Woking

[worried1]

At least Woking isn't Guildford which I dont understand the London house prices + valuations for. Sure, its quite nice to pop into for a trip out, and it has critical mass, but the sort of overpriced boutique shopping with fancy cafe culture that it offers to the middle classes aint my thing. And it offers standing room only commutes. Plus its a warzone of drunken revellers on Fri/Sat nights anywhere near the station, which quite rules out any pleasant trip to the town centre for a bite to eat with Mrs DCA. And its snob central.

Observations on Surrey : the most postcode-obsessed place in the country (only place I've heard people say where they live by quoting the first half of the postcode), I dont understand why places clearly in London urbanism like Kingston say they are part of the county of Surrey and how the hell do you people park your cars - the parking spaces in car parks are tiny (compared to up north) !!!!!!

Very interesting observations. I have never heard the postcode quoting thing, but I have absolutely no doubt it goes on.

I agree about Guildford. The strange thing is that it revels in a very positive reputation and the extreme roughness at night never seems to get mentioned unlike, say, Kingston.

The reason Kingston is referred to as being in Surrey is because it used to part of it. A long time ago now, though, as it has been part of London since 1965. The actual Surrey County Hall still sits in Kingston and that is where the County Council is run from. I am not sure why that is the case as I think Guildford was always the 'County Town' even when Kingston was part of Surrey.

They tried to move it to Woking a few years ago, but the council ran out of money, so I guess it will be stuck in Kingston for years to come.

I am not sure why the Surrey address has lived on for so long, but probably down to snobbishness again. Some people will find it preferable to live in 'London' and others in 'Surrey' so speak to different people you will get different answers. London is the correct answer, though.

It is right on the border, because as soon as you get out of Surbiton town centre you are out of London and into Elmbridge which is a borough of Surrey-proper.

[Doesn't Commute Anymore]

The reason Kingston is referred to as being in Surrey is because it used to part of it. A long time ago now, though, as it has been part of London since 1965. The actual Surrey County Hall still sits in Kingston and that is where the County Council is run from. I am not sure why that is the case as I think Guildford was always the 'County Town' even when Kingston was part of Surrey.

They tried to move it to Woking a few years ago, but the council ran out of money, so I guess it will be stuck in Kingston for years to come.

I am not sure why the Surrey address has lived on for so long, but probably down to snobbishness again. Some people will find it preferable to live in 'London' and others in 'Surrey' so speak to different people you will get different answers. London is the correct answer, though.

It is right on the border, because as soon as you get out of Surbiton town centre you are out of London and into Elmbridge which is a borough of Surrey-proper.

Thanks! I now know that mystery. Interesting thread I look forward to reading more posts.

[bambam]

They tried to move it to Woking a few years ago, but the council ran out of money, so I guess it will be stuck in Kingston for years to come.

The way it was told to me, by a local Lib Dem, was that the Brewery Road car park in Woking, which is basically super-prime land nicely alongside but sheltered by the canal from the Victoria Way dual carriageway, which would have become the council HQ, was subject to protests because basically nimby scum in Horsell wanted to drive half-a-mile from their house to the car park, which is just flat land (not multi-storey), and then cross the road to go shopping. The alternative would have been for them to drive half-a-mile-down the road, and then go through two sets of traffic lights and park in the multistorey car park instead, located opposite the Brewery Road site. Obviously this would have involved slight inconvenience to their routine, so they scuppered, it being the self-important nimby w***ers that they are.

Eventually the council gave the site away, worth several millions of pounds to the WWF, who have built what is actually quite a nice HQ - critically on top (on stilts) of the nimbies' car park. So the car park is still there. Except it wasn't, for two years while they were building, because it was closed during the construction, and they seemed to get on just fine, but never mind.

It's got a small museum thingy there, so it could be worse really.

http://heartofsurrey.wordpress.com/2014/01/14/wwf-at-woking-opens-to-the-public/

Clearly the council HQ would have provided more jobs and a focus on Woking with all the bigwigs working and meeting there and noticing things for improvement in the town. But they got scared off by the nimbies.

[worried1]

The way it was told to me, by a local Lib Dem, was that the Brewery Road car park in Woking, which is basically super-prime land nicely alongside but sheltered by the canal from the Victoria Way dual carriageway, which would have become the council HQ, was subject to protests because basically nimby scum in Horsell wanted to drive half-a-mile from their house to the car park, which is just flat land (not multi-storey), and then cross the road to go shopping. The alternative would have been for them to drive half-a-mile-down the road, and then go through two sets of traffic lights and park in the multistorey car park instead, located opposite the Brewery Road site. Obviously this would have involved slight inconvenience to their routine, so they scuppered, it being the self-important nimby w***ers that they are.

