Moving to Shrewsbury : The Good the bad and the ugly ?

[NormarkSuperswede]

Had enough with London ! Silly house prices, the crime and the dirt etc . Wife is a Nurse .I will be consulting and can work from home. 8 year old son requires a good school. But not a great Budget . :£185k max . Using £40ks worth of deposit. . Areas that I have heard are ok are. Cherry orchid and Bowbrook. But what do I really know ? ! .Ludlow was on the cards , but its too limiting for my wife to work and shop etc . . No New build type houses etc. very happy to update house over a few years etc . Crime areas and what to avoid etc I really want to know about . I await any advice .Thanks

[blue_haddock]

I was born in Shrewsbury and still work here, property is cheaper than London but that's not a massive budget.

Will your wife be working at the hospital? If so living that side of town will be best as it can be a pain to get across town in rush hour.

If you need any car parts when your up here let me know as I work for ecp!

[NormarkSuperswede]

Good Luck, after reading the latest ECP threads on this forum ! According to Rightmove etc . we can find a suitable house etc for the budget. We will be first time so no chain. And 2019 might be a buyers dream come true ! I plan to visit in a couple of weeks with the family and look around. But the general look of the place is very positive .Cheers

[Black_S3]

Can't give any input on Shrewsbury, but for the moving away from london thing as a renter looking to be first time buyer without a doubt do it.

[thenortherner]

I live fairly close and I've been a few times. It's pretty and pleasant enough with a decent amount going on. The only watch outs would be checking the flood risk of where you're looking to buy. And also keep in mind it's a good 45 minutes away from bigger areas where employment opportunities lie, if you're thinking long-term.

[NormarkSuperswede]

Found some good "flood area area" web sites that I am going to study hard ! . Also I would expect mortgage and insurance companies to be doing the same ? !

[springfan62]

Moved from London to Shrewsbury 25 years ago and no regrets.

West side of town is nicest area but not the cheapest, although lots of new build houses around the town.

You won’t find much for your budget though in the nicer areas or near the hospital.

[johnxjsc1985]

Its a cracking town with so many small villages surrounding it there is so much to choose from. I remember working there sometime ago really friendly people and just a nice atmosphere around the place.

[Mothersruin]

If you'd like a contrast, we moved after 15 years in Dubai to a small village West of Ludlow...

Stunning part of the world.

I loved the pace, security, countryside & hills etc.. very friendly folk and there's usually a decent pub close by.

Also, we love to cook so finding the local farmers pumping out world class produce was a real pleasure to come by.

Just stay to the West/South of Shrewsbury but don't go near Telford. What a stinking st hole that place is!

[HelenT]

I'm in Oswestry which is about 15 miles away has a top class Orthopaedic hospital which may be worth your wife looking at depending on what area of nursing she is interested in, Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals which are part of the same trust do have some issues at the moment but I guess that's not unusual in the NHS! https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/health/2018/11...
Shrewsbury has improved hugely in recent years plenty of nightlife, shops and things for families to do.
Bit biased but Shropshire is a great county if you like the outdoor life and has good transport links so plenty of things on our doorstep.
I think house prices have risen in recent years plenty of new build estates but to find character in your budget you may have to go further afield (although check internet speeds/mobile reception if you work from home both can be patchy).

Edited by HelenT on Friday 4th January 21:47

[ARHarh]

We moved from Fleet Hampshire to just outside Oswestry 6 years ago. No regrets at all. Shrewsbury is a lovely town but as said can be a real pain to get from one side to the other in rush hour. As mentioned the Oswestry hospital has a top class reputation and they seem to always be looking for people.

Things I have discovered are something like a 20 mile commute round here will only take 30 mins by car, very few traffic jams, meaning you can easily live in the small villages and commute to town. Step over the Welsh border and you can buy a house even cheaper. People are nice and friendly.

Downsides are if you live outside of Shrewsbury, telford or Wrexham you will end up travelling for shops, especially if you are used to living in London. I live 6 miles from Oswestry and find most shopping trips involve a 40 mile trip. There are not as many people around so earning potential is less, although that probably wont affect you.

All else aside Shropshire is one of the most undiscovered parts of the country, most people drive through on the way to Snowdonia and never stop to enjoy the place

[NormarkSuperswede]

Thanks for replies. I wanted to post last night but was blocked due to "new member abuse" or something going on . One thing is for sure. The area seems to be loved by everyone . I am hearing so much "good" rather than "bad" .North Wales (Porthmadog) was a option .But we wondered about Shrewsbury due to its location. As for Budget ! Well I cannot afford much . I tend to live with what i can afford. I dont owe money and try not to. A mortgage will be the first time in 30 years ! .But its the security of should something happen .My wife should as a nurse be able to service the payments. We are not rich by any means and dont suffer from any illusions of wanting to have what we cannot afford . Wife will need to learn to drive .As it it obvious we wont have a underground system to rely on etc. Telford is a NONO from day one. But within Shrewsbury are there areas to be "avoided" at all costs ? !


