Stamford named one of the best places to live in the UK
A number of places in the Midlands have made the list
Last updated 15th Mar 2024
Stamford has been named as one of the best places to live in the UK.
That's according to the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide.
Judges said of the Lincolnshire town: "Stamford looks a million dollars and it’s also the picturesque backdrop to a strong, proud community.
"It’s even getting ever so slightly trendy, with a sprinkling of Scandi-chic café and a hip new private members’ club.
"There are plenty of other clubs to join, from tennis to cricket and running, as well as culture at the Corn Exchange - and Stamford’s surroundings are just as lovely as its architecture."
"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.”
The top picks in the Midlands:
Winner: Stirchley, Birmingham
"Community spirit is visible all over Stirchley, from free art clubs in the library to the events at Stirchley Baths, a community centre that hosts cinema nights and a community market.
"Loaf, the co-operative bakery and cookery school that was one of the first independents to put Stirchley on the map, does a £1 Stirchley loaf, alongside its famous sourdough, so that everyone can afford good local bread."
Buxton, Derbyshire:
"The stately spa town is architecturally diverse and well connected."
Knowle and Dorridge, Solihull:
"These super suburbs are the place to bag a big house along with school and postcode bragging rights."
Market Harborough, Leicestershire:
"Dependable and desirable, this market town offers good schools, good transport links and a rich history reflected in its attractive town centre."
Shropshire Hills:
If you want to get lost in nature and nurture your creative side, this enchanting landscape of big hills and bigger skies is the place to be."
Sutton on Sea, Lincolnshire:
"If you’re looking for an unspoilt stretch of sea and sand dunes with just enough happening all year round, you can end your house hunt in this unpretentious, livable town full of beach huts and bygone charms."
Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, says: “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.”