21 Falmouth
Ditch your preconceptions about yokel locals. The Pendennis shipyard builds £40m superyachts, there are 400 small businesses — mostly media and eco-entrepreneurs — and with 3,700 students in a 27,000 population, the Cornish town punches above its weight for cool. The superwealthy buy across the Fal at St Mawes, where Olga Polizzi’s family run the Hotel Tresanton. But those keeping it real prefer the gentrified terraces near the yacht club and the genteel Greenbank Hotel — Ricky Wilson, of Kaiser Chiefs, has a home opposite.
Traditional pleasures endure, with pretty ferries popping to Flushing village, Rick Stein’s chippy and plenty of golden beaches. Yet, these days, even Falmouth’s seriously eccentric Trago Mills discount store offers click and collect, a sure sign that this town combines history and 21st-century convenience.
Average price £298,328 ▲ 1.77%; zoopla.co.uk/market/falmouth
Why we love it A cool twist on traditional Cornwall.
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22 Glasgow, Park District
This elegant neighbourhood, which nestles in the affluent West End, is every bit as stunning as Edinburgh’s world-famous New Town. Yet the grand townhouses of Glasgow’s most prestigious Victorian address are considerably more affordable than their counterparts in the capital.
Charles Wilson’s masterpiece, completed in the 1850s, comprises a spectacular series of connected crescents and terraces. The largest townhouses, which were converted into offices in the latter half of the 20th century, have now been lovingly restored and returned to residential use. The hilltop location offers zoned parking and peerless views of the neogothic spires of the University of Glasgow, while the achingly hip district of Finnieston — home to a host of bustling bars and restaurants — is just a short stroll away.
Average area price £187,174 ▲ 7.57%; zoopla.co.uk/market/g3
Why we love it Elegant. Stylish. Vibrant. Affordable.
23 Hull
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Why is it UK City of Culture 2017? The poets Andrew Marvell, Philip Larkin and Andrew Motion lived here, as did William Wilberforce, whose home is now a museum devoted to his anti-slavery campaign. Better known, perhaps, is John Prescott’s turreted house in east Hull.
Five miles west of the city centre, Anlaby and Willerby were named the best areas in Yorkshire in a survey of jobs, health, schools and crime. But most locals will tell you that Cottingham, on the city’s northern fringe, is their favourite. With primary schools, well-preserved period buildings, a street market, a summer fair and trains that take you to the city centre in just 10 minutes, this suburb has the feel of a well-connected village. So what if much of the fishing has gone? The Fruit Market is being redeveloped, new open spaces are being carved out and a conference centre is on its way. Hull is on the move.
Average price £119,437 ▲ 1.68%; zoopla.co.uk/market/hull
Why we love it It’s cultural, but not as we know it.
24 Leeds, Headingley
The home of Yorkshire cricket is a delightful mix of sturdy Victorian villas on quiet, leafy streets and vibrant nightlife, vintage shops and alternative music venues catering for studious — and not so studious — university students.
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The city centre, just to the south, will this year see the opening of a John Lewis in the Victoria Gate development, which is attracting upmarket retailers to its flanks like iron filings to a powerful magnet. Yet Headingley and the more village-like Far Headingley retain the rural charm of 200 years ago, and have much to offer on their own, from the quirky independent Cottage Road cinema to the Retro Boutique, in Hyde Park, which sells unique vintage clothing finds. Just a few miles to the north, the breathtaking scenery of the Dales lends a wild magnificence to the place. Victorian terraces start at about £250,000, larger villas at £350,000.
Average area price £223,249 ▲ 4.26%; zoopla.co.uk/market/headingley
Why we love it A village between metropolis and moor.
25 Leeds, Roundhay
The cheerful character of this well-to-do Leeds suburb is evident at Oakwood Farmers’ Market, established a few years ago by a group of environmentalists and now the focal point for a vibrant community life. Stallholders selling freshly baked bread, dressed Whitby crab and locally raised Aberdeen Angus beef contribute to a charity that organises a busy programme of events, including lectures on climate change.
The best residential areas are to the west of Roundhay Park, a magnificent 700-acre expanse of woodland, formal gardens, lakes and parkland: it’s one of the largest public parks in Europe. Solid Edwardian villas within strolling distance of Street Lane’s eateries and wine bars cost about £800,000.
Average area price £311,879 ▲ 4.26%; zoopla.co.uk/market/roundhay
Why we love it A genuine sense of community, without the hair shirt.
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26 Liverpool, Sefton Park and Aigburth
Liverpool 17, as it’s known to the locals, is home to urban professionals who love its access to the city from a choice of three stations, the “fantastic” choice of properties, according to its estate agents, and the good schools. Then there’s Sefton Park itself, grade I listed, with a boating lake, a palm house, a grotto — “old Nick’s caves” — a cafe and a children’s playground.
