I can’t help but notice that most of the comments on this site display a certain amount of cynicism and discontent. And that’s fine. The internet exists for people to let off steam and have a good old rant.
But since these comments are going out on the World Wide Web I thought it may be nice to show folk in Sydney or Seattle the positive side to life in our town.
So here’s a challenge. See if you can come up with 5 things you actually LIKE about living in Surbiton.
Let me start you off with my own list (in no particular order):
1. Strolling along Queens Promenade by the Thames on a sunny Autumn day. It feels like I’m on holiday.
2. Taking my 6 year-old into Puccino’s for his tea. The waitresses are lovely and always have time to chat and joke with him.
3. Gordon Bennett’s on Maple Road. Brilliant food. The best.
4. I can enjoy the peace, calm and relative safety of the Queen of the Suburbs, yet be in the heart of London in under 45 minutes.
5. Unlike many other places which are nothing more than ribbon developments following main roads, Surbiton is a ‘proper’ town in a definable space with a central hub, making it distinct from nearby Kingston. And it has a real sense of neighbourliness and community too… if you’re willing to get involved.
Comments
Best things about Surbiton?
1. Generally safe and quiet backstreets, provided you're at least one block back from the railway station and Victoria Road area.
2. Lots of good community social groups and churches, and Surbiton also has a reasonably good branch library of its own.
3. Close to Kingston which has a pleasant market square during the day, and excellent Borders bookshop, plus a handful of other new and second hand bookshops in Kingston and Hampton Wick.
4. Good road links out of London, via the A3 to the widened M25 western section.
5. Good rail links to London Waterloo for the South Bank, which itself is good for London's West End. Also good rail links to Southampton Airport, and via Clapham Junction to Gatwick Airport and Brighton. Kingston is good for buses to Heathrow.
6. Not in prominent Heathrow flight paths, unlike Putney, Richmond, Staines, Egham and Windsor - yet still not that far from the airport.
7. Countryside! There's a green corridor running all the way from the Hogsmill river between Surbiton and New Malden to the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, via the Bonesgate stream, Horton Country Park, Epsom Common, Ashtead Common and Ashtead Park. This green corridor is open to the public along its whole length, and is connected by off-road cycle trails and bridleways from Tolworth Court Bridge onwards.
I think you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere that combines such good countryside access with such good road and rail access, but which doesn't have a noise problem. Some people think that Esher and Cobham are more upmarket than Surbiton, but the reality is that Esher Common and Cobham's surrounding countryside are plagued by noise from the A3 and M25. The birds sing much more clearly in Horton Country Park, Epsom Common and along the Hogsmill.
I have just moved from the North East of England to Surbiton (one of the "Oakhill" streets behind the station) and think its great. Five things that I approve of.....
1. 15 minutes to Waterloo,it takes me much less time to get to work than my zone 2 collegues!
2. The diversity of resident, everyone fits in. (Even parrots!!!Has anyone else seen them?)
3. Not risking your life when eating at a Wetherspoons, I am a little shocked to say its not bad at all, hurrah for the cheesecake!mmm! Plus great for the last week till payday : )
4. Trees, near London, well I never! and the River Thames walk is lovely, bring on the Summer.
5. Being able to go for a night-time stroll without being scared.
However being a new resident I have a few questions.....
1. Is there a night bus back to Surbiton from London central or Clapham area?
2. Is there a pay as you go boxercise class anywhere on an evening?
3. Why won't the local council take card or paper to recycle? Its always left, I thought this was the most common recycling attribute.
4. Why does my trolly roll away while i'm trying to pay for my shopping in Sainsburys? (haha)
5. Are we any closer to being Zone 5 instead of Zone 6?
Thankyou please...
About the boxercise class - not sure if you have seen this in Surbiton - I go and it's AMAZING. Hard work but you really see the results:
www.damianfisher.co.uk
Welcome to Surbiton! I'm not surprised you've moved down here as the North East of England is a sh*thole.
I am glad that you are enjoying the area. I have been here for years, and love it. Seeing positive comments may illustrate tp other how lucky they are.
In answer to a few of your questions:
1. There is no direct night bus to Surbiton, but you can get several to Kingston, and then walk or get the 24hour 281 back to Surbiton.
2. Maybe at the dreaded YMCA. I cannot think of anywhere else.
3. I think they will when they move to 2 weekly bin collections. Kingston Council get there in the end, just a few years after everyone else.
