In day two of our four-part series, we reveal the most fashionable locations to live in the UK — from the hippest neighbourhoods and chicest villages to the most exciting, urban up-and-coming areas
• 1 Bruton, Somerset
Why is it so special?
Vogue dedicated seven pages to the small Somerset town in its August issue last year. A-listers have been drawn in by the Hauser & Wirth contemporary art gallery (other branches are in London, New York and Zurich) and The Chapel, a bakery/restaurant/meeting space and hotel run by the Notting Hill restaurateur Catherine Butler and her furniture designer husband Ahmed Sidki.
Who lives here?
The fashion designer Phoebe Philo, Fifty Shades director Sam Taylor-Johnson, journalist Mariella Frostrup, veteran war photographer Don McCullin, Kevin McCloud all have houses here.
House prices
You can buy period cottages on and around the High Street for £250,000 to £400,000 and detached properties in nearby villages for £450,000 to £750,000, says Jon Dakin of Humberts, Sherborne.
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• 2 Peckham, London
Why is it so special?
It started with the opening of a Campari bar on the top of a multistorey car park, now the Evening Standard is writing things like: “Is Peckham the new foodie hub of the whole entire world?”. Head to Bellenden Road, where Antony Gormley designed the bollards. There’s Thai street food at the Begging Bowl and modern Mediterranean at Artusi, where you can’t get a table for weeks. Peckham Refreshment Rooms does tapas, Peckham Bazaar “pan-Balkan”.
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Who lives here?
Art students from Camberwell and Goldsmiths, yoga mums priced out of East Dulwich, comedian Richard Ayoade.
House prices
An average of £442,000, but semi-detached period houses near Peckham Rye average not far off £1 million, says Zoopla.
• 3 Bridport, Dorset
Why is it so special?
Broadchurch was filmed at West Bay and house prices spiked last month as a result, but Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage put it on the “down from London” map. The arts centre, formerly a Wesleyan Methodist chapel, advertises workshops for reiki and drumming, there’s a hat festival, a beer festival and a book festival. On the coast is the new Seaside Boarding House, already dubbed the “Groucho-on-Sea” as it is run by the co-founder of the Soho club.
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Who lives here?
The musicians PJ Harvey and Billy Bragg, Martin Clunes is near by and the celebrity chef Mark Hix grew up here but now lives in Charmouth — he has a restaurant along the coast in Lyme Regis
House prices
A detached two- to three-bedroom house costs about £207,000 while a three- to four-bedroom house is £336,000.
• 4 Northern Quarter, Manchester
Why is it so special?
The Haçienda nightclub is no more, but Manc music lovers are well catered for in the Northern Quarter, which is thriving. There are record shops selling rare vinyls, loads of live gig venues and more than 50 bars. It’s good for fashion obsessives too. In December, more than 150 people camped for two days outside the menswear shop Oi Polloi to get their hands on a pair of limited-edition green suede Adidas trainers.
Who lives here?
People in their twenties and thirties who like a good time. It’s gentrified but there are plenty of creatives still around.
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House prices
A one-bedroom flat in Finlays Warehouse, the former home of cabaret bar Foo Foo’s Palace, is on the market for £170,000.
• 5 Hastings and St Leonards, East Sussex
Why is it so special?
Hastings is undergoing a revival. The Jerwood Gallery opened in 2012 and displays a collection of 20th and 21st-century art. It even raised £25,000 to bring the Chapman Brothers to their home town for an exhibition. Jake and Dinos scoured “the antique emporiums and junk shops” of Hastings for old artworks to deface. The seaside town also has an artisan brewery in pub First in Last Out, an organic bakery, Judges, run by the founder of Green & Blacks, and an annual pirate day.
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Who lives here?
Fishermen — there is still an active fishing fleet — stylists, antiques dealers, decorators, media types.
House prices
“Rapidly increasing,” says Charlotte Bennetts, sales manager of Freeman Forman’s Prestige and Country Homes department, an average of £217,000 at the moment.