Eventually the council gave the site away, worth several millions of pounds to the WWF, who have built what is actually quite a nice HQ - critically on top (on stilts) of the nimbies' car park. So the car park is still there. Except it wasn't, for two years while they were building, because it was closed during the construction, and they seemed to get on just fine, but never mind.

It's got a small museum thingy there, so it could be worse really.

http://heartofsurrey.wordpress.com/2014/01/14/wwf-at-woking-opens-to-the-public/

Clearly the council HQ would have provided more jobs and a focus on Woking with all the bigwigs working and meeting there and noticing things for improvement in the town. But they got scared off by the nimbies.

That is interesting.

It is a shame as it would have been sensible for the council to be based in Surrey proper rather than Kingston. It would have worked out quite well for Kingston as well, because the University would have taken over County Hall, meaning thy could vacate the awful properties they operate from at the moment, which could then be knocked down. That could have been good for both the University and the town.

Knowing Kingston Council, they would have only taken the opportunity to build more large ugly blocks of flats there anyway, so no great loss I suppose.

[Doesn't Commute Anymore]

It's got a small museum thingy there, so it could be worse really.

http://heartofsurrey.wordpress.com/2014/01/14/wwf-at-woking-opens-to-the-public/

Clearly the council HQ would have provided more jobs and a focus on Woking with all the bigwigs working and meeting there and noticing things for improvement in the town. But they got scared off by the nimbies.

Thanks! Will check it out sometime.

The postcode quoting thing I noticed was near Farnham close to the Hants border. People seemed obsessed to be the right side of the Blackwater river (its a tiddly stream really) and point out so. That place called Aldershot was a dirty word as well, never to be acknowledged or spoke of - Voldemort style.

[Doesn't Commute Anymore]

The town centre at Camberley feels seriously chavvy. Quite a lot of shops though?

I thought Camberley was OK and a surprise when I first went (I had high hopes for Farnborough, which were hugely dashed) but the wife hates, really hates, parking there in the worlds most compressed car park - that Atrium place. Plus, the traffic and people density seem really high making any trip there stressful.

Last observation, for today, as a newbie to the area was how snobby my wife's colleagues are (who live Hastlemere and Godamling). The wife doesnt care as shes not from the UK, but finds them amusing as they lambast poundland and wilkinsons - my wifes favourite shops. The floods shut them up a bit, especially the one who got flooded. They both chose to go small+pokey houses in these places rather than something a bit more roomy and future proof in the Woking area. Why would you do that? I dont know the area well enough to even suggest a reason, especially as one of them has a partner doing the Waterloo commute.

[worried1]

Last observation, for today, as a newbie to the area was how snobby my wife's colleagues are (who live Hastlemere and Godamling). The wife doesnt care as shes not from the UK, but finds them amusing as they lambast poundland and wilkinsons - my wifes favourite shops.

That is the classic snob reaction. One of the reasons I like living in Surbiton is that it is relatively un-snobbish compared to it's surrounds, but two of the biggest outcries in recent years here were when the 99p Store replaced Woolworths, and Sainsburys opened a Local store in the station. Guess what? They are now among the busiest stores in the town and I would be prepared to bet that quite a few of the original opposers shop in there too!

[bambam]

I thought Camberley was OK and a surprise when I first went (I had high hopes for Farnborough, which were hugely dashed) but the wife hates, really hates, parking there in the worlds most compressed car park - that Atrium place. Plus, the traffic and people density seem really high making any trip there stressful.

Last observation, for today, as a newbie to the area was how snobby my wife's colleagues are (who live Hastlemere and Godamling). The wife doesnt care as shes not from the UK, but finds them amusing as they lambast poundland and wilkinsons - my wifes favourite shops. The floods shut them up a bit, especially the one who got flooded. They both chose to go small+pokey houses in these places rather than something a bit more roomy and future proof in the Woking area. Why would you do that? I dont know the area well enough to even suggest a reason, especially as one of them has a partner doing the Waterloo commute.

Where is your wife from?

Snobbery is interesting, it can matter if you are choosing schools, but mostly BS.

