve done all the research into Surrey that I can, there’s no more I can do really until we visit next month. Thanks again everyone for your help and good wishes :)

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

I used to live in Brockham too.. many years ago, remember the fireworks, well sort of.. hic.. always had a damm good party! As for areas, Dorking yes, used to live there aswell, nice town loads of shops. Agree with others Reigate over Redhill for sure. Dorking has main line rail to Victoria, try North Holmwood it's on the outskirts of Dorking and a little cheaper but nice. Horsham is quite nice too, and you don't get the Gatwick noise like Horley!

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

Thanks for these suggestions - funnily enough, I'm researching Horsham and Billingshurst at the moment, and also Wokingham - I think I'll start new threads about them though!

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

Ewell High didn't have a particularly good reptuation when I was at school....but then neither did mine (Lintons Lane :D). I did 6th form at Rosebery and most of the girls there had been groomed for uni - however, it was a few years ago now so has all probably changed!

With Horley you just have to pick your spot - we lived on Langshott and never had too much aircraft noise and the planes didn't fly over us (apart from the odd rouge one!). My friend lives in Copthorne and I would say it's noiser there.

Hope you have a good trip and recci.

KK

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

Lintons Lane aka Scrubbers Lane! Yes, I remember it well :o I was there from 75-79.

Julie. x

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

I was there 74-78 and then did 6th form at Roseberry! You must have been in the year below me then?

Oh soooo long ago now....!

KK

Reigate or Redhill?
 

Reigate is my home town, as old as the Doomsday book when it was named Churchfield, even has a castle, just a couple of old rocks now since Oliver Cromwell had his way with it.

Got laid several times in Reigate Priory.

I used to be a barman at the Angel pub many moons ago when the landlord, a bloke by the name of Bob White, used to own it.

Reigate was a happy hunting ground spent a large portion of my youth there.

I went to school in Redhill at the Redstone Secondary Modern School for Boys, now named Warwick school (I think) down Noke Drive.

Given the choice Reigate is a winner every time, Redhill is only there because of the railways and by comparison to Reigate is a new town, only 110 years old.

The rail network for Town from Redhill is excellent, but parking is a bugger.

I remember with fondness chaps coming from the trains in their bowler hats and even the fact that steam trains were used on the line.

Happy days!

Need lots of pounds for Reigate, suggest you also give Merstham a miss. Coulsdon and Purley are relatively nice.

Horley, afraid to say, is a bit of a dump with Gatwick aircraft noise +++

Re: Reigate or Redhill?
 

Coulsdon & Purley are both really nice but are to close to Croydon which is not a very nice area anymore.
Tadwoth and Epsom Downs are great areas but no high school, most commute to either Dorking, Epsom or Leatherhead.