• 6 Baltic triangle, Liverpool
Why is it so special?
Variously labelled “the creative playground”, “the city’s workshop”, and “Liverpool’s answer to New York’s meatpacking district”. All three cause the graphic artists and film-makers who work and live here to roll their eyes. Camp and Furnace is an indoor festival site cum pop-up event space cum restaurant, and Elevator Studios is a work space for photographers or musicians.
Who lives here?
Housing in the actual triangle is in short supply but not for long. Much to the despair of artists, the developers have arrived: two new blocks of flats go on the market soon.
House prices
Average prices in L1 are about £148,000.
• 7 Sonning, Berkshire
Why is it so special?
A small friendly village which hosts a scarecrow trail every two years, village rounders matches and one of the most famous couples on the planet. The Bull Inn is now George and Amal Clooney’s local after they bought a Grade II listed nine-bedroom manor house on the Thames last autumn.
Who lives here?
Along with the Clooneys, celebs in the area include the Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, MP Theresa May, and the former England football manager Glenn Hoddle.
House prices
If you are George Clooney, £10million. For the rest, it’s still expensive. Hamptons International is selling a five-bedroom, listed, detached house for £1.795 million.
• 8 Glasgow, Scotland
Why is it so special?
The Glasgow School of Art, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, which caught fire last year, has produced five Turner prize-winning artists, plus the fashion designers Pam Hogg and Jonathan Saunders. There’s a great clubbing and music scene, and loads of independent food and drink spots, such as Lebowskis.
Who lives here?
Poets, art students, indie musicians and actor Robert Carlyle. Scarlett Johansson, who filmed Under the Skin released here last year, is rumoured to be selling up in Paris to buy a home in Glasgow.
House prices
In stylish Hyndland, a two-bedroom flat sells for about £210,000.
• 9 Walthamstow, east London
Why is it so special?
Twitterati fans of the area call it #awestomestow. Artists moved to E17 for cheap studio space and cool places to eat and drink inevitably followed. Try gin bar Mother’s Ruin and micobrewery Wild Card. The William Morris Gallery recently underwent a £5 million refurbishment.
Who lives here?
First-time buyers priced out of Hackney. Grayson Perry has a local studio.
House prices
Going up and up, an average of £367,000, but prices in the borough of Waltham Forest have risen 16 per cent since last year.
• 10 Ouseburn, Newcastle
Why is it so special?
It has its own artisan roastery, Ouseburn Coffee Co, for starters. The Cumberland Arms and The Cluny host live folk and indie bands and Ouseburn was the location for the recent BBC Radio 6 Music festival. Historically it was the cradle of the Industrial Revolution on the Tyneside. Cheap rents have brought antique dealers who sell out of garages and workshops.
Who lives here?
Arty folk — The Biscuit Factory is Britain’s biggest commercial art gallery — and entrepreneurs. There are 300 small businesses employing more than 2,000 people.
House prices
The Malings, a new eco-housing project, is already pricing people out of the area. A four-bedroom sustainable home costs £275,000.
• 11 Margate, Kent
Why is it so special?
“Romantic, sexy and weird,” is how Tracey Emin, the town’s most famous daughter, describes Margate. The David Chipperfield-designed Turner Contemporary gallery is credited with changing the profile of the town from grey seaside resort to hipster weekend-break destination. The fashion designer Wayne Hemingway is leading the revival of the theme park Dreamland, set to open this year, and which he says will be like New York’s Coney Island, but better.
Who lives here?
You can get a lot of Victorian terrace house for your money, so first-time buyers are being lured away from pricey East London.
• 12 Stokes Croft, Bristol
Why is it so special?
Full of workers’ co-ops and covered in street art such as “think local, boycott Tesco” as a reminder of the protests by the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft over the proposed opening of a Tesco Express. The Cube Microplex is a not-for-profit cinema that sells home-made cola (no Coke allowed). A few London restaurant mini-chains are arriving though; Meat Liquor opens soon.
