WITH its 10 million hairdressers and just as many churches, you'd be crazy not to want to live there... wouldn't you?
Crosby has been named as one of the most desirable places to live in the North West in a national list of little Nirvanas compiled by The Sunday Times.
The north Liverpool suburb is just inside the Sefton borough - so, best of all, no purple bins. However, this was not cited as a reason to move there. Nor was the Crows Nest pub.
Crows NestInstead, good schools, the beach, the Antony Gormley Iron Men installation Another Place (which was nearly got rid of in 2006) and a bargain flat overlooking the Irish Sea were named as why you should live in L23.
It's a place where, according to the authors, locals like nothing more than to ask one another if Cherie Blair has been spotted in Boots lately. And happily there still is a Boots after developer Maghull laid waste to a whole section of the village a couple of years back.
Course, Cherie grew up in Waterloo, which is as close as dammit, and, many would say, much more fun than its neighbour.
The Best Places to Live list, first part published this Sunday, also recommends Heswall, and takes a wide range of elements into account including transport links, quality of schools, natural beauty, low crime rate, property prices, cultural life and unemployment figures.
The guide names the 10 most desirable locations in the North West as:
Kendal, Cumbria
Crosby, Merseyside
Lytham St Annes, Lancashire
Heswall, Wirral
Chester, Cheshire
Clitheroe, Lancashire
Northwich, Cheshire
Hale, Cheshire
Didsbury, Manchester
Ramsbottom, Lancashire
Property journalist Eleanor Mills, who edited the list, said: “I find there are particular bits of our crowded island which always retain a particular attraction for people. This will prove invaluable for anyone starting a family, retiring, or simply considering a move.”
It must be good, even Satterthwaites has been bought - by a baker from darn sarf.
What they say about Crosby and Heswall
The Crosby and Heswall entries read as follows. See if you agree
Another Place Crosby
Crosby, Merseyside
Antony Gormley chose Crosby for his sculpture Another Place, 100 cast-iron life-size figures spread along more than a mile of foreshore, stretching out into the sea. And it is the beach — as well as the schools — that play an important role in attracting buyers to the L23 postcode, six miles north of Liverpool.
Great local shops include an independent bookshop where owner Steve Pritchard knows his customers well enough to order stock with individuals in mind. And the attractions of the big city — theatres, cinemas, restaurants, galleries, museums and shops — are 22 minutes away by Merseyrail; the Lake District little more than an hour’s drive north.
Would-be first-time buyers and downsizers choose from flats ranging from under £100,000 for a one-bedder to £224,000 for a new two-bedroom flat overlooking Blundell Sands. Families with children, who may attend one of the highly rated Church of England and Catholic state schools or the independent sector’s St Mary’s College and Merchant Taylors, aspire to the Edwardian and Victorian houses which cost £250,000-£400,000.
What the locals say: Seen Cherie Blair recently?
Why we love it: Beside the sea yet just 20 minutes from Liverpool
Heswall, Wirral
Heswall is no stranger to a ranking in surveys of best places to live in the UK. The attraction? Overlooking the Dee estuary with views of the Welsh hills while being equally close to the diverse charms of Chester and Liverpool.
Heswall BeachThe town of 8,000 on the west Wirral is a magnet for families. It is less than 10 minutes from the M53 and close to good schools, both state — Pensby, Neston and Ridgeway high schools and Wirral Grammar School — and the independent Birkenhead School and Kingsmead. The natural world is close at hand at Wirral Country Park, Britain’s first, while the 12-mile Wirral Way footpath and cycleway has wonderful views. There are also lots of local sporting facilities, including three nearby leisure centres and a golf club.
Although self-contained, Heswall is divided into the lower village, much of it protected by conservation orders (from £500,000), and the top village with newer properties (from £200,000).
What the locals say: We’re tucked away from city life but still have two on our doorstep.
Why we love it: Rural bliss, village atmosphere from top to bottom.
