Two Greater Manchester towns have been named among the “most desirable” places to live in Britain, according to a new ranking.
There’s no doubt the property market in our region has been booming over the last decade or so, with average house prices seeming to rise year-on-year, and more and more areas becoming viewed as the places to live.
You may remember that earlier on this year, two unexpected Greater Manchester areas were named ‘property hotspots’ for 2023 by Rightmove based on last year’s data, while only a couple of months back, neighbourhoods such as Bramhall, Broadheath, and Bowdon were identified as being the places where houses prices were shooting up the most.
Trafford has always been one of the most affluent and sought-after areas to live in Greater Manchester, but now it seems that it’s not just within the region that the borough is proving popular, as it also appears to be a heavy-hitter nationwide too.
Well, that’s if a new list of the best places to live in Britain by Savills is anything to go by.
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🏡 High-earners in search of good schools and attractive surroundings are pushing up prices in these hotspots
Using the latest data from the most recent census, the real estate company has compiled a list – as reported by the Telegraph – of what it considers to be the top 50 “most desirable” towns in Britain, based of several key factors including state of health, cost of homes, employment figures and job opportunities, and the qualifications that residents hold.
And two Trafford towns have made the cut to earn themselves a coveted spot in the top 20 – Hale and Altrincham.
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As the only two North West representatives in the whole of the top 20, the leafy Altrincham village suburb of Hale – which is a favourite among A-listers, professional footballers, and high-earning families – has taken sixth spot on the list, while the town of Altrincham itself has bagged a respectable 19th place.
The rest of the top 20 list is, unsurprisingly, dominated by areas in the Home Counties.
Top 20 ‘most desirable’ towns in Britain
Harpenden, Hertfordshire
Cobham, Surrey
Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
Chorleywood, Bukcinghamshire
Amersham, Buckinghamshire
Hale, Greater Manchester
Esher, Surrey
Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire
Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire
St Albans, Hertfordshire
Virginia Water, Surrey
Sevenoaks, Kent
West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire
Ashtead, Surrey
Farnham, Surrey
Cambridge
Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire
North Ascot, Berkshire
Altrincham, Greater Manchester
Weybridge, Surrey
Harpenden in Hertfordshire took the top spot, followed by Cobham in Surrey, and then Beaconsfield, Chorleywood, and Amersham, all in Buckinghamshire, rounding out the top five.
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Hale and Altrincham have made the top 20 list / Credit: David Dixon (via Geograph) | Atrincham Market (via Facebook)
The rest of the top 20 is made up of a series of other Surrey suburbs, as well as neighbourhoods in Oxfordshire, Kent, and Berkshire featuring – with the only other area even slightly close to the north being West Bridgford in Nottinghamshire.
Lucian Cook, who is head of residential research for Savills, told The Telegraph that each of the areas named within the top 20 – including Hale and Altrincham – are not there because they are tourist or second-home hotspots.
“They are aspirational, affluent places that attract incoming wealth with good schools and a strong quality of housing stock where residents are economically active who are building up their property and personal wealth,” he explained.
‘Rare and glamorous’ 1930s house in Salford given Grade II listing
Daisy Jackson
A ‘rare and glamorous’ house in Salford has caught the attention of Historic England, who’ve given it a Grade II listing.
The beautiful 1930s home is in the Streamlined Moderne design, a predecessor to mid-century modern but with a lot of style similarities.
From its arched doorways and parquet floors, to its lavish wall panelling and coloured glass, the home has barely changed since it was designed.
And now, Historic England has taken steps to protect the home for future generations, advising the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that it be added to the National Heritage List for England.
Now given Grade II listed status, the home has formally been recognised for its rare design and its probable connection to renowned local architect Joseph Sunlight (yes, he of Sunlight House fame).
26 Old Hall Road in Broughton Park, Salford, was built in 1935 and is a striking example of the international Streamlined Moderne style, with a largely intact 1930s interior.
Design features include a dramatic double-height entrance hall, sweeping staircase and balconied gallery, plus wide, arched sliding doors that allow the main rooms to be combined into a single space, in keeping with the free-flowing planning associated with the Modern Movement.
The distinctive front door of the home in Salford. Credit: Historic England Archive, Alun BullBeautiful Streamlined Moderne design inside. Credit: Historic England Archive, Alun BullThe Grade II-listed Salford home has probable connections to Joseph Sunlight. Credit: Historic England Archive, Alun Bull
Historic England has said it’s a ‘notable regional example’ of the Streamlined Moderne style, which was made popular through architectural journals and exhibitions such as the 1934 Empire Exhibition.
As well as the remarkable design features, there are original domestic features like bell pushes and a service bell board in the butler’s pantry, which once summoned staff to different rooms of the house.
As for the Joseph Sunlight connection – the celebrated Manchester-based architect and property developer designed hundreds of houses in the nearby Sedgley Park estate, as well as the South Manchester synagogue in Fallowfield (1913) and the Art Deco office block Sunlight House in Manchester city centre (1932).
Although the architect of 26 Old Hall Road is not formally documented, its design quality and Sunlight’s dominant local presence make him the most likely candidate.
Tom Frater, Regional Director – North Historic England, said: “26 Old Hall Road is a rare and glamorous survival of the Streamlined Moderne style in a suburban setting that has changed remarkably little since the 1930s.
“Its listing recognises both its outstanding design and its probable connection to one of Manchester’s most inventive inter-war architects, Joseph Sunlight.”
Councillor Hannah Robinson-Smith, Lead Member for Culture, Sports Heritage and Leisure, added: “We are supportive that Historic England has granted 26 Old Hall Road Grade II listed status. It will help to ensure that its unique character is protected for future generations.”
Featured image: Historic England Archive Alun Bull
Property
Molly-Mae Hague revisits first Manchester flat, now on the market for £185k
Daisy Jackson
Molly-Mae Hague’s first Manchester flat is now on the market for £185k – and the star herself has paid a visit to her old digs.
Those who have been following Molly-Mae since before she shot to serious fame on Love Island will have recognised the backdrop of her recent TikTok video.
The 27-year-old reality TV star and businesswoman posed around the one-bedroom flat, dancing to Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘House Tour’.
The apartment is where she lived just before entering Love Island, and where she and now-fiance Tommy Fury lived briefly when they left the show.
And now that exact flat where she really launched her social media career has been listed for sale, at £185,000.
The corner apartment stands on the 17th floor of Islington Wharf, overlooking New Islington tram stop and right on the doorstep of Ancoats.
Her former landlord, who arranged for Molly-Mae to have one look around her old flat before it’s sold, said that she was a ‘lovely, polite and down-to-earth young woman, and an excellent tenant who looked after the apartment extremely well.’
The one bedroom apartment has double-aspect floor-to-ceiling windows which look across Manchester on one side, and out towards the Pennines on the other.
It’s listed for sale with no chain and the option to include existing furnishings (which seems to include the same couch Molly-Mae had at the time).
The flat also has a kitchen/living space, a communal garden, superfast broadband, and is within walking distance of Manchester Piccadilly.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd June 2023 
