Leamington named one of the best places to live...

Leamington has been named among the most desirable places to live in the Midlands.



The town ranked in the top ten in The Sunday Times 'Best Places to Live'. Other traditionally well-regarded local towns such as neighbouring Warwick, Stratford and Solihull all missed out.

The annual guide takes a wide range of elements into account including transport links, quality of schools, natural beauty, low crime rates, property prices, cultural life and unemployment figures. Each area is also assessed on its own individual assets, whether it is a local festival, fascinating architecture or even proximity to an airport.

Robin Stott of the Leamington History Society welcomed the news, telling the paper: “It is a very pleasant town with a short but fascinating history.

“Its history was of course built on the discovery of spa water, thought to have medicinal qualities, at the end of the 18th century, after which it grew very quickly.

“In the 19th century the planners, including the likes of Henry Bright, got the foundations of the town just right, leading to the attractive looking town we have today.

“The Parade was not meant as a shopping street initially, but has to be one of the most attractive in Britain.”

The other nine desirable Midlands locations were named as Malvern in Worcestershire, Stamford in Lincolnshire, Shrewsbury in Shropshire, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Ledbury in Herefordshire, Hereford in Herefordshire, Market Harborough in Leicestershire, Abbots Bromley in Staffordshire, and Northampton and Northamptonshire.

The Sunday Times 'Best Places to Live' is edited by the paper's associate editor Eleanor Mills, who as author of the 'Beyond the Brochure' property column has visited every corner of the country to assess the pros and cons.