5. I don't think it will ever happen (although it should)
What was Hooleys,I cannot remember ever seeing it.
Another place to eat must be the last thing Surbiton needs,now an Ann Summers might be interesting.
Hooley's was a deli. I think the thing that Surbiton needs is more quality eateries, and less of the kebab shops and fast food places.
The only new shop I would like to see in Surbiton is a WHSmith to replace the awful Martin's store. This, combined with Waitrose, Woolworths, Boots and the few independent retailers left would provide all of the 'every day' type shopping that is necessary. I am happy to drag myself the whole mile to Kingston if I need anything more.
I see a new café, curiously called Three Peas in a Pod, has opened in Brighton Road where Hooleys used to be. Has anyone eaten there yet? Just wondered what it's like.
We've just started promoting nominations for the Best / Worst cafés in Surbiton. Let everyone know what you think.
Surbiton.com webmaster
I saw this today as well. I have not eaten there yet, but it looks nicer than most of the Brighton Road collection of greasy spoons, kebab shops etc. Hopefully, it will last a bit longer than Hooleys.
Obviously you have not been into "5 peas in a pod", they do excellent food - it is not a long lingering lunch venue, However what it does it does very well.
Having moved to Surbiton last July, I must say that I love it. A great mix of younger and older couples and Maple Road is just amazing. I live on Lovelace Road in one of the remaining older homes and I have a 96 year old neighbour who has lived here all of her life. I am 36 and I am so lucky to have moved next to such a character. We often meet for a few G&Ts and she tells me how things have changed.
My five Favourite things
Walking along the Thames - Amazing
Our train station - always reminds me of being in a Hercule Poirot movie
The Florist by the station - she is amazing and the flowers really last
The New French coffee shop/deli - scrummy
The People - everyone always has a nice word to say - it means a great deal. I was in Guildford for 6 years and the lived around the world - but I like Surby people - we have a nice life!
Adam
I'm in the process of buying a flat in Surbiton - my first step on the property ladder (I'm 28!). I've been renting in Kennington for 3 years now, and it took me less than an afternoon to realise that I wanted to buy in Surbiton. Kennington has some lovely areas, but an equal number of nasty local authority places with lots of rubbish on the streets, dodgy looking loiterers and frequent news reports of stabbings, shootings, muggings etc.
I stark contrast everyone in Surbiton seemed so friendly (so many cars stopping to let you cross the street!) there is very little litter, people clearly take much more pride in their properties/ gardens. I'm originally from a (nice leafy) suburb in Birmingham and Surbiton reminded me of that for very good reasons. I hope my impression of that is correct.
I think your impression is exactly right. as someone mentioned earlier in this thread, one of the purposes of forums such as these is to allow people to vent their anger at issues.
In objective terms, Surbiton is a superb place to live - leafy, friendly and with a fantastic set of amenities compared to most of the rest of London.
This is not to say that it is perfect, as there are plenty of things that could be improved, just that it is better than most places.
I am 29 years old, was born in Kingston hospital, grew up in Thames Ditton, have lived in Berrylands and Tolworth in recent years and last week moved back to Thames Ditton into a flat with my girlfriend.
In my opinion, the whole area (Kingston, Surbiton and Thames Ditton) is brilliant.
1 - You can get into town real easy. My ex used to live in Greenwich (Zone 2) yet it took her longer to get to where we used to work (Southbank) than me! Trains from Surbiton seem to come every 5 minutes - and a fast train will get you into Waterloo in about 18 minutes.
2 - Shopping. You don't really need to leave the area. Kingston has just about everything you'll ever need.
3 - Going out...Surbiton for civilised cafes and restaurants, Kingston for nights out on the town and the cinema. Thames Ditton for a drink by the river on a summer's day. The area has everything you need.
4 - Whilst it doesn't take long to get into town, you're still far enough out to enjoy some greenery and not have to worry about things like gun crime.
5 - I'm not yet ready to buy...but the rent is far more affordable than that of a lot of my colleagues who live closer to London - yet I think the Surbiton area is far superior!!
I am forever extolling the virtues of our area to people...I think Kingston council should pay me a yearly fee.
I love the walk by the river to Kingston and beyond.
I like the fact that there are so many trains to London as it makes it easier for me to get to work
I enjoy the festival that is held every year in September
There are lots of buses as well
I have met some nice people at the congregation at St Marks
I think that point 5 is very valid, but has not yet been mentioned.
