Ludlow 'a place for us all to be proud of'

The town's historic castle and church, along with it's reputation for food through its famous food festival, were among the reasons the town made it on to the list. Ludlow was also praised for its unique shops and general community spirit.

And people enjoying an afternoon shopping said it was a place that the whole of Shropshire should be proud of.

The Shropshire Star revealed on Friday that Ludlow is the only entry from Shropshire, and one of only seven in the Midlands, to make it into the top 50 in the Sunday Times list.

Ludlow MP Philip Dunne said he was not at all surprised, adding: "It is a beautiful and historic town, set in glorious countryside, with thriving traditional markets within a picturesque heritage.

"Ludlow residents take a great amount of pride in the town, and rightly so.

"I have always felt honoured to be the MP for such a lovely area. I have no doubt Ludlow will continue to win plaudits in future as one of the best places to live in Britain."

Lyddia Pearson, 38, is a bookkeeper for St Laurence's Church.

She now lives with her husband Dan in satellite village Leintwardine, but previously lived for years in the town itself.

She said: "I think what's good about Ludlow is it's really diverse, with all the history and individual shops – and the customer service in is really good, really friendly.

"The food is a big deal here and there are also a lot of art galleries and craftsmen and artisans here."

Mother-of-one Kate Rowley, 47, who lives in a nearby village Lingen, agreed: "It's got a lovely feel to it, Ludlow, it's just really nice.

"There are good shops here and there's a real sense of community spirit."

Shopkeepers were equally as enamoured with their home town.

Jean Parker runs Poyner's Drapers, one of the oldest shops in the town, with sister Margaret Edwards on the Broad Street – a road steeped in timber-framed history and described by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as "one of the most memorable streets in England" in his famed architecture guide The Buildings of England.

Mrs Parker said: "As I'm born and bred here, I think it's just lovely the Sunday Times has listed us, it's wonderful.

"There are some really lovely places here in Ludlow and we're all nice people. There are local families here that go back generations.

"I'm happy here, I could never see myself living anywhere else."

Asked what she thought the town's best feature was, she said: "The scenery, the views – we've got lovely green fields and trees all around the town."

Daisy Tristram, 78, of Old Street, has lived in the town for 52 years and still helps out her nephew Gordon Link selling plants on the Gobbett Nursery stall at the Ludlow's iconic Buttercross building at the top of Broad Street.

She said: "It's a very busy tourist town, people come from all over – we get a lot of people from London, the Wirral and the Black Country.

"I think it's the castle mainly, and also because it's an old town.

"We also have three good butchers and three good bakers which is quite rare."

Those tourists were also impressed.

Geoffrey Channon, a surgeon from Buckinghamshire, said he had been in town for the first time for a matter of hours, seeing friends George and Louise Bennett who had just moved to the town from Glasgow.

He said that he could already see the appeal.

"The buildings are spectacular, there's a real mixture and its all very well preserved.

"And it's not like every other high street here, there are a lot of unique shops and quite a vibrant buzz."

Meanwhile Tony Hall, 70, a retired security guard and groundsman from Oldbury, near Dudley, said he came to Ludlow about three times a year, but couldn't put his finger on why it was special.

"I don't come especially for anything, it's just a nice distance for a day out – and you can get lots of different styles of food," he said.