STRATFORD and Ilmington have been named among the best places to live in the Midlands.
The Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide has ranked the town and village among the top eight in the region.
Judges behind the guide look at factors including schools, air quality, transport and broadband speeds to culture, green spaces and the health of the high street.
And it was Ilmington’s ‘beautiful houses, busy village hall, and good pubs’ which secured it a spot on the list.
Judges were also impressed by the community-owned village shop on Grump Street which they called the ‘real star’. It opened in 2015 after three years of fund-raising and is now a local hub with 120 volunteers.
One of the judges said: “Ilmington is of our favourite villages, close to the Cotswolds but away from the crowds. Its houses are beautiful and there’s an unmissable view from the top of Ilmington Down.”
And nearby Stratford left judges equally impressed with ‘some of the best schools in the Midlands’. They also gave a nod to Stratford Sports Club, with its riverside cricket ground and more than 1,800 members.
Judges said: “With the tourists absent and the theatres dark, Shakespeare’s birthplace has been showing its strengths as an ideal place to raise a family.”
Stamford in Lincolnshire was named the top place in the Midlands, with Stroud in Gloucestershire taking the number one place in the UK.
The Times and Sunday Times property editor Helen Davies said: “This guide has never been so important. The pandemic has taught us just how much we rely on our homes, our communities and our surroundings. With working from home now common, it’s no surprise that many of us are reassessing our priorities and thinking hard about where we really want to live.
“Our focus for this year has been community, countryside and convenience. It hasn’t been a year for big cities or small villages. Instead it is small towns that have shone: big enough to have everything you need within walking distance and small enough for everyone to feel connected.
Visit www.thetimes.co.uk/best-places-to-live for the full list.