Surbiton seems expensive compared to similar places further out of London, but is very cheap compared to those further in. This seems to be purely based on the fact that Surbiton (and Kingston) are off the tube network.
I know people who live in places like Balham and Tooting, who are constantly surprised that my commute into London takes less time than theirs. People who do not know the area assume that it is miles out of London, with trains that take an hour to get back!
The fact that you can rent a good two bedroom flat for under £1k per month in Surbiton represents quite a bargain in my opinion. Similar flats would be at least £1,500 per month in the nicer areas closer in. For Surbiton money, you would have to live in the poorer areas to get closer in (i.e. Acton, Streatham or Tooting rather than Chiswick, Clapham or Balham). I know where I would rather be!
Oh good,perhaps i will saunter down for a butchers an urban village fate(sic)sounds too good to miss.
I got out and went back to urban living proper in Pimlico.
No white gloves but pleasing lack of "street furniture" and a surprisingly village feel to the area now all the chavs have colonised Surbiton
Moan, moan, moan.
We seem to have strayed. This thread is entitled '5 Things I Love about Surbiton' by way of an attempt to be positive about the place we live. Come on gang, rise to the challenge...
OK, what about the Surbiton festival? Anyone love it?
I did not notice it,when was it?
It has been on all of this week, but not much seems to happen until the finale which is on Victoria Road this coming Saturday.
I go each year for a short time, but it always feels like an urban version of a village green fete.
Why is Surbiton high street such a ghastly clutter of street furniture,a useless epoint console and horrendous pavement greasy spoons occupied by some pretty unsavoury looking characters?
Is this what we are coming too "binge life style with mobile phone cackling" thrown in?
Where are the ladies in white gloves quietly shopping the gentlemen who used to wear a tie with a suit?
Sadly it has all gone as has the bus queue by Waitrose,replaced by a third world style random circulating mob ready to dive onto the arriving bus.
'third world style random mob'
YOU dear fellow, are a bigot of the highest order.
Suburbiton needs less racists not more, hang up your judgement cap for a while and try to enjoy the 21st century...
[quote=Anonymous]'third world style random mob'
YOU dear fellow, are a bigot of the highest order.
Suburbiton needs less racists not more, hang up your judgement cap for a while and try to enjoy the 21st century... [/quote]
Doh… what’s bigotry and racism got to do with that post?
Just another chance to wave the lefty flag!
Guess what, it's been happening for centuries.
It's known as the urbanisation of the suburbs. You're getting old, and so is Surbiton. Live with it or move out.
I agree, but one thing confuses me - there does not seem to be a great deal of building work going on in Surbiton, perhaps the odd house here and there, and a few larger houses being converted into flats. If anything, prices have gone up in relation to the surrounding areas lately, so where do all of these extra people come from.
I think the thing is that it tends to be more the 'noticeable' people (hoodies and 'hip-hop' types) that are in the ascendancy. The population as a whole is not growing, but it seems busier because there are more of the people who make a nuisance of themselves around. It still does not really answer the question of where they are living, though?
Getting back on track, my favourite things about Surbiton:
1. Fast train link into Waterloo
2. Friendly atmosphere for a London suburb (notwithstanding the above comment - it is still way better than most.)
3. Parks all around (Home Park, Bushy Park and Richmond Park all very close by)
4. The River
5. Kingston within a 10 minute walk (I wouldn't want it any further away or any closer)
There is a saying you may have come across in your close minded travels through life, "dont judge a book by its cover" yes some hoodie toting scoundrels rob and pillage communities but they affect alot less people than the £1000 suit wearing cheats who rinse entire sections of the population of their pensions and yes to answer the question you might be cogitating I am partial to a nice warm hoodie on occasion....
Fried or boiled?
Just joking,i have undertaken a a token study of what it is like to wear a hoodie.I agree it keeps your head dry in the rain but otherwise my trial period of wearing it was awful.
I had no peripheral vision to speak of, so crossing roads was a nightmare,people did seem to glare at me more than normal.
Sounds became distorted and a doppler effect became noticeable in certain wind conditions all in all i cannot see why anyone would ever want to wear a hoodie,UNLESS you wished to obscure your features and why on earth would anyone want to do that?
People should be allowed to wear what they like without glares from passers-by.
