Portswood

[SuperMikey]

Hello my fellow SWFers.

 

I'm currently embroiled in the process of finding a student house for my next academic year, and i'm looking in Portswood. Just wondering if anyone lives in Portswood (or knows the area well) and could tell me a little bit about living in the area. The houses that we're looking at are in the Livingstone Road area, just round the corner from Waitrose. I know plenty about the nightlife (as does my liver), but I don't know very much about good food shops in the area, whether there's much traffic on the roads and how noisy it is during the daytime.

 

Thanks!

[Essruu]

Livingstone Road is away from the main roads in that area (Portswood Road and Lodge Road) so it's not noisy with traffic. Virtually the whole of Livingstone Road, Gordon Avenue, Alma Road etc is full of student houses, so you'll get enough noise, litter, puke and taxi engine noise etc.

 

You'll be well served for food shopping there. Besides Waitrose, there's a large Co-Op store, International Foods if you fancy cooking or the Farm Foods Store is probably more suited to you.

 

It's Studentville around there so the house will be sh1t though.

[bowers-sfc]

If your polish or Muslim your very well catered for

[Turkish]

Mango restuarant, 27 Portswood Road is is superb and does a cracking lunchtime menu of a red or green thai curry and a drink for £8. If you want to go a bit upmarket Cenos is a nice bar Swaythling end of Portswood. Loads of take aways etc and you're not far from the Hobbit which is a good for a few ales and live music of a night.

Edited 14 January, 2011 by Turkish

[hypochondriac]

Make sure it is somewhere quiet where you can enjoy lots of 'me' time.

[dune]

Loads of take aways etc and you're not far from the Hobbit which is a good for a few ales and live music of a night.

 

Full of annoying students. Mikey will be in his element.

[Deppo]

If your polish or Muslim your very well catered for

 

I'm Polish and Muslim and I agree with this statement. Waitrose has excellent quality food, the Co-Op is very handy and Cenos is a lovely place to meet friends socially.

[Seaford Saint]

If your polish or Muslim your very well catered for

 

No it's..... If you are Polish or Muslim you are (will be) very well catered for.

[Deppo]

I am assuming he is Polish too, so don't pick on his terrible use of English. He did pretty well seeing as it's his second language.

[Jonnyboy]

Mango restuarant, 27 Portswood Road is is superb and does a cracking lunchtime menu of a red or green thai curry and a drink for £8. If you want to go a bit upmarket Cenos is a nice bar Swaythling end of Portswood. Loads of take aways etc and you're not far from the Hobbit which is a good for a few ales and live music of a night.

 

Surely youd never be seen dead in any of the places what with your student allergy?

[SuperMikey]

Thanks for the help guys, i've been to Portswood a fair few times now but don't know that much about the area as a whole so it's good to get some more info. I think i've used the toilet in Mango before, Turkish, it seemed like a nice place. Is it the really small place opposite the pub, on the corner? The sklep shops aren't too bad depending on what you want really either!

[Rocker268]

I'm a third year living in Thackeray Road at the moment and love living in Portswood. This is the company I have used for both years http://www.assuredlettings-southampton.co.uk/ and they have been great, I would recommend them to anyone, plus they are big Saints fans

 

I lived on Burgess Road last year and living in Portswood has been so much better!

 

As long as you stay off of Portswood Highstreet then it is quiet (all I can hear at the moment is a bird in the trees opposite) as you are away from the traffic. The best thing about being in Portswood is the number of students around (I know that a lot of permanent residents hate it, but for me it is great), so you are always running into people you know, either to or from uni, or just in the shops. It also means you are a couple of minutes from friends houses if you decide you want to meet up with other people, or become part of a committee and have meetings as these will usually be in Portswood.

 

I am able to live off of Iceland for most things but use Waitrose or the independent shops for fruit, veg and meat as it is better quality and Waitrose Essential is good value. Plus if you know Someone with a car you can go to Sainsbury's at Hedge End or Asda in Eastleigh for a 'big' shop every couple of weeks.

 

The main reason most people live in Highfield is so that they are close to the library but after living in Swaythling last year I haven't noticed a difference. I prefer living close to SoBar and Jesters and having a 5-10 min walk home from them rather than a 40 min one at 2am and a 20 min walk to uni in the day opposed to last years 15 mins.

 

I hope that helps feel free to ask me anything else though. Good Luck house hunting!

