People move from London to Chester for space, and stay for the walk to work. The city is small enough to cross on foot in twenty minutes, old enough to have a complete circuit of Roman walls, and connected enough that a direct train still puts you into London Euston when you need to be there.
It is a long move, though, and long moves reward planning. Here is what to think about before you commit, and how to get your belongings 200 miles north without losing a fortnight of your life to it.
Why people make the move
Your money goes considerably further
This is the reason most people give first. Property costs less in Chester than in almost any part of Greater London, whether you are buying or renting, and the difference is usually the gap between a flat and a house with a garden. Some buyers trade up in size. Others buy the same size and clear a chunk of mortgage.
A city you can actually walk around
Chester has the Rows, the Cathedral, Tudor frontages and a city wall you can walk the whole way round. It also has the shops, restaurants and services of somewhere much larger. Living here does not mean giving up amenities to get the history.
The commute stops eating your day
A short commute changes how the week feels. Chester station has a direct line to London Euston for the days you need to be in the capital, and Liverpool and Manchester are both within easy reach if your work or your career takes you there. Manchester Airport is close enough for an early flight without an overnight stay.
Green space and family life
The Cheshire countryside starts a few minutes outside the city. There is Grosvenor Park, the riverside path along the Dee, and Chester Zoo just north of the city, which is one of the most visited attractions in the country. For families moving out of a flat with no outside space, that shift is the whole point.
Where to live
Chester’s neighbourhoods have distinct characters, and it is worth spending a weekend here before you decide.
The city centre suits people who want to be able to walk everywhere. Hoole has independent shops and a strong local following, and sits close to the station. Handbridge is just over the river from the centre and popular with families. Go a little further and the villages of Cheshire and the Wirral give you countryside with the city still within reach, which is where a lot of London buyers end up once they have visited.
If you are still weighing up the wider area, our areas we cover pages set out what each town and village around Chester is like.
Schools and catchments
Chester has strong state schools and several well-regarded independents. Catchment areas matter here as much as they do in London, so check them against specific streets before you offer on anything, and look up application deadlines early. Mid-year admissions are possible but limited, and the timing of your move may end up being set by the school year rather than the property chain.
Budgeting the move itself
Chester is cheaper to live in, but the move itself is a long-distance one and should be budgeted properly. Removals, storage if you need it, utility set-up, and whatever the new house needs before you can settle into it.
Get a proper quote rather than an estimate off a website form. A pre-move survey takes about an hour, either in person or by video, and gives you a fixed price based on what you actually own and what access is like at both ends. London properties often need a parking suspension or have restricted loading times, and that is the sort of thing better identified eight weeks out than on the morning itself.
Planning a long-distance move
Start by decluttering. On a 200-mile move you are paying to transport volume, so anything you would not choose to buy again is worth selling, donating or recycling before it goes on the van. This is the single most effective way to bring the cost down.
Next, book the removal firm. Long-distance moves need more planning than local ones: crew numbers, vehicle size, whether the load runs overnight, and how the timings line up with your completion. Our house removals service handles the whole job, from packing your London property to unloading into the right rooms in Chester. Full packing is worth considering on a move this size, because packing a house properly takes most people several weeks of evenings.
Think about the gap, too. Sale and purchase dates rarely line up neatly over that distance, and plenty of people need somewhere to put their belongings for a few weeks in between. Our storage facility in Chester holds over 900 containers, so your things can arrive before you do and come out when the keys are in your hand.
Then the practical bits. Label boxes by room, keep an inventory, and pack a box of essentials that travels in your car rather than the van. Kettle, mugs, chargers, medication, documents, a change of clothes. If your dates are flexible, avoid Fridays and the end of the month, which are the busiest slots and the first to book out.
Our nine tips for a smoother move covers the rest of the detail.
Settling in
Walk the walls in your first week. It takes about an hour and it is the fastest way to get your bearings, because the circuit takes you past most of the landmarks and shows you how the city fits together.
After that, the usual things. Register with a GP and a dentist early, because good practices in the city fill up. Find your nearest market and your local. Join something, whether that is a running club, a choir or the school PTA. Chester is a small city and people notice a new face, which is a better experience than most Londoners expect.
Why move with Britannia Cestrian
We have been moving families in and out of Chester since 1972, and we are still family-run. Long-distance moves from London are a regular part of what we do.
The move is handled by our own crews from our own storage facility on the edge of the city, so the same firm packs it, transports it, stores it if needed and unloads it. We are members of the British Association of Removers, which means the service is covered by their standards and their financial protection.
The local knowledge is worth having, too. If you have not decided which part of Chester you want yet, we have opinions, and we are happy to share them.
Get a quote for your move to Chester
Tell us where you are moving from and when, and we will arrange a survey and give you a firm price. Book early if you can, particularly for a summer move.
Get an online quote, request a callback, or call us on 01244 521 950. If you would like to see our removals service in Chester in more detail first, that page covers what is included.
