# Hi I am new to this forum. has anyone from London made a successful move to Birmingham ?



## Coolguy100 (Jun 21, 2014)

Hi I am currently seriously thinking of leaving London and trying out Birmingham. This is strictly for economic reasons as I want to sell my London house and used the equity to live somewhere mortgage free outside of the capital. I need somewhere with a good secondary school and pretty decent links to Birmingham university and also some decent places to shop. I have done a bit of research and for my budget it seems as though I could get a pretty decent place in Great Barr, but I am also considering Oldbury as it seems to be good value for money. Has anyone got any ideas about these areas ? I live in a mixed part of London and want the same mixed but safe feel about the place with a sense of community.


----------



## farmerbarleymow (Jun 21, 2014)

Calling aqua beesonthewhatnow Zapp Brannigan and others I can't remember.  They live in Birmingham so might be able to give you some advice. 

I only work there so don't know much about it I'm afraid.


----------



## farmerbarleymow (Jun 21, 2014)

Welcome to be boards by the way.


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 21, 2014)

Thanks farmerbarleymow


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 21, 2014)

I was supposed to drive up to Birmingham today but the agent only had one property for me to see in Oldbury. 2hrs each way for one property !! Hopefully next weekend will be more successful.


----------



## aqua (Jun 21, 2014)

If you want cultural mix I wouldn't look at great Barr or oldbury particularly I don't think. But there are others that know more about the city than me. purenarcotic Red Cat MooChild perhaps?

There was also another thread on here about the city have a hunt for that too.

I like Birmingham, we live north Brum. It's cheap, it's on the Cross city line (so is Brum uni) and it's easy to get anywhere but it's far from everyone's cup of tea. South Brum (kings Heath, Moseley) are far trendier places


----------



## moomoo (Jun 21, 2014)

Yes. Me. And I wouldn't go back to London if you paid me.


----------



## DaveCinzano (Jun 21, 2014)

aqua said:


> There was also another thread on here about the city have a hunt for that too.



This one?

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/nice-places-to-live-in-birmingham.304859/


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 21, 2014)

I have heard about South Brum and Kings Heath and Mosely. One they seem to expensive and would defeat the object of what I am trying to do, and also I am missing a proper community feel which seems to be lacking in a lot of middle class areas.


----------



## Maurice Picarda (Jun 21, 2014)

I can tell you what everywhere within a couple of miles of the university was like in the early 90s, but that's probably not all that useful. I read somewhere that Balsall Heath is gentrified these days, so things have clearly changed. Twenty years ago, it certainly had a community feel, in that half the community were on the streets in a vigilante campaign against streetwalkers.


----------



## moomoo (Jun 21, 2014)

I wouldn't rate Great Barr or oldbury tbh.


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 21, 2014)

Moomoo can I ask what area you chose and why ?


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 21, 2014)

I do not want to spend over 150k for a house as that would mean me taking on a mortgage. 120-130 would be preferable and that is doable in Oldbury. is there other decent areas available for that ?


----------



## Maurice Picarda (Jun 21, 2014)

Sparkhill? It must still be cheap and it's pretty close to Moseley.


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 21, 2014)

Thanks Maurice, I will look it up. Any good secondary schools there ?


----------



## Maurice Picarda (Jun 21, 2014)

No idea, sorry. Doubt it to be honest. I lived there when I was a student and I was more concerned about £2.85 baltis than anything else.


----------



## Buckaroo (Jun 21, 2014)

Coolguy100 said:


> Hi I am currently seriously thinking of leaving London and trying out Birmingham. I live in a mixed part of London and want the same mixed but safe feel about the place with a sense of community.



What do you mean by 'mixed'?


----------



## moomoo (Jun 21, 2014)

Coolguy100 said:


> Moomoo can I ask what area you chose and why ?



I'm not technically in Birmingham. I'm in Redditch. Excellent transport links, a train directly into town, good schools and cheap housing. Oh and there's countryside as well.


