We didn’t have an entry in Nottinghamshire last year, so we’re glad to sing the praises of this small town, with the soaring Minster rising above grand Georgian houses and a photogenic high street. Southwell is only 15 miles from Nottingham, but has no whiff of suburb or dormitory: it has its own personality, established independent shops and restaurants, good schools and a racecourse. The Southwell Music Festival, based at the magnificent 12th-century Minster, brings a weekend of classical music over the August bank holiday. For more folky entertainment, check out the Gate to Southwell festival (June 8-11 this year), where there there’ll be a 50th anniversary tribute to the summer of love.
The town’s indie shops and eateries have their own website, southwelltraders.co.uk. A quirky favourite is Gladstone Books, tucked away in Bull Yard, near the Minster. Owned by a retired professor, this second-hand and antiquarian store is comforting in the age of the Kindle, and there’s no greater sign of independence than only opening from Thursday to Saturday. Nearby, on King Street, La Parisienne is a boutique cafe specialising in French-Moroccan dishes (beef tagine £11.50, goats’ cheese falafel £7.95).
It’s a half-hour drive on the A612 to Nottingham city centre; 20 minutes the other way gets you to Newark station, for the 80-minute ride to London.
What the locals say I can’t remember all of the 1960s — but I was there.
Why we love it Hidden gem? This is a real sparkler.
Starter home (flat) £219,716 [£668 pcm]
Mid-market (semi) £234,300 [£728 pcm]
Family (detached) £455,144 [£1,152 pcm]
