Thames Ditton is, on paper, every suburban parent’s dream. Its green leafy spaces, low crime rate and situation in renowned schools’ catchment areas, all being short commute from London make the reasonably priced houses fiercely popular with property buyers. But what is it that makes Thames Ditton so special? To find out I asked some residents what their favourite thing about Thames Ditton life was.

“There is such a trusting community spirit here” One woman tells me. “I can fully trust my neighbours to come in to feed my pets and water my plants when I’m away.”

“It sounds petty, but what I really like is the cleanliness of the area, you don’t see litter and graffiti everywhere, and for me that makes a big difference.”

“It’s such a quiet area yet you’re far from isolated, you take one train journey and you’re in London! You get the best of both worlds”.

Apart from the ‘usual’ attractions of housing, schools, health clubs and the world’s oldest lawn tennis club Thames Ditton also boasts its own theatre housed in the Vera Fletcher Hall. This puts on regular children’s shows to keep all those children amused as well as mini operas and concerts to keep the parents off the streets.

Of course all this comes at a price and house prices aren’t low but compared to the likes of Twickenham or Richmond you can save an awful lot of money for the sake of a few minutes on your daily commute. The commuters also benefit from trains that start at Hampton Court and so arrive at Thames Ditton with seats for all – every day! How many commuters 30 minutes from London can say that?

The station itself is in many ways a microcosm of Thames Ditton life. For years Ron Cox the station master was known to all commuters for his helpful announcements, flowers on the platforms and a waiting room provided with a continuous supply of jigsaw puzzles and magazines. Sadly Ron is no longer with us but happily the new staff have kept up the tradition of magazines and jigsaws.

So while schools, theatres and jigsaws might seem an unusual mix they combine well to be part of Thames Ditton’s unique appeal.