Living in Folkestone: area guide to homes, schools and transport

The East Kent town of Folkestone lies 70 miles south-east of London at the end of the M20 - and now takes less than an hour to reach from St Pancras.
High-speed trains to St Pancras are bringing the capital's commuters to Folkestone. Images: Alamy
Anthea Masey12 February 2016

Along The Leas — the impressive swathe of clifftop green space running above the seafront — there is all the evidence that this was once a fashionable seaside resort. And in the centre of town the quaint streets around The Bayle and St Mary and St Eanswythe Church are a reminder of the original village before the arrival of the railways in 1843 unleashed a building boom.

So this is a town with a lot going for it — yet first impressions are not good. The station is drab, the walk into town is uninspiring, and the high street is a windswept wasteland which should never have been pedestrianised.


What there is to buy in Folkestone

The West End of Folkestone is the centre of the original smart Victorian and Edwardian resort. Here there are flats in converted white stucco and red-brick terraces and Twenties houses in wide tree-lined roads.


The Metropole and The Grand are two monumental late-Victorian hotels on The Leas overlooking the sea that were built in competition with each other. Both buildings are now converted into spacious flats. To the west of Folkestone, the little seaside town of Sandgate is becoming increasingly fashionable.


Travel and commuting: Folkestone is conveniently close to the Channel Tunnel entrance, which is at exit 11A on the M20. There are two train stations, Folkestone Central and Folkestone West, both served by high-speed trains to St Pancras in about 55 minutes (annual season ticket £5,792). There are slow trains to Charing Cross taking about an hour and 40 minutes, stopping at London Bridge and Waterloo East (annual season ticket £4,836).


The area attracts: the arrival of the high-speed trains to St Pancras is definitely bringing commuters from the capital to Folkestone, said Sally Jinks. “We are seeing buyers from London and Surrey, and we are even getting buyers from the north London suburbs who are used to commuting into the north London stations.”


Staying power: families who love the outdoor life tend to put down roots in Folkestone — and the area’s grammar schools are also a huge attraction for them.


Best streets: the tree-lined roads of the West End, including Turketel Road, Bodenham Road and Bathhurst Road, is where buyers find large detached Twenties houses.


Up and coming: Sally Jinks believes that the West End is still undervalued, with Twenties four- and five-bedroom detached houses selling for about £500,000.


Postcodes: Folkestone’s most desirable postcode is CT20, which covers the West End and Sandgate. CT19 covers mostly the northern part of town and Cheriton, while CT18 includes the villages of Hawkinge, Lyminge, Etchinghill and Capel-le-Ferne.


Photos by Alamy

Lifestyle

Open space: Lower Leas Coastal Park runs between Folkestone and Sandgate under the cliffs. It includes a wild zone, where the emphasis is on nurturing wildlife habitats, and a fun zone, with a huge children’s playground and amphitheatre. There are also formal flower beds, and a free summer events programme. The North Downs Way and the Saxon Shore Way long-distance walking routes can be picked up in or near Folkestone.

Schools

Primary
Folkestone has pockets of deprivation and as such the town’s primary schools struggle to get good results. Only two: St Eanswythe’s CofE in Church Street and Sandgate in Coolinge Lane are judged “outstanding” by the government’s education watchdog Ofsted.

The following are judged “good”: All Saints CofE in Stanley Road; Harcourt in Biggins Wood Road; Cheriton in Church Road, Cheriton; The Churchill in Haven Drive and Capel-le-Ferne in Capel Street, Capel-le-Ferne and Hawkinge in Canterbury Road in the village of Hawkinge.

Grammar
Folkestone has two grammar schools, both of which get excellent exam results: Harvey Grammar in Cheriton Road (boys ages 11 to 18) and Folkestone School for Girls (girls, ages 11 to 18) with some course sharing in the sixth form; the former is judged “good”, the later “outstanding”.

Private
Dover College (ages three to 18) in nearby Dover is a private day and boarding school.

University
University Centre Folkestone, specialising in the performing and visual arts, business and enterprise, opened in 2008 and is a joint venture between the Creative Foundation, Greenwich University and Canterbury Christ Church University.

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