Who lives here?
Reggae and dub music-lovers and hippies with disposable income.
House prices
Stokes Croft is 70 per cent cheaper than Clifton. A four-bedroom terrace house costs between £300,000 and £500,000.
• 13 Hove, Sussex
Why is it so special?
It’s only an hour to London on the fast train, it’s got sea, green spaces (the Downs are 10 minutes away), and stylish restaurants. Plus its neighbour Brighton is home to great independent shops, bars and nightclubs.
Who lives here?
Keen greens, media freelancers and lots of celebrities including Noel Gallagher, Zoe Ball and Norman Cook, Steve Coogan, and fashion blogger Zoella. Almost 1,000 Londoners aged 25-44 bought properties in Hove last year.
House prices
You’ll pay an average of £240,000 for a flat or £425,000 for a house.
• 14 Great Tew, Oxfordshire
Why is it so special?
A new Soho House private members’ club arrives soon, a handy leisure centre for Kate Moss et al, who have second homes in the surrounding villages. The Cornbury music festival is held each summer in the Great Tew Estate, residents get free tickets, and, given its proximity to “Chippy”, you may spot SamCam at village pub The Falkland Arms. The M40 is 10 miles to the east, and London is an hour by train from nearby Bicester.
Who lives here?
Huntin’, shootin’ fishin’ types; Kirsty Young and husband Nick Jones, owner of Soho House, live towards Bampton.
House prices
An average of £765,552. Expect to pay £1.5 million for a four-bedroom cottage with a garden.
• 15 Walberswick, Suffolk
Why is it so special?
The muddy, discreet village, where chickens run across the road, is just over the River Blyth from Southwold, a short cycle away, and has become an enclave for a certain type of intellectual celebrity. “Much easier to hide yourself away in Walberswick and it is seriously like going back in time,” says Caroline Edwards, of Carter Jonas estate agents. There are two good pubs, The Bell Inn and The Anchor, a tea room and a gallery.
Who lives here?
Emma Freud and Richard Curtis, Stephen Fry,Judi Dench, Esther Freud and David Morrissey.
House prices
They’re more expensive than London, at an average of just under £600,000.
• 16 Leith, Edinburgh
Why is it so special?
Leith’s changed. “The Volley”, or Volunteer Arms, frequented by Renton in Trainspotting, has become a specialist whisky and craft beer pub called The Cask & Still. The area has two Michelin-starred restaurants, The Kitchin and Restaurant Martin Wishart, and an increasing number of pop-up galleries along Leith Walk.
Who lives here?
Young renters and first-time buyers who want a tiny bit more edge in Edinburgh.
House prices
An average of just under £200,000
• 17 Marylebone, London
Why is it so special?
Chiltern Street is where you want to be. Before Christmas, Brangelina took a keen interest in a £25 million duplex apartment here. Condé Nast Traveller US called it London’s “coolest street”. If you don’t want to eat at the Chiltern Firehouse, try the butcher Ginger Pig, Fish Works or La Fromagerie. The wealthy French love it — a new French school, L’Ecole Internationale, has opened on Portland Place.
Who lives here?
Madonna, Derren Brown and Barbara Windsor.
House prices
In the past five years property prices in Marylebone village have increased by 68 per cent, says Martin Bikhit of agent Kay & Co. He is marketing a penthouse flat in Marathon House for £10 million.
• 18 Cartmel, Cumbria
Why is it so special?
The New York Times named this village on the edge of the Lake District the 44th best place to visit in the world. Like Padstow and Rick Stein, Cartmel has “grown” around chef Simon Rogan’s vision, says Stephen Holland of Carter Jonas in Kendal. Rogan’s restaurant L’Enclume has two Michelin stars, The Pig and Whistle is his gastropub. Cartmel’s sticky toffee pudding shop is much loved by Chris Evans.
