Marlborough among 50 best places to live, says Sunday Times

Marlborough has been named one of the top 50 Best Places to Live in Britain by today’s Sunday Times.

In a 16-page pullout published as part of the property section, Home, the broadsheet waxes lyrical about the town’s royal connections, art festivals, and outstanding schools, and has hailed it ‘Wiltshire’s most welcoming town’.

And while the town doesn’t win the accolade of overall winer – that prize goes to local rival Bradford-on-Avon – it’s a scene of the town taken across The Green with St Mary’s Church in the backgrgound that The Times has used to promote the entire feature on its front page.

The section about Marlborough reads: “If this Wiltshire town didn’t already have enough regal connections – William the Conquerer established a castle here and hunted deer in the nearby Savernake Forest, Cardinal Wolsey was ordained here and Jane Seymour’s family seat, Wulfhall aka Wolf Hall, is six miles away – Marlborough’s famous college is the alma mater of none other than our future queen, the Duchess of Cambridge.

“While the posh public school tends to hog the headlines, the well-heeled town after which it is named merits a place on our list for its mix of independent shops and annual literature and jazz festivals.

“Buyers want to be a close to the sumptuous centre and its indulgently wide high street as possible; properties are a mix of period homes, many of which are listed, and tasteful newer builds.

“Popular with families, not least for the schools – state options include St Mary’s Infant School and St John’s Academy, both rated outstanding – Marlborough is also a hotspot for downsizers.

“While there’s no theatre (locals have been campaigning for one at the back of Waitrose car park for years), cultural types can get their fix with regular National Theatre Live screenings at the town hall.

“You need to go to Great Bedwyn, Pewsey or Swindon for mainline stations, but Marlborough’s position on the main route from London to Bath means it has great road connections – and a legacy of coaching inns.”

The writer concludes with an average house price from Zoopla – £447,457, up 6.12 percent on last year, and a one-line summary under the heading Why We Love It.

“Wiltshire’s most welcoming town – and a gift for name-droppers.”