Herts / Stevenage
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Discussion

MEMSDesign

Original Poster:

1,100 posts

299 months

Tuesday 26th July 2005
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Potential job in Hertfordshire, around Stevenage. Anyone got any opinions/recommendations? What's the area like? Good places bad places to live?

Currently live in Worcester and work in Malvern. Better or worse?

princeperch

8,268 posts

276 months

Tuesday 26th July 2005
quotequote all
Stevenage is ok got a fair few shops, but is a bit chav like unfortunatly.Its got some dodgy places to live. Avoid any of the estates and if you looking to buy in the area look at ardley/walkern.

If you dont mind a little drive to work, look at living in hertford (where I live)/ware/watton area which are all nice places to live.

The trains arnt bad from stevenage station to moorgate and run pretty frequently.

any specific q's feel free to pm me.

brioss

507 posts

287 months

Tuesday 26th July 2005
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I moved to Hitchin a year ago and love it !

apache

39,731 posts

313 months

Wednesday 27th July 2005
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I live in Melbourn, it's a neat little village on Cambridges doorstep and 15 mins from Stevenage, less once the bypass is finished next year, come over for a beer

Pigeon

18,535 posts

275 months

Wednesday 27th July 2005
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It's much nicer where you are now...

silversun

4,373 posts

255 months

Wednesday 27th July 2005
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There are some nice villages round there. Stanstead Abbotts and Ware are easy commuting distance to Stevenage.

saxo-stew

8,020 posts

267 months

Wednesday 27th July 2005
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i used to live in stevenage(angotts mead). some places are really nice, some are like chav central.
the town has pretty much everything. the leisure park has cinema, bowling alley, lots of restraunts and pubs/clubs.
there's a good golf course a mile or two from the town centre.
it really is a small city.


i miss it.

rooster

2,241 posts

266 months

Wednesday 27th July 2005
quotequote all
MEMSDesign said:
Potential job in Hertfordshire, around Stevenage. Anyone got any opinions/recommendations? What's the area like? Good places bad places to live?

Currently live in Worcester and work in Malvern. Better or worse?

compared to Worcester and the Malverns (my folkes live in Upton) I'd give Stevenage a miss, its sort of ok but not as beautiful as worcs!

wizzpig

2,039 posts

257 months

Wednesday 27th July 2005
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Used to live in Welwyn Garden City a few years ago. Nice area and the Hertfordshire country side is very pleasant.

Quite a few good driving roads too

stumpage

2,209 posts

255 months

Wednesday 27th July 2005
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I live in Welwyn Garden City. If you want a quiet life it's worth a look (PS my house is for sale if you fancy a 3 bed house without a garden). However if it's bars and restaurants you want I would say Hertford, St Albans is the place.

lexy

21 posts

254 months

Wednesday 27th July 2005
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stumpage said:
I live in Welwyn Garden City. If you want a quiet life it's worth a look (PS my house is for sale if you fancy a 3 bed house without a garden). However if it's bars and restaurants you want I would say Hertford, St Albans is the place.


Totally agree with you!

wedgepilot

819 posts

312 months

Wednesday 27th July 2005
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I lived there for a while. Good facilities, but chav central, especially around the leisure park on a fri/sat night.

Plenty of nice places within 15 mins drive though, and the surrounding area is nice. Good roads for having a blat on too.

Have a look around Old Warden or anywhere just to the north, it's a bit less pricey than Hertford etc.

hiasakite

2,552 posts

276 months

Wednesday 27th July 2005
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I wouldn't live in Stevenage (I grew up in Hitchin).. but there are some lovely villages around the place, plus Hitchin isn't bad.. good for pubs..

