Measuring the distances…
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Thinking of living at ME5 8XB? Who your neighbours would be, how far the schools, station, shops, GP and parks are from the postcode itself, which schools are near and how they do, what there is to do at the weekend, and a day in the life here.
You'll mostly drive: the nearest station, supermarket, GP are all over 1 km away.
Answer a few questions in Where could I live? and this will use your own priorities. Until then, try a perspective.
Working out the fit…
here typical · scale 0–50%
0 crimes recorded on Larchwood Close in the last 12 months. The street →
here typical · scale 0–50%
here England and Wales · scale 0–100%
here England and Wales · scale 0–50%
| School | Stage | Distance | Latest results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swingate Primary School | Primary | 450 m | – |
| St Benedict's Catholic Primary School | Primary | 850 m | 77% met the expected standard |
| Lordswood School | Primary | 1.4 km | 76% met the expected standard |
| Bredhurst Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Primary | 1.9 km | 90% met the expected standard |
| Walderslade Primary School | Primary | 1.9 km | 77% met the expected standard |
| Greenacre School | Secondary | 2.7 km | Attainment 8: 29.8 · 0.8% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| Walderslade School | Secondary | 2.9 km | Attainment 8: 29.9 · 1.5% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| The Victory Academy | Secondary | 4.5 km | Attainment 8: 35.5 · 5% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| Holcombe Grammar School | Secondary | 4.5 km | Attainment 8: 62.4 · 19.2% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| Rainham School for Girls | Secondary | 4.7 km | Attainment 8: 44.3 · 5.5% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| Blue Skies School | Independent | 5.3 km | 0% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
Every primary near ME5 8XB, ranked → · Every secondary → Ranked on results, with Ofsted and SEN; each school's page says how hard it is to get in.
| Sport | Nearest | Distance | Places |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swimming | Bridgewood Manor | 3.2 km | 6 |
| Tennis | Maidstone Road Sports Ground | 4.6 km | 6 |
| Golf | Cobtree Manor Golf Club CP | 3.9 km | 3 |
| Football | The Bauvill Stadium | 4.7 km | 3 |
| Karting | Buckmore Park | 3.6 km | 2 |
| Ice skating | Silver Blades Ice Rink | 4.5 km | 2 |
| Skiing | Chatham Snowsports Centre | 2.9 km | 1 |
| Gymnastics | Gillingham Gymnastics Club | 3.8 km | 1 |
| Fishing | Bluebell Fising Club | 4.2 km | 1 |
| Trampoline | Soar Trampoline Park | 4.2 km | 1 |
| Hockey | Holcombe Hockey Club | 4.6 km | 1 |
| Bowls | Chatham Bowling Club | 4.6 km | 1 |
Named clubs, pitches and centres mapped in OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL) and facilities registered with Sport England Active Places (Contains Data © Sport England, CC BY 4.0). Neither list is complete, so a club not shown may still exist.
The nearest station is Rainham (Kent), a drive away (5.9 km), with 1.7m journeys a year; its busiest route is to London Victoria.
The nearest bus stop is Golden Wood Close, 200 m away, with a bus about every 7 minutes on weekdays (routes 166, 658); 43 departures an hour from the 8 stops within a 5-minute walk.
Central London is 52 km away as the crow flies.
This is car country: only 5% of households have no car.
The nearest primary school is Swingate Primary School, a few minutes' walk (450 m).
None of the state primaries within 2 km has Ofsted's top rating.
The nearest secondary is Greenacre School, 2.7 km away; Attainment 8: 29.8 · 0.8% of GCSEs at 8–9.
Top-rated secondaries within reach: School of Science and Technology Maidstone (3.1 km).
Grammar schools are within reach: Invicta Grammar School (3.9 km) and Maidstone Grammar School for Girls (4.2 km).
The nearest supermarket is Co-Op, 1.9 km away, with Growers Direct closer still (500 m) for top-ups.
The nearest GP surgery is Reach Healthcare (1.9 km), with Lordswood Pharmacy the closest pharmacy (550 m).
For a haircut, The Salon is 1.9 km away.
The nearest full A&E is Maidstone Hospital, 6.1 km away, rated requires improvement by the CQC.
At its trust, 73% of major A&E patients were seen within 4 hours in September 2026 (the NHS standard is 95%), and 70% of people waiting for planned treatment had waited under 18 weeks (typical wait 12 weeks).
There's a handful of places to eat and drink locally: 7 restaurants and cafés, 8 pubs and bars.
London Shadows Restuarant is the closest café or restaurant (550 m), and The Harrow Inn the nearest pub (1.0 km).
It's a low-crime area: about 63 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year, below most of the country.
There are 113 listed buildings.
Detached houses make up 51% of homes.
The typical home here was built in 1973-1982.
It's growing: about 122 new homes were completed in 2021–2025.
The nearest park is Princes Avenue Recreation Ground, 2.0 km away; for exercise, Lordswood Leisure Centre (1.1 km).
Air quality is around the national middle (nitrogen dioxide 11.3 µg/m³).
For holidays, London Southend is 31 km away, and London Gatwick, with far more destinations, 54 km.
12 places on this map are within about a 10-minute walk.
Walking times are estimates from straight-line distance. Food businesses from the FSA food hygiene register; schools from the DfE register; nurseries from Ofsted's childcare register; care homes from the Care Quality Commission; pools, sports halls, tennis and golf from Sport England Active Places (contains data © Sport England); everything else © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Map © OpenFreeMap, OpenMapTiles, OpenStreetMap contributors.
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No state primary within 2 km has Ofsted's top rating.
Most households own their home, 13% rent privately.
Written from the figures on this page: Census 2021, DfT journey times (2019), NaPTAN/ORR, Ofsted, CQC, FSA, police.uk and planning registers. Figures describe the neighbourhood around the street.