Living in or around Colchester, Essex

lowlandsmatt

Hello all,

I am currently looking to buy in or around Colchester, Essex. I have heard lots of unfavourable things about certain parts (White City, Greenstead, Speedwell Rd etc),
Has anyone got any firsthand experience of this town/area please? Initial thoughts leading towards somewhere like Rowhedge/Wivenhoe etc...

Basically I would like somewhere quietish (no burned out cars/packs of feral dogs :eek:) and near public transport links (my gf does not drive at present).

Thank you please

Matt

Wanno

Oh god! I don't know who you have been talking to. I was only talking to a chap from Barnes today who was praising Colchester! I lived near Colchester for most of my life. It seems to have got a bad rap for being a squaddie town- yes there is a garrison there but most of it has been redeveloped now and nowadays there are less squadrons based there. It isn't necessarily a bad thing either because security is very good in the evenings and the nights out are always more fun when there is a bit of a celebratory mood. I have never seen any burned out cars of feral dogs! Colchester has some really lovely places and a lot of it is very upmarket. The castle is beautiful and the old buildings round it. Wivenhoe for example is lovely and there are some very beautiful rural areas. Just been back for the weekend. I currently live in London and am desperate to get back to that area. Coggeshall, Kelvedon and all rural areas are just stunning and very desirable. Perfect if you like listed buildings or antique shopping for example. Maldon has good links to get to trains or chelsmfor some better shopping and has some fantastic scenery and wildlife.

Like any town centre there are some rougher areas- Greenstead and those areas are less nice, but house prices are lower there. There is a higher proportion of social housing around those areas. Right in the centre Lexden is very upmarket and very expensive with lots of houses well over the milion pound mark. Near the stations there are some very nice developments of new builds or appartments suitable for young families. Schooling is also fantastic in Colchester with execllent GCSE/A Level rates if you are thinking or starting a family etc. (I went to a private school in Colchester that was very much like a super well behaved St Trinians- not likely to produce chavs or agressive yoofs.) Halstead is a little further out but very beautiful also. I am afraid I am very much a country fan but the town centre has some ok bus or train links to villages closer to Colchester.

I'm not sure how far you want to go from Colchester but if you want any further honest advice then I'm happy to help out.

shirlgirl2004

We have been looking in the Coggeshall area and Coggeshall is very expensive, Wanno mentions Lexden but in comparrison it is relatively inexpensive. We have seen houses there which appear to be very good value relative to others in surrounding areas. To be honest if you look at the prices of houses in the different areas you'll have a good idea of which are the better areas (more expensive). Make sure you look at a number of houses for each area though rather than one or two.

I too know Colchester doesn't have a great reputation so wouldn't want to live there myself. There are usually good and bad parts whereever you choose though.

egyptiangirl

Colchester is a nice place to live ( I lived there for 6 years).

It really depends on your budget as previously mentioned. Rowhedge is nice. So is the other side of town, Stanway side. The buses are quite good from most areas.

God bless Greenstead, I spent many happy years teaching at the school there.

Oh and having lived in Colchester all that time I never had any trouble so I don't know what the reputation bit is about. I can only imagine that that happens at night time as I'm not a pub/club goer so wouldn't see it.

scouting_gerbil

Well I've lived in Colchester all my life and I find that Lexden is one of the nicest areas within easy reach of the town centre, although be warned that Lexden Road gets clogged twice a day during term time, with the contract buses and yummy mummies trying to get their kids to the two grammar schools or three private schools along the road. Greenstead is one of the rougher areas but crime is relatively low level compared to other parts of Essex. As someone previously mentioned, the outlying villages are very pretty but quite expensive. Another point to remember is that Colchester does have all the main shops but you will get a better shopping experience if you head either up the A12 to Ipswich or down the A12 to Chelmsford. That said, the train links to London are second to none. And although Colchester is a garrison town, the troops don't have that much of an impact on town life, although you might see the odd helicopter flying low overhead. I'm happy to answer any more questions

lowlandsmatt

Thanks all. My budget is around £130k max, looking for 2 bed house or flat & parking with some outside space. Ideally within cycle commute to the Business Park on the northern outskirts.

charliee_3

colchester is lovely, but i know it has some rougher areas, as does anywhere.. a friend of mine bought a new build house in the hythe area. it was supposed to be nice but they had social housing on each corner and unfortunately the people living in them were basically unsocial.... screaming rows in the streets, kids running wild climbing into gardens etc, threatening behaviour.. she moved to a village..
i'd say if you see somewhere you like go and have a walk round the areas in question at differnet times of the day and night and see how it feels...you shouldnt feel scared to walk the streets where you may be living!! colchester has loads of new development and it is that bit cheaper than chelmsford being further down the mainline, good luck in your search!!

Agbe

I lived in Wivenhoe between the ages of 6 and 15, and Colchester between the ages of 15 and 18. Had a fantastic childhood. I often go back (still have many friends there who haven't left/have returned). Wivenhoe is a great place to live - pretty and quaint, and (like Colchester) very easy commute to London. Too much of a Londoner to return permanently (was born in London, and been back here since I was 18), but what I do miss about the area is that it's easy to get about walking everywhere.

The garrison thing is only noticeable if you really look for it. Remember it's also home to the (very) left-wing Essex University. There's a wide range of people there, it's small enough so that, once you know the place, you'll feel very safe walking around at night in the areas you know. I grew up hanging out at the Art Centre (used to be a bit of a punkish/gothic sort of place - don't know what it's like now). On the other side, there's the Hippodrome - never went there, bit dancey and stuff for me. And there are squaddie pubs, but you'll soon enough figure out which ones they are, and choose to use them or avoid them.

As others have said, Lexden is pretty, and the surrounding areas such as Manningtree and Mistley. And I still love Wivenhoe. (Your thread has made me feel nostalgic.) Wivenhoe is particularly good if you can "get in with" the local community. The university is there, rather than Colchester, and it's also home to quite a few artists and actors. (If that's you're kind of thing.)

Great walks, too. And Whitehouse Beach (not really a beach - more of a muddy creek) is host to many outdoor parties. Same for Hilly Fields, just opposite The Hole In The Wall (a pub in Colchester, near the Art Centre).

Also, great woods in Wivenhoe. (This thread is bringing back so many memories...)