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 21, 2014)

Racially and culturally diverse. I live in an area which although is majority white British, has also all other nationalities as well which makes it a sweet melting pot of cultures and lots of different choices of restaurants and foods available. It is also very peaceful. Well to be honest we do have a few incidents but I chose to live on a road with a lot of older folk so it has always been pretty quiet. Good respectful people will do for starters as I am not one for rowdy behaviour or alcoholics bothering people.


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 21, 2014)

Sounds delightful moomoo !!!


----------



## DaveCinzano (Jun 21, 2014)

Coolguy100 said:


> Good respectful people will do for starters as I am not one for rowdy behaviour or alcoholics bothering people.



And you came upon urban75 _how_, exactly?


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 21, 2014)

A general google search asking for advice about Birmingham brought me here. To be honest I considered Milton Keynes first and visited there a few times but I just can't get my head around living there. Something does not feel right.


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 21, 2014)

The only places I really knew in Birmingham was Smethwick because I have a relative living there, however it does not quite feel right for what I want.


----------



## DaveCinzano (Jun 21, 2014)

Coolguy100 said:


> To be honest I considered Milton Keynes first and visited there a few times but I just can't get my head around living there. Something does not feel right.



I think I know what you mean, in a roundabout sort of way.


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 21, 2014)

Yes I think it is the constant roundabouts that do my head in and that huge shopping centre. It just does not feel right for me, though I know some people like MK.


----------



## DotCommunist (Jun 21, 2014)

its a drivers town, designed so. Feckin redways


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 21, 2014)

Yes, for drivers indeed. It will suit some people.


----------



## Blagsta (Jun 21, 2014)

£120 - 130k will get you an OK smallish house in Kings Heath, Stirchley or Selly Park. Much better for the university than Great Barr or Oldbury.


----------



## purenarcotic (Jun 22, 2014)

Hello hello.  I moved from London to Birmingham for uni, met my partner and now it's my home.  I lived in Selly Oak first (it gets nicer the further back from the uni and student housing you go), Balsall Heath (quiet but dead, only a 10 minute walk into the city centre though) and now Moseley way.

Moseley is by far and away my favourite place to live, it's great.  Kings Heath and Stirchley are also nice. I know nothing about Great Barr but in general Birmingham is a very diverse and mixed city.  Great Barr isn't particularly easy in terms of university access though. 

It's taken me a while to really warm to Birmingham but I like it.  I love London and it's my favourite city by a million miles but Birmingham has a lot going for it as well, it's just sometimes a bit harder to find.


----------



## purenarcotic (Jun 22, 2014)

One really annoying thing about Birmingham is the lack of 24 hour transport, I find it really irritating and just bizarre that the 'second city' has only one or two 24 hour buses.  I don't even need to use a 24 hour service that much, it just annoys me that it isn't an option to use.


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 22, 2014)

Thanks for the great advice !!!


----------



## wiskey (Jun 22, 2014)

purenarcotic said:


> One really annoying thing about Birmingham is the lack of 24 hour transport, I find it really irritating and just bizarre that the 'second city' has only one or two 24 hour buses.  I don't even need to use a 24 hour service that much, it just annoys me that it isn't an option to use.


When we moved to Bristol from Brixton I went into the bus info place to ask about night busses and why everything was expensive when I could go anywhere for a quid in London (because back then you could)... The man behind the counter though briefly and then told me I was 'spoiled' by the service in London 

They've introduced 24hr busses now... 6 years later!


----------



## purenarcotic (Jun 22, 2014)

wiskey said:


> When we moved to Bristol from Brixton I went into the bus info place to ask about night busses and why everything was expensive when I could go anywhere for a quid in London (because back then you could)... The man behind the counter though briefly and then told me I was 'spoiled' by the service in London
> 
> They've introduced 24hr busses now... 6 years later!



It's not being spoilt it's common fucking sense to supply a 24 hour service. 

There are big, big plans for Birmingham's transport system (they want a 'tube' style system using buses and trams in the end) but I've not heard much talk of more 24 hour buses. Infuriating.


