What do you think of Brentwood, Essex?

nakiwala123

What do you think of Brentwood, Essex?
Hi,

We are planning to buy in the area and would like to know what people think of Brentwood in Essex and the surrounding areas. Is there any particular area that should be avoided to buy?

I love going to the parks in the area especially Weald Country Park but since we are moving from London so any input from past experiences would be appreciated.

Thank you.

loops87

Not sure about Brentwood but my sister lives in Ingatestone nearby, it seems nice, very quiet, quite middle class, lots of commuters and old people, not the most lively place ever...but then it is a village so you'd expect that I guess!:)

firstaspect

It's a nice area, I'm originally from not far away and have a lot of family in Brentwood.

Opinion

Brentwood is nice enough, lived there for a year and worked there for three. Like anywhere, it has it's less desirable areas- steer clear of the East Ham Estate, not the nicest place.

Arguably the High Street is dying, lots of shops have closed and I should think more will. The Sugar Hut bar/club re-opening has bought a lot more rowdiness back to the High Street, combined with one or two other places.

No idea if you'll be commuting to London, but if so, it might be worth looking in Shenfield as you've got the fast train from there. Bit more pricey round there, and a bit quieter.

newgirly

Brentwwod is a very nice area , I have worked there and live 15mins away.

nakiwala123

Thanks for your quick replies. I will be commuting to London so we will look at Shenfield.

How about areas like Billericay, Hutton, Warley, Pilgrim's Hatch? It is a bit further away from Brentwood but if I might be priced out of Brentwood hence the flexibility on location.

firstaspect

nakiwala123 wrote: »

Thanks for your quick replies. I will be commuting to London so we will look at Shenfield.

How about areas like Billericay, Hutton, Warley, Pilgrim's Hatch? It is a bit further away from Brentwood but if I might be priced out of Brentwood hence the flexibility on location.

Hutton is very nice. Billericay isn't so nice, you get a lot more anti-social behaviour there.

pinkteapot

As previously mentioned, Brentwood is on the slow Metro line that runs from Shenfield to Liverpool Street. Brentwood to Liverpool Street takes about 40 minutes, so a lot of Brentwood commuters drive the 2 miles back to Shenfield station. From there you get the mainline trains that come in on the Southend and Colchester lines. It's only 20 minutes to Liverpool Street but there are very few seats by the time the trains get to Shenfield (I commute on the same line from further out).

How long a commute would you consider?

I'd always recommend renting if moving to a new town. It's so worth it just for six months to make sure you like the town, really suss out the good areas, etc. No amount of visiting is as good. I've done it before.

Opinion

nakiwala123 wrote: »

Thanks for your quick replies. I will be commuting to London so we will look at Shenfield.

How about areas like Billericay, Hutton, Warley, Pilgrim's Hatch? It is a bit further away from Brentwood but if I might be priced out of Brentwood hence the flexibility on location.

Billericay has some nice areas, if you look at prices I should think they're comparable to Brentwood, but it's a lot quieter there. I'm not sure about anti-social behaviour.

Hutton... I lived on the East Ham Estate that I mentioned- moved to Brentwood before asking where was good/bad! The Rayleigh Road side is okay, the Ingrave Road side... no.

Pilgrims Hatch and Warley, I can't say I know a whole lot about the area, only driven through it.

If you're priced out of Brentwood/Shenfield then perhaps look at somewhere like Harold Wood- it's inside the M25 so technically Greater London, thus train fares in to London are considerably cheaper. Very quiet place, not a whole lot going on at all, but you have Brentwood and Romford both 10-15 minutes drive, and also both on the train line, good bus services, and house prices will be considerably cheaper than Brentwood, good access to A12/A127. Harold Wood Park is nice and big, has a large walking route, cricket/football pitches etc. Don't mistake it for Harold Hill, though, which is the absolute pits.

pimento

Come a bit further east to Rayleigh or Hockley and you'll get a bit more for your money than in Shenfield.

Rayleigh is a bigger town than Hockley which is a village (albeit with some wonderful schools).

ONly down side is the cost of the commute. *sigh*

patman99

I heard a rumour that Brentwood is the home for the 'National Breeding Centre For Chavs and Bimbos', this was confirmed in a recent ITV2 docu-series.