Who lives here?
A mix of locals who have been in the village all their lives, those drawn by the good schooling, and foodie visitors.
House prices
A mix of property types, cottages around the village square, period rural properties and barn conversions. Average prices £345,000.
• 19 Jericho, Oxford
Why is it so special?
Originally an industrial area serviced by the Oxford canal, residential streets are made up of Victorian workers’ cottages and 19th-century terrace houses. It was the red-light district of Oxford in the 1950s. Now it’s a posh “village”, although much less stuffy than some parts of the city, with an arthouse cinema and pubs, such as the Rickety Press, serving brunch.
Who lives here?
Rich students, writers and academics. You might also spot Thom Yorke of the band Radiohead, who played their first gig at the Jericho Tavern.
House prices:
Two-bedroom terrace houses cost between £400,000 and £500,000 while a five-bedroom family semi can be as much as £1.25 million to £1.75 million.
• 20 Malone Road, Belfast
Why is it so special?
The most sought-after, and priciest, district in Northern Ireland. “Nearby Lisburn Road is very popular with students at Queen’s University,” says Pat Riney of Fine & Country Ireland. “This has attracted fashionable bars and restaurants to open up in the area. It has been famous for bringing the yummy mummys for lunch during the week and brunch on the weekends.”
Who lives here?
Actor James Nesbitt and celebrity chef Paul Rankin. Actor Jamie Dornan went to school in the Malone area.
House prices
Most properties are more than £1 million.
• 21 Rock, Cornwall
Why is it so special?
A tiny spot on the Camel Estuary in north Cornwall, where wealthy financiers come to holiday — it even has a helipad. Polzeath, near by, is a favourite bodyboarding location for the royals, and David Cameron. Nathan Outlaw Restaurant at the St Enodoc hotel is the only fish and seafood restaurant in Britain to have two Michelin stars. Catch a water taxi to Padstow, opposite, for Rick Stein’s fish and chips.
Who lives there?
The parish of St Minver Lowlands near Rock has the highest proportion of second homes in the country, at 42.9 per cent.
House prices
Staggering for Cornwall. Savills is selling a five-bedroom detached house, with private steps down to Porthilly beach, for £4.5 million.
• 22 Burnham Market, Norfolk
Why is it so special?
The village’s own Twitter account calls it “Chelsea-on-Sea”. There are more than 30 independent boutiques, galleries, a deli and fish shop. Nearby is Houghton Hall, the family seat of Sir Robert Walpole’s descendents, Holkham Hall, the home to the Earl of Leicester, and Sandringham Estate. Wills and Kate will be walking their dog Lupo along the coast a lot more now they have settled in Anmer Hall.
Who lives here?
Hunter wellies wearers. Lots of second homeowners, presenter Amanda Holden, author Bill Bryson and actor John Hurt. Musician James Blunt comes from near by Cley next the Sea.
House prices
They’re steep at an average of £488,000, according to Zoopla.
• 23 Southwold, Suffolk
Why is it so special?
If Burnham Market is Chelsea-on-Sea then Southwold is Islington-on-Sea. Celebrities campaigned to “save” the town from its first Costa Coffee in 2012. Latitude festival is held at nearby Henham Park. Colourful beach huts fetch enormous sums — one called “Happy Days” was on the market for £100,000 last summer.
Who lives here?
A second home for north London’s media and luvvie set.
House prices
The average property price is just shy of £400,000.
• 24 Kingham, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
Why is it so special?
This is the Cotswolds fashionable HQ. You’ll have to drive your 4x4 to Daylesford, the most famous farm shop in Britain, but you can walk to its foodie destinations. First stop try the pub-hotel The Wild Rabbit (named pub of the year in 2013 by the Michelin Guide). Then it’s on to the Kingham Plough pub, run by ex-Fat Duck sous chef Emily Watkins. The well-heeled locals love both.
Who lives here?