----------



## xenon (Jun 22, 2014)

I hate to go all you know hobnobs but this is a troll yeah? Come on for fuck sake.


----------



## moomoo (Jun 22, 2014)

Coolguy100 said:


> Yes I think it is the constant roundabouts that do my head in and that huge shopping centre. It just does not feel right for me, though I know some people like MK.



Oh. You won't like Redditch then.


----------



## Red Cat (Jun 22, 2014)

There are two existing threads where I give quite detailed advice that I'm not going to repeat unless you pay me a consultation fee. One is linked to up thread, this is the other one:

http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/birmingham-wheres-good-and-wheres-bad.316846/page-4

Birmingham isn't somewhere that you just move to on a whim, you need good reasons - if the reasons are good enough you'll find a home here.


----------



## kebabking (Jun 22, 2014)

£170k buys a nice 3 bed in Bromsgrove, a decent 3 bed in Worcester or a very nice 4 bed in Hereford - all have train svs direct to Birmingham Uni...


----------



## weltweit (Jun 22, 2014)

I lived in Redditch for a while, quite close to Brum, commutable although I worked in the town when I was there. I remember liking the countryside south of there.


----------



## purenarcotic (Jun 22, 2014)

kebabking said:


> £170k buys a nice 3 bed in Bromsgrove, a decent 3 bed in Worcester or a very nice 4 bed in Hereford - all have train svs direct to Birmingham Uni...



But then you'd have to live in either Bromsgrove, Worcester or Hereford and who would want to do that.


----------



## moomoo (Jun 22, 2014)

purenarcotic said:


> But then you'd have to live in either Bromsgrove, Worcester or Hereford and who would want to do that.



I'd happily live in Bromsgrove or Worcester. Not too sure about Hereford though...


----------



## Plumdaff (Jun 22, 2014)

My sister lives in Hereford and loves it. She's very much a country soul though. It's not somewhere I would move to for ease of access to Birmingham, there are much better places for that, and mixed it isn't, unless a fair few Welsh accents is your idea of diversity ;-) .


----------



## moomoo (Jun 22, 2014)

xenon said:


> I hate to go all you know hobnobs but this is a troll yeah? Come on for fuck sake.



Why so rude?


----------



## Maurice Picarda (Jun 22, 2014)

moomoo said:


> Why so rude?



Because the choice of username is implausible and the whole thing reads like a carefully crafted excuse for building a below-radar postcount high enough for a revenant to vanity search in community fora. 

Which is no reason not to answer the question in good faith. I miss Birmingham sometimes.


----------



## kebabking (Jun 22, 2014)

Plumdaff said:


> ...unless a fair few Welsh accents is your idea of diversity ;-) .



in Hereford, being from Leominster counts as diversity!


----------



## colacubes (Jun 22, 2014)

I was born in Hereford and love to go and visit, but I live in Brixton for all the reasons above


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 22, 2014)

I posted the question because I am considering alternatives to London, nothing else. Birmingham seems to fit the bill with housing and affordability. To live in London now even earning a good wage is becoming a stretch. Average rents defor a three bedroom house are £1200-1600 pm. To buy one needs to be paying about 300k for a basic 3 bed dwelling in the cheaper areas but in London's equivalent of an area like Moseley that would just about get you a studio flat. Lots of people are looking for alternatives to this so I am surprised by the hostility shown from xenon, but respect to the rest who have been so helpful.


----------



## farmerbarleymow (Jun 22, 2014)

Coolguy100 said:


> I posted the question because I am considering alternatives to London, nothing else. Birmingham seems to fit the bill with housing and affordability. To live in London now even earning a good wage is becoming a stretch. Average rents defor a three bedroom house are £1200-1600 pm. To buy one needs to be paying about 300k for a basic 3 bed dwelling in the cheaper areas but in London's equivalent of an area like Moseley that would just about get you a studio flat. Lots of people are looking for alternatives to this so I am surprised by the hostility shown from xenon, but respect to the rest who have been so helpful.