It is a shame that the hoodie has been vilified as the sole preserve of those up to no good, but as you rightly say, there is no reason for ever wanting to wear one with the hood up unless the weather is really bad or to hide the face.
I moved to Surbiton just over a month ago from battersea fter getting sick of the crime, violence and general decline in the area, most of the resons you give above were part of the reason we chose Surbiton over other areas.
Yesterday, two of the flats in my building were burgled, please tell me i haven't made a horrible mistake coming here, so far everything else looked good and i thought i had found a real oasis away from the chav/pikey element which has ruined Battersea, i live in the Cranes Park/Elmers Avenue area
All comments/advice/opinions welcome
Sorry to hear about the burglaries, but you have not made a mistake in moving here. Burglaries can happen anywhere, and living in a block of flats you are probably marginally safer than living in a house as well. If the block has had a high turnover of tenants, it is worth looking at getting the communal locks changed annually to ensure that there are not too many unnecessary keys in existence.
I do not think that Surbiton has a high burglary rate compared to other areas, and there will be less opportunists/drug addicts randomly breaking into people's houses as you would have in Battersea.
Surbiton is not chav/pikey free, but I think that it has less of these type of people hanging around than most similar areas, partly because the attractions of Kingston are so close.
Unfortunately, to get somewhere much safer than Surbiton, you would need to move to a village in deepest Kent/Surrey, and not have the amenities and fast train link on your doorstep. This is obviously not tenable for most people who are not retired.
You have not made a mistake in the area but sadly some blocks are now virtually all "buy to let" and thus the control and social niceties of flat dwelling are lacking.
In my own block we have had fights,doors smashed and foul language as part of every day life and this is near the station in a block where flats are priced at £250/£350K.
It is up to buy to let landlords and the managing agents to sort out but they rarely bother as the tenants move on within a year.
It is crazy, isn't it? Whenever I see these type of people in Surbiton, it is usually outside Wetherspoons or St Marks Tavern. I always assume they are apprentice builders or 'economically inactive'. The fact that they hold down jobs earning enough to rent £1,000 per month flats never ceases to amaze me.
I often wonder about this as well. Surbiton is quite an affluent area, full of expensive flats in the town centre, and only slightly cheaper housing in the surrounding area. With this in mind, you do seem to see quite a high proportion of the 'random' type people that you are talking about hanging around in the town centre.
Granted, a lot of them get off the train at Surbiton purely to get into Kingston on the bus, and the YMCA contibutes more than it's fair share of problem people, but where do all of the rest of them come from?
I think that the halcyon days that you refer to have gone everywhere in the UK, not just in Surbiton.
A 4 Bed house sold in THE MALL within in 6 days for £800k (asking price)
These arnt 'sqwiffs' moving to Surbiton from London
This now seems fairly standard for this part of town. I have been looking for a house on one of the river roads. I have recently seen two 3 bed semis on The Mall sell quickly for £650k+, and two 4 bed semis for c.£800k each.
Even the smaller Victorian terraces on Cleaveland Road are now commonly seen on the market in excess of £500k.
I know that it is the best area of Surbiton to live (imo), but these price increases are ridiculous. There is a road in Berrylands where the houses are the same as the ones in The Mall, but these seem to sell for about £450k - so The Mall commands a 50%+ price increase over a similar road only a mile or so away. This must increase to 65-70% when compared to similar houses in Tolworth.
I think that it is partly driven by the fact that there are so few houses there (river road flats only seem to be about 10-15% more than the rest of Surbiton), and partly because Londoners moving down to Surbiton do not want (or need) to compromise. If they are going to move down here, they want to live in the best part of town, and £7-800k is not a massive amount to people who have sold a house in more expensive areas like Clapham etc.
Although Berrylands has a Train Station, its in the middle of nowhere
No large shops, no schools to hand, no walks along the river to Kingston, or boat over to Hampton Court, no pubs (erm ok one), no buses every minute
Surbiton is built-up of flats and family sized houses come at a premium with a touch of class
Well said,Berrylands is an inland Bexhill,full of retired law abiding,tax paying voters.
It is just not the sort of place anyone with any life left in them would choose to live and prospective house buyers should look elsewhere and leave Berrylands to quietly get on with its own tempo and mercifully reasonable house prices.
I am not sure I would agree with that. I think that Berrylands is an excellent environment for those with a young family.