Depends how much nightlife you're after.. both Hitchin and Stevenage are v. well connected to London

peanutjb

956 posts

275 months

Wednesday 27th July 2005
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apache said:
I live in Melbourn, it's a neat little village on Cambridges doorstep and 15 mins from Stevenage, less once the bypass is finished next year, come over for a beer


I live in melbourn too. Have done for my whole life. I personally would never want to live in stevenage. Far too chavvy. And there are some nice little villages around you could live in, with minimal commute time, and wont have to live in stevenage.

Peter

angusfaldo

2,831 posts

303 months

Wednesday 27th July 2005
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It's pretty much all been said already really. I live in WGC. Stevenage is only 10 mins away when the motorway is clear, 20 if busy. Stevenage old town is not so bad for living, but has become a mecca for Friday/Saturday night chav drinkers and is known for a bit of trouble. Most of the drinkers come from the new town really, which in the centre, is a concrete ghetto I'm afraid.

But there's plenty of lovely places nearby such as the villages to the south and west (walkern, Bulls Green, Datchworth, Aston, St Ippolytts and for a bigger town Hitchin just over the A1.)

If you want the quiet life then WGC is good. St Albans, Hertford and Hitchin for a bit more excitement. But St Albans is a fair treck if you're planning to commute to Stevenage.

The whoe area is very good for London travel. 25 mins into London by mainline.

House prices have steadied a lot but are still quite high for what you get. Some local agents include Putterills (for the higher end of the market) Ashtons and Country Properties. All of which sell properties around Herts.

vixen1700

29,021 posts

299 months

Wednesday 27th July 2005
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Went for a night out in Stevenage back in 1984 and some drunk woman tried to start a fight with me for no reason. Never went back. Best avoided, can't imagine what it must be like these days.

Awful.

cinque

833 posts

311 months

Wednesday 27th July 2005
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ditto whats been said. If youre after a 'nice' area to live Hertford, St Albans, Ware, Broxbourne depends really what youre after?

im about 20 mins drive south, Broxbourne, Train links are superb to london 22 mins liverpool st and the other way as well, 20 mins stansted airport. Any of the small satellite villages around Stevenage will prob. be 'ok' but remember, it is predom. a 'new' town and suffers from all the 'new town' traits. i.e. large housing estates, light industrial areas, lack of 'character'. (although great if you like plenty of roundabouts and straight roads). If you want any ideas re: specific areas on the above mentioned places, just mail me

800

1,973 posts

265 months

Wednesday 27th July 2005
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Would agree. I live in Herts near WGC and love it. But not as nice as Malvern though (IMHO). The main appeal for me is the ability to get in to the centre on the greatest city in the world quickly and easily.

princeperch

8,268 posts

276 months

Wednesday 27th July 2005
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As has been verified - Stevenage is a bit of an urban jungle, and has developed a rather unpleasant problem with mobile scameras as of late.

If you are after a quiet existance, still within 25/30mins of St.Evenage, as some jovially call it round these parts, there are some relatively "unknown" places which are unspoilt.

If you do go househunting, I would look at Old hall Green, which if you use the lanes and cut across country you can be in steveo in about 20 mins. It has some beautiful country pubs (many of which were frequented by me and my school chums a few years ago!), some lovely houses, and a local shop/post office.

Alternativly Stoney Hills/Bengeo are within 25 mins through the lanes to Stevenage, are unspoilt, and have a nice countryside setting.

Whereever you end up in herts, if you like your driving - go out for a spin on the hertingfordbury bypass, a real drivers road if ever there is one...

And hertford does indeed have more pubs than you can shake a very large stick at. I will be found most evenings propping up the bar at the blackbirds/duncombe, or sometimes if im feeling flush, the Feathers at Wadesmill.

benyeats

12,158 posts

259 months

Wednesday 27th July 2005
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Seconded / thirded about Melbourne, I work here and it is a nice village.

Stevenage seems to be a bit of a sh*thole from what I can tell (was the nearest B&Q when I lived in Royston). Lots of nice villages around Herts. Baldock possibly a good bet as prices are bound to go up when the bypass opens and less traffic.

Ben