Don't worry about it - there have been some rather unpleasant people banned from the boards in the past and this creates a sense of paranoia in some whether new members are banned people returning under a new name. 

Good luck in your plans to move to the provinces.


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 22, 2014)

Ultimately for personal reasons I want to be mortgage free because I have to care for a family member a lot of the time so cannot earn as much as I once did, but hey people are quick to judge to conclusions and band names like troll about. I have been having a look on Rightmove at places within a mile radius of Moseley but you do not seem to get  much for the 130-150k price range, even places like Hall Green which someone suggest. To be honest I live on the outskirts of London as I find the inner city too congested so would like a similar kind of feel. I would love to one day live in the country side but with teenage kids that is not really an option now.


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 22, 2014)

Thanks Farmerbarlow. I am determined to make the move and will eventually find something I am sure.


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 22, 2014)

There is a couple of cracking properties in Oldbury for the price range but no one seems too enthusiastic about it and I cannot find proper shopping facilities on the net. Not much info on transport links either. I will also do another search around Harborne and see what comes up.


----------



## purenarcotic (Jun 22, 2014)

Harbourne isn't a cheap area at all.  Obviously compared to London houses in Birmingham are peanuts but Harbourne is one of the most expensive areas of Birmingham so I wouldn't expect to get a lot of house for my money there.

I've had a look and there's a good sized three bed semi on for 149,950 in Kings Heath (needs a lot of work doing).  Another decent looking one for the same price on the Pineapple Road.


----------



## kebabking (Jun 22, 2014)

i know its out of the area you are looking for - and 20k over your budget - but Kidderminster might be worth a look. 

depends what you and the person you're looking after need - bedrooms, garden, parking, layout, access to PT, travel times to work etc.. but i fear that you're going to really struggle to get what you need, where you need it, for £120k.

look further afield, Droitwich, Bromsgrove, Kidderminster, Stourbridge etc... you might be surprised. and even Hereford has electricity and tarmac...


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 22, 2014)

Thanks Kebabking and Purenarcotic. I will do a search on Kidderminster. I only mentioned access to the university because I am think a few years ahead when one of my kids is older and may opt to go there.


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 22, 2014)

In all honesty peace and quiet and decent neighbours will do me. The rest is a bonus as I tend to drive most places.


----------



## moomoo (Jun 22, 2014)

I'm not keen on Kidderminster. It doesn't really have a town centre as such. I find it completely soulless.

Redditch is THE place to be. Obviously.


----------



## kebabking (Jun 22, 2014)

Coolguy100 said:


> ....I only mentioned access to the university because I am think a few years ahead when one of my kids is older and may opt to go there.



oh god, don't make life changing decisions for the benefit of the leaching swine some people call children - and anyway, it does them just as much good to move away and have part-time jobs at uni as it does getting a decent degree.


----------



## kebabking (Jun 22, 2014)

moomoo said:


> ...It doesn't really have a town centre as such. I find it completely soulless.



the town centre is a tip - ripe for 'crap towns' - but i've got friends who've lived in Kidderminster for 3 years who've been into the town twice. its advantage is geographic location for work, housing stock and price, schools and the countryside around it.

if you wan't 'shopping destination' with pleasant surroundings and independant shops you go to Ludlow, or Worcester, Tenbury etc...


----------



## moomoo (Jun 22, 2014)

There's a nice restaurant there called the brasserie. And the Severn Trent railway. And the safari park.


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 22, 2014)

kebabking said:


> oh god, don't make life changing decisions for the benefit of the leaching swine some people call children - and anyway, it does them just as much good to move away and have part-time jobs at uni as it does getting a decent degree.


LOL So true !!!! I worry too much but was travelling and had a part time job at 16 !!! Thanks for putting things into perspective.


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (Jun 22, 2014)

purenarcotic said:


> One really annoying thing about Birmingham is the lack of 24 hour transport, I find it really irritating and just bizarre that the 'second city' has only one or two 24 hour buses.  I don't even need to use a 24 hour service that much, it just annoys me that it isn't an option to use.


http://b14kingsheath.net/profiles/blogs/kings-heath-50-bus-night-bus-service

The bus to hipsterville is going 24 hours a day soon...