[longgone]

That is the classic snob reaction. One of the reasons I like living in Surbiton is that it is relatively un-snobbish compared to it's surrounds, but two of the biggest outcries in recent years here were when the 99p Store replaced Woolworths, and Sainsburys opened a Local store in the station. Guess what? They are now among the busiest stores in the town and I would be prepared to bet that quite a few of the original opposers shop in there too!

oppose sainsburys pathetic

let me guess everyone shops in waitrose ? i still try to work out why they charge so much for the same goods that all the other`s sell

i guess it must be the place to be seen in town

[bambam]

oppose sainsburys pathetic

let me guess everyone shops in waitrose ? i still try to work out why they charge so much for the same goods that all the other`s sell

i guess it must be the place to be seen in town

Well it depends tbh.

Tesco treat people like absolute s**t. I remember I went to one in Whitstable last year, had driven about three hours to get there, awful traffic, and was starving, so I just grabbed a bag of crisps from the car. Walked inside eating that, and the woman on the fish counter reported me to the security guard, who approached me on the way out.

I was not in the mood. I said 'look, i walked in eating this, what do you want me to do, tap you on the shoulder and say that I have come in with this? And what exactly do you suppose you are going to do now anyway, I have eaten this and there's f*** all you can do, so why are you even talking to me, I'm probably never coming here again.'

You don't get that in Waitrose.

Sainsburys Local in Woking is like that , they have sacked all the till staff and replaced with self-scam. I went in there recently, a security tag on something I bought, I asked the supervisor, he claimed it would be deactivated auomatically when I walked out of the store, but it wasn't, alarm went off. Did I stop or turn around to see what was going on? Did I F***! Basically they have sacked all the till staff, and they think that it's ok to have some security goon on the door paw over people because they can't be bothered to do things properly. Mostly I try to shop in the market or other shops now. Absolute scum as far as I am concerned.

[worried1]

oppose sainsburys pathetic

let me guess everyone shops in waitrose ? i still try to work out why they charge so much for the same goods that all the other`s sell

i guess it must be the place to be seen in town

I think part of the opposition was that there is already another Sainsbury's about 100 metres down the same street, and the rest was that people wanted something more 'interesting' there (even though it had only been an off-licence before!)

Waitrose is the busiest supermarket, but part of that is because it is near the station. Sainsbury's has definitely taken a big chunk of the sales with this new one because it is open until midnight.

Edited January 24, 2014 by worried1

[longgone]

Well it depends tbh.

Tesco treat people like absolute s**t. I remember I went to one in Whitstable last year, had driven about three hours to get there, awful traffic, and was starving, so I just grabbed a bag of crisps from the car. Walked inside eating that, and the woman on the fish counter reported me to the security guard, who approached me on the way out.

I was not in the mood. I said 'look, i walked in eating this, what do you want me to do, tap you on the shoulder and say that I have come in with this? And what exactly do you suppose you are going to do now anyway, I have eaten this and there's f*** all you can do, so why are you even talking to me, I'm probably never coming here again.'

You don't get that in Waitrose.

Sainsburys Local in Woking is like that , they have sacked all the till staff and replaced with self-scam. I went in there recently, a security tag on something I bought, I asked the supervisor, he claimed it would be deactivated auomatically when I walked out of the store, but it wasn't, alarm went off. Did I stop or turn around to see what was going on? Did I F***! Basically they have sacked all the till staff, and they think that it's ok to have some security goon on the door paw over people because they can't be bothered to do things properly. Mostly I try to shop in the market or other shops now. Absolute scum as far as I am concerned.

i hardly think a couple of bad experiences is cause to write-off a whole organisation , do you really think staff being paid minimum wage really give a *hit where ever they work , or care about the customer.

personally i have had very good customer service from tesco , gave me a £20 gift voucher for wrongly advertising the price on the shelf, and also gave me £10 each for two monitors i bought which where out of stock online.

can`t complain really

i find the fresh bread in waitrose very poor quality , it looks nice on the shelf but the quality is pretty poor , other than fresh produce i cannot really see how there is any difference in quality between any off them they all stock the same things .

i find it easier to drive to new malden tesco 10mins in the car or cobham sainsburys

[bambam]

Depends. Around Woking Waitrose seem to employ 17 year old public school girls. I went to one in the middle of London and it was all immigrants with attitude.

As for Tesco, they do seem to treat their customers like pikeys more generally.

