Debden/Loughton on way to Epping
- Thread starter pboi
- Start date
marty21
One on one? You're crazy.
loughton seems quite a thriving place, not sure what the pubs are like, but sometimes drive over there from Hackney to go to the sainsbury's there, and have something to eat, the high street is fairly standard, M&S, WH Smiths, etc, a few independent restaurants and that - very close to Epping Forest which is fab, plus it's on the tube, no idea about house prices, Epping itself seems pretty similar to Loughton, never stopped in Debden though, there are few posters who live closer who might pop along
Errol's son
Well-Known Member
I went to school in Loughton for a while.
It is a nice place but it isn't cheap.
It is a nice place but it isn't cheap.
Errol's son
Well-Known Member
When I lived there we lived on a street with the forest on the other side - Warren Hill. The houses there are all over a million these days to buy. Elsewhere it would be much cheaper.
marty21
One on one? You're crazy.
epping forest is great, it's easy to get to from hackney as well tbf, if you have a car, 30 minutes drive at the weekend
Puddy_Tat
naturally fluffy
Don't know the patch well, but a chunk of it is post-war London overspill kinda development.
And the BNP are moderately active round there and have 4 councillors representing bits of Loughton...
And the BNP are moderately active round there and have 4 councillors representing bits of Loughton...
PacificOcean
Unhinged User
Debden was built as a pre-fab type affair after the war to house those who were bombed and it's kind of stayed the same ever since.
Stobart Stopper
Well-Known Member
Any body ever been there? Considering moving thataway and want some opinions
Don't move to Debden, it's the biggest shithole in Essex, full of chavs. Really bad chavs as well. Iworked in Debden once, only for 2 weeks and it's like going back about 30 years in some places. Really fucking awful IMO.Loughton is ok, but very expensive.
JHE
.
Debden can be counted as part of Loughton (or as a neighbouring place, if you prefer), but most of Loughton is definitely not Debden. Debden is Loughton's large low-rise post-war council estate, with lots of green space, but lots of social problems too.
The BNP councilors on Epping Forest District Council have been elected from wards in Debden.
Loughton has good points. Top of the list: Epping Forest. From all of Loughton, including Debden, you have easy access to Epping Forest. Some of Loughton is in the Forest. It is, at most, a short walk away. There are still some nice pubs in Loughton. Loughton is on the Central Line, so it's dead easy to get into east London or the City or the West End etc.
Loughton's other good points are, in a sense, negative, though. It's not as bad as some other places. There's probably significantly less unemployment, though I say that without seeing any figures. There is less crime than further into the London area. Much of it is quieter than some of the London area.
I believe that, unfortunately, Loughton is now one of those places which attract large numbers of young people on Friday and Saturday nights - and has all the attendant trouble, drunken idiots and lads looking for fights and victims to rob. (Some of the trouble has had a racial edge, allegedly.)
spanglechick
High Empress of Dressing Up
i went to acting school in the hinterland between debden and loughton (worth bearing in mind - acting students aren't to everyone's taste). I would hate to live in either locale. It's massively white if you're used to living in town. Loughton is quite well to do, but rather 'Birds of a Feather'... lots of permatanned and highlighted gym-bunny housewives driving pristine hairdressers' 4x4s.
Debden (or Dresden, as the nickname goes) is possibly the most depressingly bleak and run-down place in greater london with the exception of thamesmead.
Debden (or Dresden, as the nickname goes) is possibly the most depressingly bleak and run-down place in greater london with the exception of thamesmead.
currently living in Brixton 
haha
interesting views guys, thanks for all the posts. explains the difference in prices in Debden !!
found a nice cottage in north loughton, next step is a Saturday morning in the area methinks.
i dont want any of that birds of a feather shit, I just want to live in a rural area thats commutable to LDN ( who doesnt I guess :/)
any of you guys live in feintly rural areas and commute in?
hahainteresting views guys, thanks for all the posts. explains the difference in prices in Debden !!
found a nice cottage in north loughton, next step is a Saturday morning in the area methinks.
i dont want any of that birds of a feather shit, I just want to live in a rural area thats commutable to LDN ( who doesnt I guess :/)
any of you guys live in feintly rural areas and commute in?
marty21
One on one? You're crazy.
horrific indeed. will need to do more research!
does anyobdy know this spot at all? middle of borders lane
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?sourc...648929,0.074501&spn=0.007056,0.01929&t=h&z=16
does anyobdy know this spot at all? middle of borders lane
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?sourc...648929,0.074501&spn=0.007056,0.01929&t=h&z=16
I lived in Loughton for 7 years until I moved to Epping 2 years ago so know the area pretty well...
