Charming market town Shifnal is in demand
It has the charm that comes with being a Shropshire market town – and the advantage of being just a couple of minutes from the motorway.
The mix has proved irresistible to people looking for the perfect place to live.
And it means Shifnal has made it onto a prestigious report that lists the 10 most desirable market towns in the country.
House prices in Shifnal have risen 20 per cent in the last five years.
The average house price in the town last year was just under £250,000, according to today's figures.
That put it in ninth place in the survey, ahead of towns line Bakewell in Derbyshire, Chichester in West Sussex and Lewes in East Sussex.
The town, which currently has a population of nearly 7,000 people, is the only place in Shropshire that makes the top of the list, which was released by Knight Frank estate agency.
While Watlington in Oxfordshire is in the top spot, with an average house price of £457,930, there is every reason to believe that Shifnal is on the up.
The town is just a couple of miles from the M54 and is perfectly placed for major employers such as RAF Cosford and the new i54 JLR factory that sits alongside the motorway. It has its own train station with direct links to Birmingham, Telford and Shrewsbury.
And it has its own jobs on offer too, with own industrial park and a town centre offering independent shops, 10 pubs and three hotels.
It is a recipe for success, according to the people who live and work there.
Bill Brookes from DB Roberts estate agents, which has an office in the town, said: "It is certainly very popular as a town. It is a nice area where lots of people move in and don't move away. People tend to move around the Shifnal area, because it has got a lot going for it, with the motorway, closeness to Telford and good rail links."
Mrs Madden, who lives on Laburnum Close, said: "We like Shifnal because it is one of the few towns in the area which is actually a town, with a centre and a shopping centre and a community.
"Other places in Telford have been built around the new townhave no heart.
"Also for the motorway it is good because you can easily get out to Birmingham or Wolverhampton or Shrewsbury.
"I think if people moved to Shifnal they could still get that rural feel, but with an easy commute.
"We're quite happy to stay here, we have family and friends here as well as everything else."
Now read why Tim Walters thinks the village life atmosphere makes Shifnal the ideal place to live