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 22, 2014)

moomoo said:


> I'm not keen on Kidderminster. It doesn't really have a town centre as such. I find it completely soulless.
> 
> Redditch is THE place to be. Obviously.



I had a look on Rightmove and it seems like a cracking little place. Is there much for teens to do ? Is there also an indoor shopping centre ?


----------



## mr steev (Jun 22, 2014)

The lack of late night public transport really pisses me off. The last train from Birmingham to Wolves on a Saturday night is 11:45pm! It's a fucking joke.


----------



## kebabking (Jun 22, 2014)

moomoo said:


> There's a nice restaurant there called the brasserie. And the Severn Trent railway. And the safari park.



couple of nice pubs as well - weavers and seven stars in town, and loads outside. the Wyre Forest is an absolute jem, walking and cycling to the hearts content. the venison is very good too


----------



## kebabking (Jun 22, 2014)

Coolguy100 said:


> I had a look on Rightmove and it seems like a cracking little place. Is there much for teens to do ? Is there also an indoor shopping centre ?



it has, but its tiny - Kidderminster has suffered terribly from the loss of industry (and the building of the regional shopping centre at Merry Hill..) and the town centre shows it, i won't try and suggest otherwise - in the 1950's Kidderminster had some 30+ carpet factories and the employment and wealth that came with them, now its 3 or 4... theres some regeneration, lots other industries are about, and its not got 50% unemployment or anything, but yeah, its not Ludlow by any stretch of the imagination.

Merry Hill is 20 minutes drive, Worcester 20 mins on the train, Birmingham 35mins on the train - Bridgnorth is worth a good explore, as is Ludlow.

King Charles I comp is very good, if you've got teenagers you'd be doing well to get them a better school.


----------



## moomoo (Jun 22, 2014)

Coolguy100 said:


> I had a look on Rightmove and it seems like a cracking little place. Is there much for teens to do ? Is there also an indoor shopping centre ?



Are you talking about Redditch or Kiddy?


----------



## MooChild (Jun 23, 2014)

Oldbury - can be a bit soulless, but has half decent train links to Brum either from Rowley Regis or Sandwell & Dudley, and the buses are ok (if you don't mind using them).

Houses are cheap though, and it has good motorway links to M5/M6.


----------



## Plumdaff (Jun 23, 2014)

I always got the impression Ludlow would be really expensive. It's pretty though. If you're going that far out though, maybe Hereford


----------



## Manter (Jun 23, 2014)

Plumdaff said:


> I always got the impression Ludlow would be really expensive. It's pretty though. If you're going that far out though, maybe Hereford


Ludlow is very expensive. That bit of Shropshire was fashionable before the crash for Home Counties types to retire to- it pushed prices up very high compared to the rest of the county.


----------



## kebabking (Jun 23, 2014)

depends - if you want to buy a house on Dinham, then Ludlow is v expensive, but you can easily buy a 3 bed semi in Ludlow for £130-£150k.

ludlow has started to suffer some empty shops recently - not something i thought i'd see. De Greys has gone, as has the outdoor shop.

Craven Arms is relatively cheap, not the most picturesque town centre in the world, but lots of decent sized family homes. a look on right move finds a 3 bed for £120k...


----------



## Manter (Jun 23, 2014)

kebabking said:


> depends - if you want to buy a house on Dinham, then Ludlow is v expensive, but you can easily buy a 3 bed semi in Ludlow for £130-£150k.
> 
> ludlow has started to suffer some empty shops recently - not something i thought i'd see. De Greys has gone, as has the outdoor shop.
> 
> Craven Arms is relatively cheap, not the most picturesque town centre in the world, but lots of decent sized family homes. a look on right move finds a 3 bed for £120k...


God, you're right, prices have moved- I remember when my parents moved up there from Hampshire there was a startling differential north or south of Shrewsbury. Same property would be nearly twice the price depending on where it was (it was so extreme it was funny) But I've just browsed rightmove and discovered property looking *more* expensive near Market Drayton, which I never thought would happen! I guess there must be a glut of it round Ludlow.


