A “hidden gem” village in Wigan has just been named one of the poshest in Britain, according to The Telegraph.
Posh may not be a word associated with Wigan all too often, but in this case, a little village within the borough has found itself featuring as Greater Manchester‘s only representative on a round-up list of Britain’s poshest that’s recently been compiled by The Telegraph.
Fresh off-the-back of 2024’s edition of the annual Sunday Times ranking of the UK’s best places to live being released last month, where two Greater Manchester towns made the coveted cut, now another national publication has decided to shine a spotlight on one of our region’s highly-regarded neighbourhoods.
And yes, whether you can believe it or not, The Telegraph thinks Wigan is, indeed, ‘posh’, as it’s named Haigh as one of the 48 ‘poshest’ villages in Britain.
Home to Haigh Woodland Park and the country mansion Haigh Hall, and an average house price of £283,414, the village of Haigh – which is just a few miles from Wigan town centre – has been singled-out by The Telegraph as one of several in the North West, and the only one within our region, for its “posh appeal”.
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The Telegraph has used exclusive research provided by leading real estate company, Savills, to reveal the “most desirable villages” the country has to offer.
The list is based on the combination of highest house prices, best lifestyle amenities, connectivity, and aesthetic appeal.
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Describing the Wigan village and what makes it so ‘posh’, The Telegraph wrote: “Shrouded by trees, Haigh is a hidden gem just a few miles from the busy Wigan town centre. There’s an imposing country mansion, Haigh Hall, built between 1827 and 1840, and the restored Haigh Windmill, originally used to pump water to Haigh Brewery. It is also home to Haigh Woodland Park, with miles of winding trails through woodland and manicured gardens.”
A ‘hidden gem’ village in Wigan has been named one of the poshest in Britain / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Frances McDonald, who is the Director of Research at Savills, explained that the COVID pandemic made city dwellers “flock to the countryside” in search of green open spaces to “make lockdowns more tolerable” – but she says the search criteria has “shifted” within the past 18 months, as workers have returned to the office.
“Our latest research indicates that proximity to a train station, place of work, and family has become much more important for those searching for a new home,” Frances commented, “particularly as individuals are more likely to be commuting to the office multiple times a week.
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“While still important to some now, pandemic buyer wishlists favoured proximity to parks, shops, and local pubs, and restaurants.
“Exactly what village characteristics are classed as essential will vary from buyer to buyer, but we know that access to education, attractive surroundings and connectivity is a decent definition of a ‘have it all’ village.”
Featured Image – Wigan Council
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This Manchester suburb has just been named one of the UK’s ‘happiest’ places to live in 2024
Thomas Melia
An annual poll has named the Manchester suburb of Didsbury spot among 70 locations said to be the ‘happiest’ places to live in the UK.
Greater Manchester has got lots to say for itself, especially with its diverse and unique cultural landscapes, as well as various vibrant communities, so it comes as no surprise that one of our beautiful suburbs has been voted in a list of the UK’s happiest places to live for this year.
The survey included submissions from 5,000 people and there’s a lot of love being shown to the neighbouring areas of Yorkshire like Doncaster, Bingley, and Harrogate – the lattermost placed in second in the entire country.
But, ranking 62nd out of a possible 70 places, the distinct and vibrant area of Didsbury has been noticed by Furniturebox as one of the ‘happiest’ places to live in the UK.
Credit: The Manc Group
The results took into consideration good state schools, affordable housing, as well as accessibility to pubs, bars, restaurants, independent shops, retailers and more.
With multiple parks, walking destinations, and top-notch travel links with Bee Network trams and buses easily taking you back into the city centre and out to other boroughs, East, West and Didsbury Village all remain some of the most sought-after areas in the region.
There’s a whole host of indie retailers to enjoy, especially on the likes of the main high street and Burton Road, which effectively serves as its own cultural district, home to vintage clothing shops like Steranko, tailored styling opticians Fox Brothers and much more.
Burton Rd also boasts countless fantastic food and drink spots like The Great Kathmandu, SANTÉ, Volta and Proove Pizza, just to name a few; we’ve spent plenty of time just on this stretch of Didsbury alone.
If you’ve spent even a little time in Dids, you’ll know there’s plenty going on and it’s certainly one our happiest places in all of Greater Manchester and therefore the UK.
You can also enjoy the famous ‘Didsbury Dozen’ right on your doorstep.
Elsewhere, and somewhat unsurprisingly, Shakespeare’s ever-romanticised hometown of Stratford-Upon-Avon once again reigned supreme at the top of this list.
That being said, it’s refreshing to see that these locations weren’t entirely related to wealth and similar factors, the survey took affordability into careful consideration.
Cheshire was destined for success with its cracking views and grand properties, as the North West county made waves for the region managing to place in fifth position, holding up against Falmouth in Cornwall which placed in sixth.
Although not nabbing that all-important top spot, Didsbury is carrying the flag for 0161 and showing what all know to be true: Northerners do it best.
A Greater Manchester town could be set to get a train station for the first time in 60 years
Emily Sergeant
It’s been a whopping six decades, but the residents of one local town could soon be able to hop on a train out of there.
That’s because a planning application for a brand-new £32 million station in Golborne – which would connect the Greater Manchester town, in the Wigan borough, to the rail network for the first time in more than 60 years – has been submitted to Wigan Council, meaning connectivity is finally one step closer to becoming reality.
In case you didn’t know, Golborne currently has no direct bus, train, or tram services to Manchester, and Leigh is the biggest town in England without a rail station, while the wider area is the largest and most-populous area in Greater Manchester not connected to the rail network.
The milestone aims to boost access to jobs and opportunities for people in the town and the wider Wigan borough.
NEWS: Greater Manchester on track with plan for first new rail station in over 20 years. 🚉
✅ 90%+ public consultation support for Golborne station in Wigan ✅ Planning application in to @WiganCouncil ✅ Local area improvements and walking and cycling links
According to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the Golborne station scheme forms part of a wider ambition to bring eight commuter lines into the Bee Network by 2028 – of which “significant investment” has been put into.
The application includes plans for a new accessible two-platform rail station, including step-free access throughout with a footbridge across the tracks and lifts to both platforms, a new hourly service between Wigan and Manchester Victoria, and onwards to Stalybridge, an improved town centre car park, and also new walking and cycling links to the town centre.
The submitting of the proposals comes after nearly 3,000 people had their say on the station earlier this year, with more than 90% of respondents supporting the plans.
A CGI of what the proposed new Golborne station could look like, if plans are approved / Credit: TfGM
If the plans are approved by Wigan Council, work on the site should begin in 2026, according to TfGM, with the new station scheduled to open in 2027.
Mayor Andy Burnham called the submitting of the proposals a “transformative step” for the region.
“It has taken a huge effort to get us to this point,” he explained. “But we have finally reached a major milestone on the journey to reconnect Golborne to the rail network for the first time in over 60 years.
“The proposal is based on extremely sound evidence and huge progress has been made with a planning application being submitted and overwhelming support from local residents.”
Emily Sergeant -
2nd April 2024 