Thanks for the posts . The advice is been well noted

[NormarkSuperswede]

Thanks for replies. I wanted to post last night but was blocked due to "new member abuse" or something going on . One thing is for sure. The area seems to be loved by everyone . I am hearing so much "good" rather than "bad" .North Wales (Porthmadog) was a option .But we wondered about Shrewsbury due to its location. As for Budget ! Well I cannot afford much . I tend to live with what i can afford. I dont owe money and try not to. A mortgage will be the first time in 30 years ! .But its the security of should something happen .My wife should as a nurse be able to service the payments. We are not rich by any means and dont suffer from any illusions of wanting to have what we cannot afford . Wife will need to learn to drive .As it it obvious we wont have a underground system to rely on etc. Telford is a NONO from day one. But within Shrewsbury are there areas to be "avoided" at all costs ? !


Thanks for the posts . The advice is been well noted

[A205GTI]

NormarkSuperswede said:

Thanks for replies. I wanted to post last night but was blocked due to "new member abuse" or something going on . One thing is for sure. The area seems to be loved by everyone . I am hearing so much "good" rather than "bad" .North Wales (Porthmadog) was a option .But we wondered about Shrewsbury due to its location. As for Budget ! Well I cannot afford much . I tend to live with what i can afford. I dont owe money and try not to. A mortgage will be the first time in 30 years ! .But its the security of should something happen .My wife should as a nurse be able to service the payments. We are not rich by any means and dont suffer from any illusions of wanting to have what we cannot afford . Wife will need to learn to drive .As it it obvious we wont have a underground system to rely on etc. Telford is a NONO from day one. But within Shrewsbury are there areas to be "avoided" at all costs ? !


Thanks for the posts . The advice is been well noted

Why not go further north, with that budget you could get a good house in newcastle?

[pherlopolus]

we live in Telford (one of the nicer areas) and don't get the hate. Never had the urge to try Shrewsbury - always get lost in the one way system.

anyhow, 3 bed detached in a nice area of Telford with an excellent school nearby £190k https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prop...

[Labradorofperception]

Shropshire the graveyard of ambition.

Once you move here, life slows, you discover Three Tuns and Salopian Oracle and it all relaxes to the inherent slower pace of Salop.

£185,000 might be a push outside of Monkmoor (some great properties, ste parking) and the higher density in the east side of town. However, if you look at some of the westerly suburbs of Telford, Dawley, Lawley, Broseley you can find some interesting properties.

To be honest, the property mix is really really varied.

As a town, Shrewsbury is remarkably unspoilt and many of the surrounding villages have kept their character.

[Kermit power]

I had hoped to do exactly this (albeit selling up in the South East, so larger budget) this coming summer, but sadly I don't think it's realistic before the kids finish school.

Youngest starts secondary school next year, so 7.5 years and counting.

After that, I'll be gone like a rat up a drainpipe in search of a couple of spaniels, and, if I can possibly manage it, early retirement!

[E31Shrew]

Have lived in Shrewsbury for the past 20 years. It's a great place with plenty of independent shops, restaurants and bars. The traffic issue really isn't that bad and there's always ways to get round it if it's becoming a hassle
Personally I would avoid certain areas on the East side of town and try and head for Copthorne, Bowbrook and others within reach of the hospital.
We moved over from the Welsh border area as kids went to school in Shrewsbury but you could do a lot worse than to have a gander at a 5 mile radius of SY22 on Rightmove, but I guess it depends if you want town or country living.
Allow about 50 mins for Chester and an hour for Brum but good train services if needed.
Manchester and Brum airports both easy within 1hr 15 depending on time of day.
I commute to Newbury every week and it's about 2hrs15.
All in all a super town. If you need further info please feel free to drop me a DM and if you're visiting let me know and I'll give you a tour!
Good luck

[E31Shrew]

ARHarh said:

We moved from Fleet Hampshire to just outside Oswestry 6 years ago. No regrets at all. Shrewsbury is a lovely town but as said can be a real pain to get from one side to the other in rush hour. As mentioned the Oswestry hospital has a top class reputation and they seem to always be looking for people.

Things I have discovered are something like a 20 mile commute round here will only take 30 mins by car, very few traffic jams, meaning you can easily live in the small villages and commute to town. Step over the Welsh border and you can buy a house even cheaper. People are nice and friendly.

Downsides are if you live outside of Shrewsbury, telford or Wrexham you will end up travelling for shops, especially if you are used to living in London. I live 6 miles from Oswestry and find most shopping trips involve a 40 mile trip. There are not as many people around so earning potential is less, although that probably wont affect you.



All else aside Shropshire is one of the most undiscovered parts of the country, most people drive through on the way to Snowdonia and never stop to enjoy the place

Do you work for your username?

[troika]

It’s a very nice part of the world. If you have to live in a town, Shrewsbury would take some beating I think. I’d prefer a little further out and would live in Much Wenlock or Church Stretton in a heartbeat.