Families covet the former merchants’ houses in Cressington Park, a gated enclave; singles and couples opt for flats in converted Victorian mansions or new developments. Scousers maintain that Lark Lane’s quirky shops, galleries, bars and restaurants rival those of Notting Hill, which is why they attract tourists as well as locals. Sporty types can join Aigburth Cricket Club, which also offers bowls, hockey, lacrosse, rugby, tennis and squash, and is just a 10-minute stroll from Otterspool Promenade, on the banks of the Mersey. John Lennon airport is five miles away.
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Average area price £185,172 ▲ 3.48%; zoopla.co.uk/market/sefton-park
Why we love it It’s just 17 — you know what we mean.
27 Liverpool, Waterfront
With its wedge-shaped blocks of flats on the waterfront between the Port of Liverpool Building and the Albert Dock, Mann Island is the address of the moment: footballers, TV actors and a surprising number of empty-nesters are swapping leafy suburban lanes for urban buzz. Even a few families have chosen to live by the river, perhaps lured by the preschool on Princes Dock. All love the stunning views — you can watch the ferries cross the Mersey.
Mann Island is within walking distance of everything on offer on the waterfront and in the city centre — the rebuilt Everyman Theatre, cinemas, museums, concerts, shopping, restaurants — and is easy to reach by train or bus. It joins the longer-established developments in Quebec Quay and South Ferry Quay, many of which have river views.
Average area price £169,132 ▲ 5.06%; zoopla.co.uk/market/l3
Why we love it At the heart of Liverpool’s maritime heritage.
28 London, Acton
Snigger all you like, but after years as a west London punchline, Acton is on the verge of becoming a respectable address. Soaring prices in Chiswick and Shepherd’s Bush have seen to that, but Acton certainly has the raw materials: Ark Conway Primary Academy was recently declared outstanding by Ofsted, joining Twyford CofE High School. Transport is also a forte. Seven train or Tube stations have Acton in their name, and Crossrail is scheduled to open in 2019 — one reason why investment is pouring in. The South Acton estate is undergoing a £600m regeneration, with more than 2,000 new homes approved and a further 1,000 planned across Acton as a whole.
The existing housing stock is good: Victorian, Edwardian, 1930s. The best addresses are the Poet’s Corner area, with period cottages and a villagey high street, Churchfield Road; Mill Hill Park, a conservation area (more Victorian cottages); and Twyford Avenue (big Edwardian homes). The pools and tennis courts of the Park Club, next to Acton Park, attract aspirational west Londoners. The Vale’s high street is down at heel, but the conversion of the Redback pub into the Aeronaut, a microbrewery with live gigs, provides hope, and the new £19m leisure centre — in the old town hall, with two pools, a gym and a library — is a thing of beauty.
Average area price £589,104 ▲ 5.77%; zoopla.co.uk/market/london/acton
Why we love it You can still buy a four-bedroom terrace for under £1m, and get to central London in 20 minutes.
29 London, Bermondsey
Bermondsey was thrust into the national spotlight in 2002, thanks to its gobby ambassador Jade Goody on Channel 4’s Big Brother. Prior impressions of the southeast London borough were not favourable, either: Millwall FC and Nil by Mouth. Yet prices there rose by 25% last year, and Shoreditch-style gentrification is in full flow: old printing and tannery warehouses are now lofts and luxury flats, and art galleries are taking over industrial buildings. (The White Cube opened in 2011.) Bermondsey Street is a gastro destination — Zucca, Pizarro, Village East et al — and savvy foodies flock to nearby Maltby Street Market.
The big spenders buy riverside flats from which they can walk to the City for work, though Bermondsey is also on the Jubilee line; one-bedders start at £700,000. Elsewhere, new-builds, Barratt-style terraces and former council flats predominate, but there are pockets of lovely Victorian terraces.
Average area price £475,765 ▲ 6.55%; zoopla.co.uk/market/bermondsey
Why we love it This is how Shoreditch must have felt 20 years ago — there’s still a bit of grit to go with your gastropub. And Shoreditch doesn’t have the Thames.
30 London, Blackheath
Blackheath has all the Georgian elegance of Greenwich, but feels like a village, rather than a tourist trap. The sweeping heath compensates for the lack of river frontage, and is arguably more user-friendly than the Thames: for flying kites, jogging or Guy Fawkes night. One of the main streets, Tranquil Vale, has an appropriately bucolic name, and independent shops are present and correct: Black Vanilla for gelato and espresso, Boulangerie Jade for pains au chocolat, Hand Made Food for tabbouleh, and the Bookshop on the Heath for highbrow second-hand reading.
Concerts at Blackheath Halls will fulfil your cultural quotient, and it’s 25 minutes by train to Charing Cross; there are also links to Cannon Street and Victoria. There are a couple of good private schools (and Dulwich College isn't far), but with four outstanding state schools, why not save on fees? You’ll need to — detached Georgian, Victorian and mock-Tudor houses on the grand Cator estate run to £3.95m for five bedrooms.
Average area price £587,547 ▲ 7.47%; zoopla.co.uk/market/london/blackheath
Why we love it Georgian grace and green space: this is London’s answer to Bath.
