Quaint UK town that’s been voted the ‘best place to live’ | UK | Travel
One quaint town near Glastonbury has been named the best place to live in the UK.
Castle Cary, a small market town with a castle dating back to the Norman conquest, has topped the list of Muddy Stiletto’s list of the top 260 places to live in 2024.
The competition is voted on by the readers, with the publication stating that it has “insider knowledge of England’s loveliest villages, towns and cities.”
The little-known town is surrounded by much more famous neighbours, including Glastonbury, Frome, and Wells, but has beat out all of these glamorous names to become, not just the best place to live in Somerset, but in the entire country.
The second best place to live in Somerset, was the nearby Wells, with Frome coming fifth in the category. Meanwhile Glastonbury did not make the list this year.
With an average house price of £369,833, more than the UK average of £289,000, Castle Cary is a stunning village, filled with history and culture, and is less than two hours to London by train.
Perhaps unsurprisingly the village is named for its castle, which was demolished in the 18th century after being abandoned from the 1400s.
The recorded history of Castle Cary begins shortly after the Norman invasion, and Cary Castle itself was besieged during the Anarchy in 1138 and 1152.
Although there is evidence that there were settlements on the land prior to the Norman arrival, not much is known about this time period in the town’s history.
Despite the town’s medieval origins, many of the landmarks standing today are from the 18th century, including the market house situated at the centre of the village which is a stunning grade II listed building, and the Roundhouse lock-up, which was built in the late 1700s.
Located just outside the town is the Hadspen House estate, which in recent years has been renamed The Newt in Somerset, and serves as a luxury hotel and landscaped gardens.
With so much history and the 18th century architecture, it’s perhaps quite clear to see just how Castle Cary topped the list of best places to live in the UK this year.
