Good areas in Stafford - Moving to Stafford; where to live?

tek-monkey

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
I'd say (and will probably get shot for it!) that walton on the hill is simply for the baswich people with a bit more money. Not saying its a bad thing, but the people I've known in baswich have aspired to WotH. Oddly people elsewhere haven't, no idea why. If I was coming into stafford with money no object I'd move there, if money was a deciding factor I would not. There are some very nice small areas even in places most people turn their nose up at, I'd look at local amenities first and locals second.

Somewhere near the castle may do you, not knowing your budget or real requirements.
 
A

andy w

Well-Known Forumite
St Annes Catholic Church and Junior/Primary school is on the Weeping Cross estate and whilst not having anything to do with the school or church, they always seems busy with events going on.Living on the estate I would say the positives are there is some good local shops and a library and the estate is quiet most of the time although Porlock Ave gets alot of traffic as drivers use it as a cut through,also a short walk takes you into the country with the canal walk out to Milford very nice. As for the negatives the nearest pub is the Wildwood on the A34 which I would rate as adequate and not a place that draws me, and I think that the lack of a decent local adds to the lack of community spirit in the area. You do find most people keep themselves to their selves, but that's probulary like most areas
Overall Baswich/Weeping Cross/Wildwood/Walton on the hill area is a pretty nice and quiet area which isn't far from Stafford but I do think it is a little over rated.
If your children are going to go to a catholic secondary school(Blessed William) then there are other areas to consider with some really nice houses on Rowley Park which is much more convenient for the town/railway station and the M6 is more accessable
 
Withnail

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
There is a catholic primary on Baswich (St. Annes) which is also near local shops (including an ace butchers) and post office. There seem to be a lot more rental properties up on Wildwood these days, i'd guess that Baswich must be similar?

Note to self - remember to read all new posts before replying.
 
darben

darben

Well-Known Forumite
St Austin's (town south near to centre) has a RC primary school & so does st Patrick's (north end) & mother Teresa is a school on highfields estate, Not sure of the reputations though, the only other one I can think of has already been mentioned. I know st Austins is a popular well attended church and is close to lots of local amenities including tescos and the the town centre. The priest at st austins is very friendly his name is father Michael it may be worth you while calling him as I think they have some properties that they rent.
 
granadam

granadam

A few posts under my belt
Thanks so much for all those replies, if everyone in Stafford is as friendly then I'm moving to a nice place :) I will definitely check out the schools' Ofsteds though being a teacher myself I don't rate what they have to say very often. Never thought of getting in touch with the priest, will look into that one!
Thank you again, I really appreciate it :britain:
 
granadam

granadam

A few posts under my belt
Ooops I've just thought of another question if anyone knows the answer - how easy is it to get a child into Catholic schools, I mean are they oversubscribed, people preferring them over non-denominational schools? According to the criteria, my son would be 2nd on the priority if we were in a catchment area then 3rd if we were not. But all depends on how many kids apply normally!
 
Wormella

Wormella

Well-Known Forumite
I know St Austins has places - my nieces recently moved to Stafford and they've both got places there. I think it's the only school in the centre of Stafford that does...
 
A

andy w

Well-Known Forumite
granadam said:
Thanks so much for all those replies, if everyone in Stafford is as friendly then I'm moving to a nice place :) I will definitely check out the schools' Ofsteds though being a teacher myself I don't rate what they have to say very often. Never thought of getting in touch with the priest, will look into that one!
Thank you again, I really appreciate it :britain:
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Have you any other particular reason to move to Stafford other than being closer to Uttoxeter. If not I was thinking that Stone might be an alternative option as it's not much further and I think it's more of a compact town than Stafford and has always struck me as a pleasant town with good facilities. Can't comment about schools there or rental property
 
granadam

granadam

A few posts under my belt
Thanks Andy, hadn't considered Stone tbh. Will give it a look and compared it against what we've found. Is there a catholic school there does anyone know?
No, no other reason to move to Stafford other than being closer to husband's work but don't want to move as far as Uttoxeter (in newport now and still want to be relatively close to friends here!), but spend time in Stafford and really like it.
 
Glam

Glam

Mad Cat Woman
granadam said:
Thanks Andy, hadn't considered Stone tbh. Will give it a look and compared it against what we've found. Is there a catholic school there does anyone know?
No, no other reason to move to Stafford other than being closer to husband's work but don't want to move as far as Uttoxeter (in newport now and still want to be relatively close to friends here!), but spend time in Stafford and really like it.
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Stone is a lovely place to live. There is a catholic school - St. Dominics. This is a mixed primary school and an all girls senior school. I presume the boys travel to Stafford to Blessed William Howard. Or up the Potteries for education. The houses in Stone are slightly more expensive,but I have to be honest and say, the people are lovely and friendly, quaint assortment of shops. And you have the Downsbanks on the doorstep, for walking and horse riding.
 
Franklin_Delano_Roosevelt

Franklin_Delano_Roosevelt

Well-Known Forumite
It might sound like a bit of a cop out but I think the best thing to do is to do your own research & make your own mind up. Other people will always have a personal view of whether an area is "good" or "bad" but that is usually swayed by their own circumstances and preferences, which may be totally different to your own. For example when I moved to Stafford whether an area had good schools or not wasn't a concern because I didn't have children, now I do it is certainly something that I will look seriously at if and when I move.
Most people when deciding whether an area is good or bad use the "house value" test, but of course this can be misleading. If you did base a decision on this then you will probably find that those areas around the South end of town (Highfields, Western Downs, Rickescote, Moss Pit, Rising Brook etc) will be less expensive and areas like Walton on the Hill, Baswich, Milford, Brocton etc will be more expensive but as I say that doesn't automatically mean that they are "better"
 
db

db

#chaplife
Franklin_Delano_Roosevelt said:
It might sound like a bit of a cop out but I think the best thing to do is to do your own research & make your own mind up.
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Isn't that what granadam is doing by asking here? :?:

I get what you're saying, though - people's opinions are definitely useful, but shouldn't be used as the only benchmark for a given area..

That being said, definitely don't move to rickerscote or burton manor :teef:
 
Ruth Edensor

Ruth Edensor

Newbie
staffordwant2b said:
Hello!

my sister and I want to move to Stafford in the next few months, as we've only been in the town centre, and you can't tell a lot from just driving around, hoped you might be able to offer some advice on areas that are nice to live, and those to avoid! We've got £130k ish to spend- is there anywhere nice in that budget?! Many Thanks in advance!
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Hi,
Welcome to sunny Stafford.

You might like to look at Baswich, Wildwood, Weeping Cross, Walton, if you want to be nearish to the town these are nice places and linked to good schools. I lived around there for many years and it never did me any harm lol
 
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