Generally - Tesco, veg are ok, but overpriced crap compared with the market, meat is s***e, ready meals also s***e

Sainsburys - as above, but better meat if you buy the better ranges

Waitrose - filled with overpriced w**k, but everything is good quality, some things like meat are actually good value, if only because of lack of competition.

Went to Waitrose today, bought mussels for £1.50/kg, reduce to clear, horrendously overpriced paella rice at £2.50/500g, ox cheeks at £8.49/kg, beef shin reduced to clear at £4.59/kg, frozen peas, probably same price as tesco, chicken thighs free range about £6.50/kg, pizza express pizza reduced to clear at £1.49, and a red pepper 89p.

Some things I could have done better else where, but you don't come out feeling dirty in Waitrose.

I like morrisons too actually. Bought £20k of their shares, but they've been crap,

Other day my wife went to tesco, it was the 'local' one in Woking, bought ten 'happy eggs', mixed size (ie tiny). £3.19. Waitrose price? £1.99. 60% more to shop at f***ing tesco, and purely because they thing a city centre local justifies horrendous price gouging. F*** em I say.

I don't like tesco, I don't like sainsburys, at least Asda are honest about how crap they are.

[worried1]

I think my main concern with Tesco & Sainsbury is their current 'local' approach. It is all the same supermarkets slugging it out for market share that it was 20-30 years ago, but now it seems they actively targetting the convenience sector.

In a way this is a good thing, because it could bring a bit of quality and consistency to that market. There are a lot of bad independent operators, but also a lot of good ones. I have one a few minutes walk from me who operates a Londis franchise. He opens from 7am-10pm, the store is always clean, bright and well-stocked even with fresh goods, and prices always seem to be within a few percent of the supermarkets.

He has survived the current onslaught of new Sainsbury Local & Tesco Express openings, but they are always looking for more, sometimes in the next street to an existing one.

Once they drum him out of business, they will be effectively free to raise their own prices and let standards drop even further.

[worried1]

Sainsburys Local in Woking is like that , they have sacked all the till staff and replaced with self-scam.

This is one of thethe worst things, and I think WH Smith is the worst offender. If you do into the one in Waterloo station now, they often have one person serving on a physical till, and another two helping people to use the self scan ones.

It might be a good idea in theory, but in practise these machines are not yet fast or reliable enough and a surprising amount of stock isn't properly barcoded. Add in the fact that the retail trade insist on the use of all of these discount vouchers and that older people don't want to use it, and it doesn't add up to a particularly efficient system yet.

It should only be used as extra capacity rather than a replacement.

[Doesn't Commute Anymore]

I hate WH Smith. Their aim is to corner the "I need something for my journey" market and hike the prices. Bag of crisps - £1+. Chocolate bar - only enlarged small pack available - £1.50+.

At least Tesco keep these parasites under some form of competition, even if they bring their own brand of evil.

[worried1]

I hate WH Smith. Their aim is to corner the "I need something for my journey" market and hike the prices. Bag of crisps - £1+. Chocolate bar - only enlarged small pack available - £1.50+.

At least Tesco keep these parasites under some form of competition, even if they bring their own brand of evil.

It used to just be the airport branches as WH Smith that had those stupid prices, then it spread to the stations and now most of the branches seem to do it.

I only ever buy items which have got the price on them from the manufacturer from there now, anything else I can get for half the price elsewhere.

[Hail the Tripod]

Actually there is a place in Woking that is doing quite well:

http://www.londonhouseoldwoking.co.uk

The chef was a Masterchef finalist or some such. I went there shortly after he opened, and he seemed to be trying very hard, and the food was pretty close to Drakes. He came out after the meal to ask us how it was, and honestly didn't dare to say anything we would improve, because he was clearly trying soooooooooo hard. Went back a couple of years later and got the impression he had burned out a bit, wasn't quite so impressive, more like Cote, didn't see him after the meal that time.

That place changes hands every couple of years, unil recently it was called La Rhone. The last few incarnations have all been OK.

I usually just eat out in London as I and the wife both work in the city (geographically, not in finance). When we do go out around Woking we'll generally go a bit further and get an exceptional meal like Great Fosters or Bel and Dragon. Or for authentic Cantonese food London Hong Kong is excellent. I just don't get eating out frequently at crap restaurants, although I do like going somewhere really good for special occasions.

[bambam]

Went to Bel & Dragon once (in 2005), wasn't terribly memorable.

