Hi all,

I'm thinking of moving to Surbiton and would like to know what you all think about the primary school provision in the area. My daughter is only 1 year old but I need to think ahead :D

So I'd like to know which are the good schools? What are they like and how hard/easy is it to get into them?

Thanks in advance for your comments

DrBlack

Have you noticed the ad scripting at the top of this website that automatically picks up words & phrases from a page being viewed and tries to link to advertiser sites - e.g. eBay.

Made me laugh when I was looking at the armed robbery story only to see a link to eBay at the top which read:

"Discount Armed Robbery. New & used Armed Robbery.Check out the huge selection now!"

LOL!

Why have there not been any admin headlines posted since last year? Surely something must be going on in downtown Surbiton :roll:

Many on these pages have been discussing the decline of Surbiton, talking about yobs on the streets and high levels of crime.

I would conceed that there may well have been changes in Surbiton that many of you are unhappy about, but they have been caused, not by the scum and newcommers that you talk of but by yourselves!

All of you live in your little cocoons, surrounded my modern media and communication devices, and outside will be a modern form of transportation.
When you need something from the shops you will drive to waitrose car park, or into Kingston, or beyond.
When was the last time you walked to the local shops, took a stroll around our beautifull tree lined streets or took a book to the park.

Hello again,

Just to clarify a small point and give more interesting reading, No.21 Lovelace Gardens used to form part of No.8 which is now "Hursley Court". The whole property was known as "Hursley" and one can imagine how large it was.

The garden immediately to the rear of the house had brick terraces at the rear and raised brick flower beds. A path ran all around and enclosed a sculptured terraced lawn in the middle of which was a raised pond, about thirty feet in diameter, surrounded by lavender bushes and with a fountain in the middle which in turn was set in a raised bowel supported by three storks.

Having read all your past entries about the old place and thinking that I must bring myself up to date before adding anymore, I decided to visit Surbiton and take a few snapshots last Wedneday.

The first things that struck me were the number of speed cameras and the frustrating traffic congestion, far greater than just a few miles out. Then I thought it would be a good idea to park in Lovelace Gardens, as I used to, and walk into the centre.

I could not believe what I found. No space whatsoever anywhere! Had an old freind in Arlington Road not still been in residence I would have had to give up and go home. He kindly let me use his space with a visitors card.

The two cinemas were The Odeon and The Roxy up St. Marks Hill, later called The Ritz. This was a lot smaller than The Odeon where all the kids of Surbiton would gather for Saturday morning pictures. Sixpence downstairs and ninepence upstairs.

We began with popular songs of the day like "Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts"and " One Of The Roving Kind". Later the din of boos for the baddies and cheers for the goodies would follow as we watched Superman or the Cisco Kid or other exciting films. Not many people had television then.

At around mid day it would finish so we would find something else to do like go swimming at the Coronation baths in Kingston or maybe leave that until Sunday morning. There was always Oakhill woods, the Balaclava recreation ground, the ferry over to Home Park, or Whitewoods model shop where one could buy maggots and go fishing for roach off the Queen's promenade.

Hello everybody, let me see what I can remember about old Surbiton. I may miss out a few but these stick in my mind.

Starting on the south side of the railway bridge and working towards the river along the west side of upper Brighton road. Crockers the coal merchants, Mr.Gibbards workshop, then under the bridge to Vanes the taylors, Milos snack bar,Andrews Stores,Nuttings the grocers, a chemist, across Victoria Avenue to The United Dairies, a large wallpaper shop, a drapery shop, The Surbiton Aquarium, The Grove fish and chip shop, The Penguin Lounge restaraunt, The Coop shoe shop, a tool shop, across Balaclava Road to another fish and chip shop ( my favourite), The Lamb ph, Whitwoods model shop, Nunns bicycle shop and garage.

Hello, It's me again.

Just been reading more about declining standards in Surbiton. Yes. Baseball capped yobs bellowing out at night after getting drunk, throwing cans and smashing bottles and everything they can and torching cars. It happens a lot in Littlehampton just down the road. You must not lay a hand on the little darlings and the police are not interested. Unless you have got witnesses who are brave enough you may as well give up.

Once they (we) used to occupy our time at night school or have hobbies or at least do something useful and constructive and we knew how to behave with respect for law and order, but all that is past. We now have the lowest standard of education in Europe, all types of crime are rife, and our legal system is laughable. We allow anyone in our country under the pretence of asylum seeking and readily accept them if they have useful skills, because our own nationals do not receive or will not accept education to fill the vacancies. We even house and clothe them and give them money while our own youth cannot even aspire to owning their own properties one day because the price of property everywhere is increasing to ridiculous levels.

Well Hello Everybody,

I am a new boy to Surbiton.Com and came across it as I was searching for some photographic nostalgia. So sad to hear of the way it has become since I was last there in the 1990s. I grew up in the Surbiton of the 1950s and 60s. My happiest years were at St.Andrews Primary School half way down St.Andrews Road until I left there in 1955. Oh how I would love to meet up with all who were in Mrs. Durrant's class that summer.

I lived in Lovelace Gardens when it was full of huge magnificent private houses which could be bought for as little as £5,000 after WW2. Most were turned into flats and later pulled down to build more flats. Surbiton was a quiet and respectable place, no matter where one lived, and not as described in some of the forums.Yes there were the odd families who could be a bit on the loud side but we all got on and knew each other. There were snobs who thought they were something else but not quite as portrayed in "The Good Life".