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The Shelfords and Saffron Walden make The Sunday Times’ Best Places to Live list




The Sunday Times Best Places to Live has named its best places to live in the East of England, and among them are The Shelfords and Saffron Walden.

In the annual supplement, due to be published in the paper this Sunday (March 17), Wivenhoe in Essex has been named the best place to live in the region.

Colourful terraced cottage houses in Saffron Walden. Picture: iStock
Colourful terraced cottage houses in Saffron Walden. Picture: iStock

The Sunday Times judges said of the town: “A welcoming community and a strong artistic tradition help this picturesque riverside town to stand out from its neighbours in the outer reaches of the Essex commuter belt.

“It has two art galleries, a high street full of independent shops and a choice of seven pubs, as well as attractive architecture that’s worthy of its beautiful estuary location.”

Six other locations in the East are featured in the comprehensive guide featuring 72 locations across the UK sponsored by Halifax.

The full list of East of England locations is as follows (apart from the winner, they are not ranked but published in alphabetical order):

Winner: Wivenhoe, Essex
Ingatestone, Essex
Norwich, Norfolk
Saffron Walden, Essex
The Shelfords, Cambridge
Sheringham, Norfolk
Shotley Peninsula, Suffolk

Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, said: “This guide is a celebration of towns, cities and villages that are each a fantastic place to live in 2024, from Dunkeld to Knutsford, Falmouth to Leeds. Wherever you are on the property ladder, there will be somewhere to suit you.

“These are all places where you can feel grounded as well as upwardly mobile: they have a mature sense of community, lively, supportive high streets and an eye to the future, whether that is eco-friendly measures, transport and regeneration, or imaginative inclusion of new housing.”

The Sunday Times’s judges have visited all the locations and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds to culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street.

Great Shelford. Picture: Keith Heppell.
Great Shelford. Picture: Keith Heppell.

Of The Shelfords, it had this to say: You can avoid the traffic and the tourists but keep close to Cambridge in these twin Fenland villages.

“Great and Little Shelford offer the best of life in Britain’s answer to Silicon Valley, but few of the downsides. Living in this rural idyll doesn’t come cheap but community spirit is off the scale.”

And the guide says of Saffron Walden:Saffron Walden still has its medieval good looks and every 21st-century luxury too, from sourdough to sushi, juice bars to artisan chocolates.

“Detractors say the place is pricey and pleased with itself, but for beautiful architecture, proper countryside, decent transport links, coffee culture and high-achieving schools, SW is seriously hard to beat”.

Colourful Tudor timber-framed cottages in Saffron Walden
Colourful Tudor timber-framed cottages in Saffron Walden

There are more new entries than ever before in this year’s guide.

The chosen locations come in all shapes and sizes, from the tiny Scottish island of Kerrera and the remote Welsh village of Presteigne to big, lively cities such as Belfast, Leeds and Liverpool

“What makes our guide unique is that we actually visit all the places we choose and talk to locals to find out what life is really like there,” said Helen.

“That means we can see what people really love about the places they live. That might be fast commutes and high-achieving schools but also clean water to swim in, lively town centres with useful shops, the possibility of earning a living and being part of a friendly community.

“We do consider affordability, though high house prices are no barrier to inclusion – as long as they provide value for money.

“Different people may be looking for different things, but what all our best places have in common is that people love living in them and are proud to call them home.”

Visit thetimes.co.uk/best-places-to-live.for the full list.



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