----------



## kebabking (Jun 23, 2014)

a couple of decent sized 3 beds in Shrewsbury for £109K...


----------



## Belushi (Jun 23, 2014)

moomoo said:


> I'm not keen on Kidderminster. It doesn't really have a town centre as such. I find it completely soulless.


 
I spent a year in Kidderminster as a teen, it was really bloody dull.


----------



## mr steev (Jun 23, 2014)

The best thing Kiddy had going for it was the Market Tavern which is sadly no more.


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 23, 2014)

MooChild said:


> Oldbury - can be a bit soulless, but has half decent train links to Brum either from Rowley Regis or Sandwell & Dudley, and the buses are ok (if you don't mind using them).
> 
> Houses are cheap though, and it has good motorway links to M5/M6.


I know what you mean about soulless, the pics on Rightmove do not do the area any favours either. It seems pretty peaceful though with some good value properties. I cannot find a proper shopping centre there though.


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 23, 2014)

moomoo said:


> Are you talking about Redditch or Kiddy?


I was referring to Redditch. I have not looked up Kiddy yet.


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 23, 2014)

kebabking said:


> it has, but its tiny - Kidderminster has suffered terribly from the loss of industry (and the building of the regional shopping centre at Merry Hill..) and the town centre shows it, i won't try and suggest otherwise - in the 1950's Kidderminster had some 30+ carpet factories and the employment and wealth that came with them, now its 3 or 4... theres some regeneration, lots other industries are about, and its not got 50% unemployment or anything, but yeah, its not Ludlow by any stretch of the imagination.
> 
> Merry Hill is 20 minutes drive, Worcester 20 mins on the train, Birmingham 35mins on the train - Bridgnorth is worth a good explore, as is Ludlow.
> 
> King Charles I comp is very good, if you've got teenagers you'd be doing well to get them a better school.



Thanks I will google these areas.


----------



## free spirit (Jun 23, 2014)

you're so going to regret that user name in 10 years time.


----------



## MooChild (Jun 24, 2014)

Coolguy100 said:


> I know what you mean about soulless, the pics on Rightmove do not do the area any favours either. It seems pretty peaceful though with some good value properties. I cannot find a proper shopping centre there though.



There's merry hill and the bull ring within commute distance though


----------



## sim667 (Jun 24, 2014)

Plumdaff said:


> I always got the impression Ludlow would be really expensive. It's pretty though. If you're going that far out though, maybe Hereford


 
I've lived in hereford, its a lovely little town, but really not much going on. I imagine it would be nice to bring up kids in, but when they get to 16,17,18 I think they'd get fed up of it.

Its cheap to live though, and its real binge drinkey on the weekends.

I lived up on folly hill, but the older part of hereford is lovely. I think its got a fairly solid train link to birmingham..... the drive there is a bit of a shit though.


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 25, 2014)

I will be up Birmingham this weekend. I will have a good look around, time permitting. I am also going to bring the kids to the zoo in Dudley so will have a quick drive around there also. Thanks


----------



## purenarcotic (Jun 25, 2014)

Dudley zoo is the most depressing place, it's a great example of how not to do a zoo.


----------



## purenarcotic (Jun 25, 2014)

In fact Dudley in general is a great example of how not to do, well, anything.


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 25, 2014)

purenarcotic said:


> Dudley zoo is the most depressing place, it's a great example of how not to do a zoo.


The zoo has got some very good reviews. I will give it a go all the same.


----------



## Coolguy100 (Jun 25, 2014)

Kids will enjoy it hopefully !! LOL


----------



## kebabking (Jun 25, 2014)

west mids safari park (kidderminster/bewdley) is much better that dudley zoo - about 20/25 mins south of dudley. saturday markets at Bridgnorth (go on the cliff funicular railway, £1 each) and Ludlow (have lunch in the Church Inn or the Rose and Crown, then walk up to the castle, turn left and walk down the hill. have an ice cream at the cafe on green next to Dinham Bridge) are well worth seeing. Ludlow has a decent book and craft fair on sunday as well. 