[SuperMikey]

Thanks for the reply Rocker, got to admit i've become quite partial to Jesters so it'll be nice to live a short walk away! What's it like for student-y jobs in Portswood? Many bars/shops hiring at the start of the academic year?

[Rocker268]

That's O.K. I'm not sure about Jobs really I haven't really looked, I applied for the Halo catering vacancies at SMS but never heard back once they received my application, but they may be worth a look.

 

SoBar are often hiring in September and I assume Jesters do as well, I think both are losing quite a few staff members this summer (unless people stay after they graduate). Waitrose seem to have quite a few student staff members so may be worth investigating. My cousin graduated last year and has stayed in Portswood and works in the city centre which is only 20 - 30mins walk so you can walk or cycle into town easily for work too.

[TopGun]

I don't live in the area now but grew up there with Portswood High Street as main shopping area etc. My folks still live there. Portswood has changed but all areas do. Much more student now etc than previously cos of expansion in Soton Uni plus Solent Uni. Waitrose does well out of the established families but as others have mentioned plenty of cheap places like Farm Foods. Plus Aldi in Bevois Valley. Also a new Sainsbury has permission at the Swaythling end near the Mitre on the old bus depot site.

 

I'd disagree with Essruu's sweeping comment about landlords etc. Most student landlords are entirely aware of their responsibilities and try to ensure they do ok in that area, both in terms of the housing they provide and the tenants they have. The good landlords sign up to a code of conduct with the university anyway so that should be your first stop point Mikey as they will provide you with a list of registered landlords, whether you are a student or not. Essruu's point comes from being a taxi driver - landlords can do bugger all about bad behaviour in taxis or indeed their housing. You have to look after a rented place as anywhere else, so pick your landlord and housemates carefully!

 

I would personally suggest Highfield Lane - out of the student clutter and undergrad hassle in Portswood but places to rent regularly. Bit further to walk to Waitrose but the Crown and the Highfield are decent pubs right on the doorstep.

Edited 15 January, 2011 by TopGun

[dune]

so pick your landlord and housemates carefully!

 

This. You're still at that naive age, but you will start learning fast that the world is full of utter c*nts. I would suggest you spend year 1 in a hall of residence. It's the best way to find like minded people whilst having your own room. Then in year 2 you will have had time to spot the freeloaders and sly c*nts - the sort who don't buy their round.

[Deppo]

This. You're still at that naive age, but you will start learning fast that the world is full of utter c*nts.

 

SuperMikey, I think you should thank you dune for teaching you this valuable lesson.

[SuperMikey]

This. You're still at that naive age, but you will start learning fast that the world is full of utter c*nts. I would suggest you spend year 1 in a hall of residence. It's the best way to find like minded people whilst having your own room. Then in year 2 you will have had time to spot the freeloaders and sly c*nts - the sort who don't buy their round.

 

I'm in halls now in Bassett, looking at student houses in Portswood for Year 2 with my current flatmates who I get on very well with. Guess i'm lucky in the fact that, of the 15 other people on my floor, there's nobody I don't get on with so i'm going to be living with people I know and like for the next 2 years.

 

Rocker - my plan was to have a look round the city centre when I come back in September to see what's going, I have a job at the moment but I couldn't pay my way with it next year because it's only £5 an hour! I know a few people who work at Sobar, that might be my best bet for a job, i'll talk to them about it.

 

TopGun - Thanks for the post, very helpful! Highfield Lane is a good shout, although i'd prefer to be more in the centre of Portswood and further from campus than the other way around. We've been recommended the SASSH.co.uk site, which has a list of available properties from University-trusted landlords (none of which have emailed me back about a viewing almost 3 days after I enquired!), so we're going through there at the moment. Prices are ranging from about £52-£75 a week, so decent enough.

 

Deppo - Thanks Dune, for a life lesson I will never forget.

[Turkish]

Surely youd never be seen dead in any of the places what with your student allergy?

 

I've been to Mango of a lunchtime to take advantage of the decent lunchtime thai curry offer, tends to be quiet then with only occasionally a few irritating student girls giggling and trying to sound intelligent. Cenos isn't a student bar, decent for food and a few beers and go in there a fair bit, but yes apart from those places give Portswood generally a miss due to the nature of the opinionated, self obsessed, arrogant & irritating residents.