Shropshire town named as one of Britain's best places to live in Sunday Times guide
Shropshire's county town has been named as one of Britain's best places to live in an annual guide by a national newspaper.
Shrewsbury has been named one of the best place to live in Britain in the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide.
Shropshire's county town is one of seven locations in the Midlands that are featured in the newspaper's guide, with judges praising the town's "period-drama backdrop", range of eateries and "cool suburbs".
"The award-winning indoor market is surely one of the most inspiring places to shop in the whole country and the town centre has enough quirky delis, bakeries, bars and cafés to keep you in top-notch flat whites and espresso martinis every day of the week," the guide reads.
"Culture comes courtesy of the cinema in the Old Market Hall and the boldly brutalist Theatre Severn, and Shrewsbury even has its own cool suburbs in Coleham and Belle Vue, where volunteers run an annual arts festival."
In total, 72 places across the UK were selected by The Sunday Times to showcase the best of Britain, with Norwich in Norfolk named as the overall national winner.
Shrewsbury's Midlands finalist fellows include the Malverns in Worcestershire, Bournville in Birmingham, Hathersage in Derbyshire and Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire.
The Sunday Times’s judges say they have visited all 72 locations and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds and mobile signal to amenities, as well as access to high-quality green spaces and the health of the high street.
Helen Davies, editorial projects director and Best Places to Live editor, said: “This guide is a great opportunity to highlight the best places in Britain.
"It is full of places that show that our village, town and city centres can still be full of life, as well as places bursting with natural beauty, culture, connectivity and most importantly a sense of community.
"Our expert team of judges visit every location on the list and talked to the locals to find out what they love about the place they live.
"These judges have travelled the length and breadth of the UK, from the Scottish Highlands to the Cornish coast, selecting the top towns and villages, suburbs and cities for the 2026 guide.
"One thing all our chosen locations have in common is that the people who live in them are proud to call them home.”