Bridgnorth 20 mins from Dudley, Ludlow 45 mins from Kidderminster.

if you think a bit of persuasion is needed to get your kids to move out of the centre of the universe, and you can spark an interest in history in them (i'd use a cattle prod myself....), Edward IV and Richard III both grew up in Ludlow, as did Edwards sons, who Richard bumped off in the Tower of London. Henry VII (who killed Richard III) sent his son, Arthur, Prince of Wales - and his wife, one Catherine of Aragon... to live in Ludlow. he died - and his heart, lungs etc.. were buried in the big church, and the rest of him at Worcester Cathedral. Catherine then went on to marry ArthUrs little brother, a chap called Henry VIII.


----------



## Saints Alive (Jul 1, 2014)

Okey dokey, I looked through the thread that some others have mentioned when I moved up to Brum just before Xmas. But, this thread encouraged me to actually sign up and join U75. We decided to relocate because of my wife's work. To be fair, we sold up in Bath (I know, I know....), so came with plenty of cash. I'm a lecturer at the University and Mrs SA works at the Mailbox. We looked at places like Solihull and Sutton Coldfield but have to say they felt a bit soulless. We ended up in Moseley which is, admittedly, very middle class, but is lovely. It is surprisingly similar to a lot of the outskirts of Bath - leafy and green, quiet (i.e. no traffic noise) and full of lovely, period housing. However, we aren't getting much more for our money than we had in Bath, so you pay for it. Kings Heath is a nice little town which seems quite a bit cheaper than Moseley, but with a lot of similar property. I would especially recommend Vicarage Road and Kings Heath Park. 

As for secondary schools, we have two kids in primary, but be warned, Birmingham has a grammar school system which is ultra selective. There are grammars dotted throughout the city, but it seems that only about 10-15% of kids actually get into them. They have this crazy system where kids seem to traipse all over Birmingham to get to their chosen grammar school/the one they could get into. Otherwise, you're taking pot luck with the secondarys. Some seem very good (e.g. Queensbridge near us) but then there is the Trojan Schools thing to consider. We have all this ahead of us!


----------



## equationgirl (Jul 7, 2014)

Coolguy100 Redditch is on the railway line to one of the universities in Birmingham. Be prepared for you children going somewhere else for uni.

I lived in Redditch until I was 18 (weltweit when were you there) and at the time there wasn't a lot for teenagers to do, that said there have been a lot of changes to Redditch since I left and there are plenty worse places for you to live with your children.


----------



## weltweit (Jul 7, 2014)

equationgirl said:


> .. I lived in Redditch until I was 18 (weltweit when were you there) and at the time there wasn't a lot for teenagers to do, that said there have been a lot of changes to Redditch since I left and there are plenty worse places for you to live with your children.


I was there 87-88. I did most of my socialising further south though. With all the roundabouts it kind of reminded me of Milton Keynes, but not a bad place all things considered.


----------



## equationgirl (Jul 7, 2014)

weltweit said:


> I was there 87-88. I did most of my socialising further south though. With all the roundabouts it kind of reminded me of Milton Keynes, but not a bad place all things considered.


We were there at the same time then, although I was 14-15 then, so it's not like our paths would have crossed. Unless you taught at my high school?


----------



## kittyP (Jul 8, 2014)

moomoo said:


> I'm not keen on Kidderminster. It doesn't really have a town centre as such. I find it completely soulless.
> 
> Redditch is THE place to be. Obviously.


Personally I found Kidderminster to be the most God awful place I have ever visited.


----------



## blossie33 (Jul 12, 2014)

I can't offer any helpful advice as I made a move the other way round and although I visit family I'm a bit out of touch now.

Just wanted to comment how amazed I am that  Brum has virtually no 24 hour public transport at the moment. When I was young there was a night bus service on most routes that ran hourly - can't think why they stopped it?!


----------