Much of what has been said before has some elements of the truth.
Loughton is an expensive area, if you draw a line on a map up Traps Hill and through the junction of Alderton Hill and Borders Lane - as a very general rule this is the accepted Debden/Loughton border. It is also true that there is a substantial difference in house price between the two.
Notwithstanding the above, the area you are looking on Borders Lane (opposite the college) is, in my opinion, a decent enough place - I would be happy to live there. The main Debden estate (where the place gets its bad name from) is the sprawling mass of housing on the other side of Rectory Lane. I know several people who live there and they don't have much good to say about the place although the odd few do like it as they've been bought up there all their lives. I can see how it might be a bad place to be an outsider - the pubs on the Debden estate can be seriously rough-arsed. I like places to be more of a dive than a gastropub but most of the pubs there I've been in once and never been in again.
The other side of Loughton High Street (nearer the forest) is all what would be classified as "Loughton". There are some stunning little 2-bed cottages around that area (Smarts Lane / Forest Road) as well as some larger properties.
Loughton can be very "Essex" - it is one corner of the so-called golden-triangle, the others being Buckhurst Hill and Chigwell. That said, for all the bars I generally avoid on a Fri/Sat (Nu-Bar, Minx, Hollybush) there are some cracking pubs: Carpenters Arms, Gardeners Arms, Queen Victoria not forgetting the ones a short drive/walk up into High Beech and Epping Forest (The Owl, Duke of Wellington etc).
As for the BNP side of Loughton, I can't say I ever noticed although the area is predominantly white. Maybe the face of the party is a lot more visible in the estate side of the area (the other side of Rectory Lane as I mentioned above) but I can't say it's ever been obvious to me as I didn't live or go out over there that much.
Theydon Bois is a lot quieter than either Loughton or Epping - it is the largest village in the UK not to have streetlights I think. There are a selection of small shops including a butcher/grocer, another butcher, bakery, newsagent etc etc as well as a small Tesco Express. There are 4 pubs in the village, of which the Bull and the Queen Victoria are the best (IMHO of course) although the Sixteen String Jack is nice too but a bit further out. The Railway Tavern (which used to be a decent pub too) next to the station has now been refurbed and is a restaurant. That's about all I can think of really... oh, the 2 Indian restaurant/takeaways there are probably the best in the area.
Epping is probably mid-way in terms of the two places above - not as busy as Loughton or as quiet as Theydon. Decent enough high-street, mix of pubs; some wine-bar-esque, some old school. Housing as a general rule is ex-council in an estate format on the NE side of the High Street and more one-off private build on the side nearer the station. Both sides nice to live in just one a LOT more affordable than the other. Decent mix of shops although the Tesco has killed off the grocers. The butcher has a very popular following so will go on for the foreseeable thankfully.
Epping also has more restaurants/takeaways than you can shake a stick at - I don't know how half of them survive. Just from end to end on the High St I can think of 5 Indian, 3 Chinese, 1 Thai, 2 Italian, 2 fish and chip, 2x kebab/pizza, 1x chicken/rib, 1x French, 5x pub plus sundry cafes and coffee shops. The street is probably less than half a mile from end to end...
Best part of living up here is always getting a tube seat in the morning of course - can be a serious bonus!!
Think that's about enough for now and hopefully will give you a little flavour or the places. Best way to get to know it is to pop up for a few hours and have a drive/walk around.
If you have any other questions or more specific ones feel free to ask or PM.
Cheers.
wow, thankyou for your post. these new builds in debden are amazing value...and yes, I have seen some sweet two bed cottages on loughton, listed and with views of LDN.
again, many thanks. really useful info
do you commute into central? if so, is the commute a pain in the arse? Its a toss up between epping-debden or actually doing a train commute..and im not sure I can be arsed with living out in Colchester/Bedford type distance away.
again, many thanks. really useful info
do you commute into central? if so, is the commute a pain in the arse? Its a toss up between epping-debden or actually doing a train commute..and im not sure I can be arsed with living out in Colchester/Bedford type distance away.
Commuting couldn't be easier - in fact it must be the easiest and quickest Zone 6 to Zone 1 on the network.
From Loughton it is about 27 mins into Liverpool Street rising to 37 mins from Epping. Add on another 10 mins or so to get into the West End.
Depends where you work of course but this proximity to the City when you have the forest and all the other amenities on your doorstep within half an hour of leaving work is one of the main reasons that people want to live in the area, especially if they have kids, hence it boosts the prices.
