Midhurst named in '˜best places to live' survey

Published in The Sunday Times at the weekend, it is among 17 places in the South East chosen after a detailed look at statistical surveys of crime data, school performances, life expectancy and house prices.

Researchers also dug deeper to look at the countryside and services offered.

Founding member of the Midhurst Town Team which has worked hard to promote the town and vice chairman of the town council, John Quilter said: “We are delighted to be recognised as a good place to live.

“The community, traders and town have worked hard over the last few years to ensure the living experience for residents and visitors alike continues to be good and we are actively looking for ways to improve even further in the future.”

He added: “The level of investment in new housing in the centre of town is a great vote of confidence in the town’s desirability as a place to live and will certainly help the town centre economy with the greater number of residents living nearby.”

The accolade comes in part one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide where Midhurst features at ten in the list and the Sunday Times says: “Mid by name and mid by nature this market town is slap bang in the middle of the South Downs Park packed with historic buildings and handily place between the congested commuter country to the north and the built-up south coast.”

It says the ‘compact community’ has a “well preserved main street with a wider than usual range of independent shops, selling everything from fine wine to stationery and horsey good.

“The butcher’s speciality is beef from Sussex cattle raised a cleaver’s throw away on National Trust land at Woolbeding.”

The guide adds “Many buildings in the town are still owned by the Cowdray Estate (they’re easily recognisable by the lurid yellow window frames.”

The guide says part of the town’s attraction lies in its ten day music, arts and drama festival MADhurst and the pull of the Cowdray Park for the polo set.

Midhurst Rother College rated outstanding by Ofsted also helps its ranking.

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