It is much cheaper than Surbiton itself, but provides good sized family homes with gardens. Sure, it is a bit boring, but how often are parents with young children going to spend a night out in London (or even Surbiton!) anyway. On the occasion that they do, it is cheap enought to get a cab to Surbiton.
I like boring,it usually means its devoid of all attractions that normally attract low lifes.
Sadly the reasonable house prices will become widely known and be pushed up by incoming SUV driving refugees from Fulham,quickly followed by even more skips,turning 2 bed into 3/4;3 into 4 and 4 into 5.Basement excavations will soon follow.
Please lets keep Berrylands out of the limelight so those of us who live there can enjoy it while it lasts.
i agree, i live on ditton road and have to say the walk through southborough is just what i need before heading into the mayhem of central london where i work, i like the fact its old fashioned and not full of hoodies and smack heads which kingston is like (we just moved from there)
If Surbiton had the District Line extended from either Richmond or Wimbledon and given an SW postal area it would be almost perfect and rival the London villages of Blackheath,Wimbledon and Dulwich.
Sadly that would push up house prices and attract the wrong sort,even more Fulham farmers would move in.
So perhaps the best thing about Surbiton is that it is in a gentle decline and acquiring a patina of well ordered respectability apart from near the YMCA.
I think an SW postcode is the last thing that we need.
There are quite a lot of people moving down from Clapham and Battersea etc to Surbiton citing increased violence and general decline in those areas as one of the main reasons for doing so, as well as the cheaper house prices.
There are still a lot of these people who refuse to move down to Surbiton because it is 'out in the sticks' or because of it's 'Good Life' reputation. Making Surbiton appear cooler will attract more people, pushing up house prices, and before you know it Surbiton will be the place to move out of because of increased violence etc.
I don't agree that Surbiton is in any type of decline. Yes, The high street is poor, but it has been for the last 15 years at least - it is better now if anything.
I know it is a cliche, but the number of new bars and coffee shops in the area, and the amount of building and home improvement work that is going on show that the area is not in decline.
When I first moved to the area 15 years ago, Surbiton was seen as the cheaper alternative to Kingston. It has now surpassed Kingston in terms of price (for smaller properties at least), due to it's ability to combine good transport links with good amenities for 25-40 year olds.
Good idea. I agree with most of the above, but my 5 would have to be:
1. Maple Road area - Having a nice place to go for something to eat or drink without being hassled by the dregs of society you get in most towns. It is great in Gordon Bennett, Rubicon, Da Lucio, French Table, and now even the Grove.
2. Train service - Turn up and go service that takes you to Waterloo in under 20 minutes, and you can get back upto 1am, which isn't bad for zone 6.
3. The river - Nothing is nicer than a walk along the river to Kingston, or taking the ferry across from Harts for a walk in Home Park.
4. Proximity to Kingston - As mentioned above, there is a fantastic range of shopping and entertainment in Kingston, but this means that it attracts a lot of 'the wrong sort'. Walk 10 minutes towards Surbiton, and you leave it all behind.
5. Shopping - Victoria Road may be a bit scruffy, but the central area offers a Waitrose, M&S, Woolworths and Boots which means I can do all of my 'necessity' shopping without having to go to Kingston. Kingston is nice when browsing for luxuries, but who wants to stand in a queue for toileteries?
For me, Surbiton offers a great combination of everything.
I am not sure that I would agree with the inexpensive proerty comment, though. I was startled to see a standard 1930's 3 bed semi sell within a week for over £700k recently in The Mall. Perhaps that is not expensive to someone moving down from inner London, but I guess it would be to most other people. If anything, expensive property in the nice part of Surbiton is the main significant downside of the place.
The convenience of Kingston's shops and nightlife without have to live in there.
That old woman on her micro scooter.
Inexpensive property and good rail links.
Plenty of Chemists
Sorry thats about it for me.
It is good to hear the positive qualities, which are ones we seek, we are thinking of moving to Surbiton from Hyde Park, and one query we have is about the schools, although Kingston schools have fine reputation. We have a 3 year old and one on the way. At present the nursery and prospective primary school in our part of London are about 100 yards away.
We are interested in hearing about good quality schools and nurseries which we can get into without having lived next door and gone to church since our child was born. and preferrably one you can walk to and where a nursery or after school club can pick up where a morning or afternoon only primary school does not cover.