Living it up in Chigwell...
Chigwell the Essex town that celebrities love to call home – located within the Epping Forest District, is part of the so-called ‘golden triangle’ of wealthy locations along with Loughton and Buckhurst Hill.
It is home to footballers, TOWIE stars and lifelong Spurs fan Lord Alan Sugar, who not only owns a mansion but also a Turkish restaurant, Sheesh, in Chigwell village. The decor may be dazzlingly modern but the beams are original, as the half-timbered building is one of Chigwell’s oldest. Chigwell was also home to the most expensive house sold in the county – sold at an eye-watering £23million.
Thanks to its close proximity to central London it takes just 30 minutes to get to Liverpool Street on the Central Line from Chigwell Station.
However, the area also has plenty of rural appeal to people looking for the best of both worlds. And that idyllic location comes at a price – usually a sum that is well into the the six-figure mark. There is a reason, after all, that a large number of celebrities call this place home. Amongst the celebrity status of Chigwell it can be easy to forget about everyone else that calls the town home.
Buying in Chigwell
A short walk along Chigwell’s roads and you will find houses anyone could be envious of. They look very expensive.
It isn’t just the buying market where there is plenty of demand in this corner of the ‘golden triangle’. Similarly there is also plenty of people interested in buying to let around here.
The shops and businesses in Brook Parade, opposite the station, are a clue to the neighbourhood’s wealth. These are not the usual mix of late-night grocery stores and takeaways but beauty salons and designer boutiques catering to the needs of clients who prefer pampering to pizzas, and live – or aspire to live – in a big house in one of Chigwell’s premier roads.
Location
Only 12.5miles from central London and 30 mins to Liverpool St on the Central line. The M11 is close by and Stansted airport is around 40 mins away.
Best roads
The best roads are around Chigwell Golf Club and include Forest Lane, Manor Road, Stradbroke Drive and Hainault Road
Football focus
Fans of Tottenham and West Ham will tell you that Chigwell is where footballers live. Further down the leagues, Leyton Orient also have their training ground in Chigwell.
Green Space
Hainault Forest is a Green Flag Award open space. It is a large park with woodlands and a variety of activities to take part in. While visiting the forest, why not walk through Woodhenge behind the lake which features wood sculptures by local artists and follow the sculpture trail.
Chigwell Roding Valley Meadows Nature Reserve, is maybe not what you expect of Chigwell, Loughton or Woodford. The Chigwell Meadows is the largest remaining species-rich water meadow in Essex with its famous display of wildflowers and a mosaic of herb-rich habitats, hedgerows, marsh, ponds, scrub and woodland, and an array of wildflowers.
Education
Schools in the area include Chigwell Primary Academy, Limes Farm Infants School & Nursery, Limes Farm Junior School, Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College, West Hatch High School and Chigwell School, an independent school, which was founded from a bequest by Samuel Harsnett, Archbishop of York, in 1629, among whose past pupils are William Penn, who later went on to found Pennsylvania, and actor Sir Ian Holm. The diarist John Aubrey recorded that it was at Chigwell School that Penn had a mystical vision, which influenced his later conversion to Quakerism. The original 17th-century schoolroom where Penn was taught still stands, and is now the school library.
