Having a child is a life-changing experience, and for Mia Nisbett and her husband, Ed, the arrival of Angus three years ago turned their plans and priorities on their heads.
The couple, both 39, had been living in a rented house close to Tooting Bec and commuting to their respective teaching jobs in Barnes and Dulwich.
Life was busy — and fun — but while she was on maternity leave, Mia became increasingly worried about her work-life balance.
“We had been thinking about buying a flat in the area, which we loved but we couldn’t have afforded a house,” says Mia. “I also worked out that with my commute, which was around an hour each way, I would have been dropping Gus off at nursery at 7am and picking him up at 6.30pm, and that didn’t seem fair. I couldn’t afford to give up work, but I thought there had to be a better balance than that.”
Fate intervened in 2019 when Nisbett got a great job offer at a school in Oxfordshire. The couple decided their best option was to move out of London, where they could cut their commuting times and afford to buy a family home.
Initially they started their property hunt in the delightful — but painfully expensive — villages in the north Cotswolds.
“We had no idea how expensive Oxfordshire was,” says Mia.
The solution they came up with was a move to the town of Banbury, a popular commuter location that is less picture-postcard pretty and fashionable but far more affordable than the likes of Chadlington and Kingham. Their five-bedroom Victorian house cost £480,000.
“That is pretty much the price of a London flat, and it is five minutes’ walk to my work,” says Mia. “It means that I can be home in time to do supper time and bath time.”
The family moved to Banbury in late 2019, with Ed initially commuting to work in London (he has since found a new post in Oxford).
They arrived in time to spend lockdown getting to know their new environment and last year they welcomed Imogen, who is now nearly a year old. With their dog, Stoffee, a boxer mastiff cross and a new pet cat, the family is now complete and very happy in their new home.
“Ed and I were both brought up in very remote locations and remember what it was like being kids and very bored,” says Mia.
“We wanted to be in or close to a town and Banbury is charming. Its architecture is really pretty, and it is really easy to live here — there are cafes, restaurants, a cinema, we are close to a park and it is very friendly and our social life is brilliant.
“We didn’t leave London because we didn’t like it. We left because we couldn’t afford the lifestyle we have now.”