At peak time (say 8.00 - 8.30am cos most folks get to work by nine) you can obviously get a seat at Epping and Theydon, it gets busy by Debden and you'll be struggling to find a seat at Loughton. Up till 7.45 and after 8.30 you should have little trouble a seat at Loughton either.
As a comparison, my mate lives in Zone 2 (Wandsworth). He has to walk 10 mins to the bottom of East Hill, get a bus to Clapham Junction (10 mins + waiting time), get an overland to Victoria (15 mins+ waiting), then change tubes twice to get to his work in the City (say 20mins). Takes him probably about an hour and a load of arsing about changing transport and standing all the way to go from Zone 2 to Zone 1 whereas it took me when I lived in Loughton half the time with a seat virtually guaranteed.
No brainer imho.
I know a lot of folks who live in Chelmsford and also on the C2C line into Essex etc and the trains into London seem to be a nightmare, more expensive than the tube and regularly full or late.
The only problem I recall on the tube was when the central line derailed a few years back and didn't get back on track (no pun intended) for a few months. There was of course a rail replacement bus but most people either drove/got the bus to Chingford and got the train 10mins to the end of the Victoria Line at Walthamstow or went to Harlow and got the overground into Liverpool Street.
Hopefully that won't happen again in the foreseeable though!!
From Loughton it is about 27 mins into Liverpool Street rising to 37 mins from Epping. Add on another 10 mins or so to get into the West End.
Depends where you work of course but this proximity to the City when you have the forest and all the other amenities on your doorstep within half an hour of leaving work is one of the main reasons that people want to live in the area, especially if they have kids, hence it boosts the prices.
At peak time (say 8.00 - 8.30am cos most folks get to work by nine) you can obviously get a seat at Epping and Theydon, it gets busy by Debden and you'll be struggling to find a seat at Loughton. Up till 7.45 and after 8.30 you should have little trouble a seat at Loughton either.
As a comparison, my mate lives in Zone 2 (Wandsworth). He has to walk 10 mins to the bottom of East Hill, get a bus to Clapham Junction (10 mins + waiting time), get an overland to Victoria (15 mins+ waiting), then change tubes twice to get to his work in the City (say 20mins). Takes him probably about an hour and a load of arsing about changing transport and standing all the way to go from Zone 2 to Zone 1 whereas it took me when I lived in Loughton half the time with a seat virtually guaranteed.
No brainer imho.
I know a lot of folks who live in Chelmsford and also on the C2C line into Essex etc and the trains into London seem to be a nightmare, more expensive than the tube and regularly full or late.
The only problem I recall on the tube was when the central line derailed a few years back and didn't get back on track (no pun intended) for a few months. There was of course a rail replacement bus but most people either drove/got the bus to Chingford and got the train 10mins to the end of the Victoria Line at Walthamstow or went to Harlow and got the overground into Liverpool Street.
Hopefully that won't happen again in the foreseeable though!!
Abridge is a lovely little village to live in but a pain in the arse if you actually need anything.
I don't go there that much but from memory there are a couple of pubs, a gunsmiths and thats about it. If you want any shopping or even a newspaper you have to go to Theydon about a mile and a half away & as I mentioned in my other post Theydon isn't exactly a thriving metropolis in itself...
I don't go there that much but from memory there are a couple of pubs, a gunsmiths and thats about it. If you want any shopping or even a newspaper you have to go to Theydon about a mile and a half away & as I mentioned in my other post Theydon isn't exactly a thriving metropolis in itself...
Griff
Hardly posting anymore
Lived in Epping for ages, moved away 3 years ago now.
Avoid Debden like the plague, nasty BNP land. Can't say I'm too keen on Epping either to be honest.
Have you thought about South Woodford, it doesn't have that 'glitzy' black Range Rover feel of Loughton, the unwelcoming territorial nastiness of Debden or the backwardness of Epping.
Epping's alright if you do what a lot of people do, just work in town and go home and shut your door. Have a walk round the town on Monday market day, and you may get more of a feeling for the place.
Avoid Debden like the plague, nasty BNP land. Can't say I'm too keen on Epping either to be honest.
Have you thought about South Woodford, it doesn't have that 'glitzy' black Range Rover feel of Loughton, the unwelcoming territorial nastiness of Debden or the backwardness of Epping.
Epping's alright if you do what a lot of people do, just work in town and go home and shut your door. Have a walk round the town on Monday market day, and you may get more of a feeling for the place.
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