Media types who commute to London. Alex James, former Blur bassist, makes cheese — and holds an annual foodie festival — on his farm.
House prices
A three-bedroom stone cottage is about £555,000; five-bedroom houses from £1 million.
• 25 Prestbury, Cheshire
Why is it so special?
Once populated by silk industry workers, now chocka with Lamborghinis and Rolls- Royces, you may have seen some of the comically large homes available in Prestbury on The Real Housewives of Cheshire. Wayne Rooney is probably the most famous resident of the quiet, pretty village with two pubs and a historic church.
Who lives here?
Loads of footballers and WAGs, given its proximity to Manchester: Wes Brown, Robbie Savage, cricketer Andrew Flintoff, plus retired business people and wealthy families.
House prices
About £500,000 for a 1970s detached to £4 million for a large bespoke modern house, says Mark Holden, director of Savills Wilmslow.
• 26 Frome, Somerset
Why is it so special?
Babington House, which arrived in the late Nineties, still brings celebrities to this part of the world; Eddie Redmayne got married there just before Christmas. The Cheese & Grain holds farmers markets, vintage bazaars and an annual tattoo convention.
Who lives here?
Lots of the fashion set in villages such as Bruton near by, including Alice Temperley, Anna Friel and Pearl Lowe.
House prices
About £400,000 to £600,000 for a four-bedroom terrace, but “don’t get lulled into a false sense of security”, says Amanda Ake of Stacks property search. “Properties in select villages and certain town houses around Frome can be £1.5 million-plus.”
• 27 Sandbanks, Poole, Dorset
Why is it so special?
After London, Manhattan and Moscow, Sandbanks, on the edge of Poole Harbour, has been named the most expensive place in the world to live. The surrounding beaches have been awarded a blue flag for the past 27 years. Poole is the second largest natural harbour in the world, after Sydney.
Who lives here?
Lots of extremely rich retirees, and, from football, Harry Redknapp and Tony Pulis.
House prices
Empty plots can cost more than £3 million, and a big home with a view of the water as much as £10 million. Hamptons International is selling a five-bedroom detached house on the water at Canford Cliffs for £7.5 million.
• 28 Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire
Why is it so special?
A mix of Yorkshire charm, moors and tearooms, and cosmopolitan values. It is often referred to as the “lesbian capital” of the UK, and there used to be a homeware shop called Home . . . OH! Hebden Bridge Trades Club, once a union hall for weavers working in the town’s cotton industry, was last year nominated for best live music venue in the country; Patti Smith and The Fall have played there.
Who lives here?
Community and socially minded sorts, this was the first place in the country to ban plastic bags. Lots of residents work in Leeds or Manchester.
House prices
Average property costs £198,000. Detached houses with land and several bedrooms sell for more than £500,000.
• 29 Pontcanna, Cardiff
Why is it so special?
The most well-heeled bit of Cardiff, all tree-lined avenues and delis, and populated by the Welsh elite. Fish at 85 is a fishmonger and restaurant in one, specialising in British-caught produce, there’s gastropub The Conway and locals report watching Charlotte Church sing a cappella in The Robin Hood pub.
Who lives here?
Media luvvies and BBC workers, rugby fans and players.
House prices
Allen & Harris is selling a six-bedroom period semi-detached house on Cathedral Road for £785,000.
• 30 St George’s Hill, Surrey
Why is it so special?
When the Beatles made their money they rushed up to buy at St George’s Hill, says Tim Garbett, head of sales for Knight Frank in north Surrey. Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck and Cliff Richard have all owned huge houses in this exclusive electric-gated estate. There are about 430 properties, in some 920 acres. It’s equidistant between Gatwick and Heathrow for people who need to be in Switzerland for a 9am meeting.
Who lives there?
These days, as you would imagine — high-net-worth internationals, Chinese, Russians, and captains of industry.
House prices
From £3 million to a whopping £30 million for plots that come with several acres of land.