An "absolutely buzzing" market town has been ranked as the best place to live in the south-west of England. Judges from the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide picked Malmesbury in Wiltshire due to its range of annual events and lively High Street. Meanwhile the "culture and charm" of Bristol's Kingsdown and the "community spirit" of Stroud in Gloucestershire helped these two locations be named as runners up. On Malmesbury, Sunday Times , externaljudge Tim Palmer said: "It's a beautiful historic town which has also managed to keep itself bang up to date. At a time when so many town centres and High Streets are struggling, [this] High Street is absolutely buzzing."

Source: The Times March 20, 2026 17:51 UTC