Sherborne named the best place to live in South West

A panel of judges have named the ten best places to live in the South West, with two places in Dorset included - and Sherborne taking the title as the best place to live in the region.

Judges visited locations up and down the country and assessed factors from schools to transport, broadband speeds to culture, as well as access to green spaces and the health of the high street. 

Sunday Times judges said: “A busy high street and high-class education helped to make this community-centred, cultured town our best address in the southwest.

"Sherborne is handsome and historic, but it’s the friendly, energetic population that really makes it stand out.

"There are more than 200 community groups covering every conceivable interest, while the opening of Sherborne House as a high-end arts and community centre later this spring will add extra cachet to a town that already has a perceptible spring in its step.” 

Taff Martin, President of the Sherborne Chamber of Trade and commerce said he was "chuffed" to hear the news that the town had taken the top spot.

He said: "I think it is fantastic news for Sherborne.

Sherborne has been named the best town in Dorset by The Sunday Times (Image: Trevor Bevins)

"I am very lucky, I have lived in the town for over 30 years, I grew up in south Wales and lived in Plymouth, Portsmouth and Yeovil and there is no way I would ever leave now.

"It is a beautiful town with a vibrant shopping where everyone works together to improve the town.

"In a lot of other places, businesses compete with one another but we promote working together because the more we do the more we push more people to visit the town and the more people come to the town then everyone benefits.

"We also have lots of art exhibitions, music festivals, a wonderful Abbey and two castles, I cannot fault it."

Sherborne Castle, a 16th-century Tudor mansion southeast of Sherborne originally built by Sir Walter Raleigh (Image: Newsquest)

"We are on the main train line to London, 40 minutes the sea and an hour from Bristol and Bath without a great big motorway running through."

Sherborne wasn't the only area of Dorset which was named in the top ten.

The Isle of Purbeck was also named as one of the best places to live in the South West.

The expert judges said: "This is the place to live a country life by the sea.

"There’s countryside here for everyone, with cliffs, moorland, meadows and marshes.

"Swanage, the largest town, is a seaside resort that’s traditional yet lively, with its high street of independent shops and a calendar packed with festivals."