Lunch at Drakes is an outstanding deal though.

London definitely makes sense for dining, I am on a dim sum kick at the moment, and there aren't many places out of London for that. Train costs a fortune though, on a Sunday I'll drive rather than pay £35 for train tickets on a train that's probably on a weekend repair works schedule.

[bambam]

I hate WH Smith. Their aim is to corner the "I need something for my journey" market and hike the prices. Bag of crisps - £1+. Chocolate bar - only enlarged small pack available - £1.50+.

At least Tesco keep these parasites under some form of competition, even if they bring their own brand of evil.

They do the same thing, as I said they hiked the price of a box of eggs 60% (!!!) in their 'Local' store. Things like a 500ml bottle of coke are ludicrously overpriced in all the supermarkets. £1.19 or 2 for £2 usually. I'll go to the corner shop and buy a can for 55p instead.

[Hail the Tripod]

Lunch at Drakes is an outstanding deal though.

I've never tried it even though it's only five minutes away, maybe I should. Their website looks promising.

[bambam]

I've never tried it even though it's only five minutes away, maybe I should. Their website looks promising.

They have a Michelin star, and it's well-deserved for a hard-working, non-celebrity chef. His previous gaff, Drakes on the Pond, in Abinger Hammer, had one too. Kept it when he left, though it has since closed.

Pennyhill Park has two Michelin stars, but I've only heard bad things about it. My wife went their for tea once, nothing special.

[Hail the Tripod]

Pennyhill Park has two Michelin stars, but I've only heard bad things about it. My wife went their for tea once, nothing special.

Yes, I've been there and was totally underwhelmed (although the spa treatments are nice apparently).

Edited January 26, 2014 by Hail the Tripod

[bambam]

Does anyone fall for this sort of utter bo11ocks?

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/30892021?search_identifier=93d254ef5e17713862325be7327ce1d6

"This property is far from ordinary in every sense… it’s extraordinary. You will never move again… after this where would you go! This property will enchant you, its location, it’s in the middle of nowhere and close to everywhere. A once in a lifetime home."

This sort of thing makes me want to buy an AK47 and take the nearest estate agents office hostage.

Utter, utter c*nts.

Let's point out the facts:

Manderley - sprawling estate with servants,

this place - Victorian village hall

Grounds - not even an acre

Location - far from great, you have to drive everywhere, you can't even walk to the public playground half-a-mile down the road because you would get run down by a car as there's no pavement

"There is a self-contained annexe, so you can have an au pair or find a granny!"

Translation: you are either slaving away so many hours in London and commuting that you never see your kids, or you are spending your life changing incontinence pads. Whoop!

[worried1]

Does anyone fall for this sort of utter bo11ocks?

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/30892021?search_identifier=93d254ef5e17713862325be7327ce1d6

"This property is far from ordinary in every sense… it’s extraordinary. You will never move again… after this where would you go! This property will enchant you, its location, it’s in the middle of nowhere and close to everywhere. A once in a lifetime home."

This sort of thing makes me want to buy an AK47 and take the nearest estate agents office hostage.

Utter, utter c*nts.

Let's point out the facts:

Manderley - sprawling estate with servants,

this place - Victorian village hall

Grounds - not even an acre

Location - far from great, you have to drive everywhere, you can't even walk to the public playground half-a-mile down the road because you would get run down by a car as there's no pavement

"There is a self-contained annexe, so you can have an au pair or find a granny!"

Translation: you are either slaving away so many hours in London and commuting that you never see your kids, or you are spending your life changing incontinence pads. Whoop!

One of the worst adverts I have ever seen, without a doubt.

I have never seen an EA include a quote from a book before, and as you say it doesn't even really suit this house!

There is rarely such a thing as a best of both worlds location, and this most certainly isn't it. I think the countryside is lovely around there but, as you point out, it is unusable due to lack of pavements and there are very few footpaths that you can use to get off the road totally. You'd end up driving a mile to one of the car parks to walk the dog, so why not just live a bit further away if you have got to drive anyway?

Same with the drive to the station each morning, plus there will be parking costs etc. Anyone wanting the 'country life' would be far better off moving to a nice country town further out where you could probably get a house like this with walkable countryside and station access for less money.

Of course, you'd suffer with a train journey much longer than from this place, but by the time you have saved all of the time driving, parking and mucking about the door to door commute probably wouldn't be that much longer.

Edited February 7, 2014 by worried1