Staffordshire town named on 2025 Sunday Times list of 'best places to live'

The annual list includes 72 locations across the UK - with seven making up the Midlands shortlist - plus one village, a part of England's 'second city', and five towns.

While the judges have handed overall crown for the best place to live in the Midlands to the village of Ilmington in Warwickshire - Eccleshall in Staffordshire is included in the shortlist, alongside Shropshire's county town of Shrewsbury.

The overall title of the best place to live in the UK goes to Saffron Waldon in Essex.

For Shrewsbury residents it will be no surprise to see the town making the list, with its mix of independent shops, historic high streets, and River Severn backdrop all contributing to an ambience that draws in thousands of visitors every weekend.

Staffordshire town Eccleshall is another where the historic surroundings prove a favourite with residents and visitors alike - with judges describing a town that's more "a village in look, feel and community spirit".

The Sunday Times’s expert judges have visited all the locations and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds and mobile signal to culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street.

For Eccleshall judges said: "The sweet scent of woodsmoke hangs over the coaching inns and the Grade II listed, quaintly arched high street shopfronts in this Staffordshire town.