First Impressions of Pembury

Last summer we were manically rushing around the county trying to find a new home after our first choice fell through and the buyer for our London flat was getting impatient. Initially, we ruled Pembury out as ‘too posh’ and ‘not us’. Let’s say we got it wrong on both accounts. We found our house in Heskett Park on the last week when we were still looking. For a while we had a nagging feeling that we might have made a mistake. Was it really ‘us’? Difficult to tell when light is fading away at 3 in the afternoon and all plumbers and builders seem to be avoiding us.

Now, when the days are getting longer and we are getting closer to sorting out our house needs, we can reflect on our choice. Was it right? In short - we love it here. The village is so diverse and beautiful, so full of life. Our neighbours are fantastic. We briefly lived next door to Melvyn Cole, born and bred in Pembury. Through him we got to know the past of the village and our immediate area - certainly not lacking excitement and surprise even in comparison to London. Other neighbours were helpful from day one, feeding the cat when we didn’t get home on time, welcoming us to the area, introducing us to local life. That and the requests for help to move a new kitchen with a massive cooker, pull out a 10 feet tree and move a greenhouse across the road. Country ways, we keep telling ourselves. You get what you give. People do look after each other, unlike back in London. Even our cat is a happier creature with a busy social life barely popping in for meals.

So any regrets? No, not on my part. I even stopped wishing misfortune upon the people of our first choice property and switched to giving thanks for landing in this

fantastic place. Everything is close by and we still feel like we are in the country. Won’t trade this place for the world. Can’t wait to spend our first summer here.

Masha

I’m London born and bred but I’d reached the point where I didn’t really want to live there anymore. London’s always a great place to visit...but so is Death Valley!

When we arrived in Pembury, at the end of October last year, we talked more to our immediate neighbours in the first 24 hours than we had in the first two years at our London flat! This was the sense of community I was looking for and I feel we really lucked out with this place. I mean, what’s not to like about a village with 4 pubs?! Even our "sophisticated" city friends are impressed when I tell them my local has free wi-fi in the bar.

On a more serious note – we do think the village is pretty much perfect. A real sense of being in the country yet everything is so near to hand. Unfortunately I still have to work in London but I can be in the office in just over the hour door to door – sometimes I couldn’t achieve that living in north west London.

We ended up here almost by accident, but what a touch of serendipity that was. We almost missed Pembury but, luckily, Pembury found us.

Rick

Rick & Masha Bayles

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Last updated 08 December 2008

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