Warwickshire &amp; West Midlands


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why">WHY?</h2>



<p>Known as the historic centre of England (the true centre is actually 13 miles up the road, but we won’t dwell on that) nestled between Coventry and Birmingham, and protected by the greenbelt of the Meriden Gap, this bucolic village is all country pubs and honey pot cottages with the added bonus of great links to local towns and cities. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-eat">EAT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/09/Untitled-design-537.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-55023" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/09/Untitled-design-537.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/09/Untitled-design-537-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/09/Untitled-design-537-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/09/Untitled-design-537-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Situated on a working family-run farm, local favourite&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thebarnatberryfields.co.uk/the-restaurant">The Barn at Berryfields</a>&nbsp;offers farm-to-table produce inside its glass-fronted Barn Restaurant, or street food outdoors where you can sit in the cool teepee. Minutes down the road is gastropub&nbsp;<a href="https://www.strawberrybank.co.uk/">The Strawberry Bank</a>&nbsp;with gorgeous views over the countryside, or a short drive away is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.resortsworldbirmingham.co.uk/eat-drink/sky-by-the-water">Sky by the Water</a>&nbsp;for nibbles and cocktails while looking over the Birmingham skyline.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shop">SHOP</h2>



<p>There’s a farm shop and butchery at The Barn at Berryfields, but if you’re looking for more you’ll have to take a little journey out. At nearby Resorts World you&#8217;ll find a choice of high street clothing shops including Religion, Next and Vans. Solihull is also close with cool indie homestore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.livs.co.uk/">Liv’s</a>, luxury clothing boutique&nbsp;<a href="https://katherinedraisey.com/">Katherine Draisey</a>&nbsp;and local artist’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hortonfineart.co.uk/">Paul Horton Fine Art</a>&nbsp;Gallery.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CULTURE</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/09/Untitled-design-395-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-55002" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/09/Untitled-design-395-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/09/Untitled-design-395-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/09/Untitled-design-395-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2023/09/Untitled-design-395-1-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Just up the road is the <a href="https://www.utilitaarenabham.co.uk">Utilita Arena</a> with its plethora of shows and events, think big names like Peter Kay, Lizzo and Madness who have all performed there this year. Brum isn&#8217;t far away with <a href="https://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk">The Rep</a>, <a href="https://bmusic.co.uk/whats-on">Symphony Hall</a> and <a href="https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com">Birmingham Hippodrome</a>, which often has performances by Muddy favourites <a href="https://www.brb.org.uk">Birmingham Royal Ballet</a>. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nearby-attractions">NEARBY ATTRACTIONS</h2>



<p>Next door to the Utilita Arena you’ll find&nbsp;<a href="https://www.beargryllsadventure.com/">Bear Grylls Adventure</a>&nbsp;with its 65ft high rope course, archery and interactive skydiving. The National Trust’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/baddesley-clinton">Baddesley Clinton</a>, set in the breathtaking Forest of Arden, and&nbsp;much-restored Tudor house, park and gardens <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/packwood-house">Packwood House</a>&nbsp;are both less than 10 miles away. For more outdoorsy action head to the lush greenery of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coombeabbey.com/">Coombe Abbey</a>&nbsp;which is also home to&nbsp;<a href="https://goape.co.uk/locations/coventry">Go Ape</a> and in Birmingham there&#8217;s <a href="https://www.escapelive.co.uk">Escape Live</a> with its fun escape rooms. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-average-house-price">AVERAGE HOUSE PRICE</h2>



<p>£342,956. Detached properties were the most popular selling for around £522,650. Semi-detached fetched about £362,292 while flats reached £141,383.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hot-property">HOT PROPERTY</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="666" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2024/07/Untitled-design-45.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-57499" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2024/07/Untitled-design-45.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2024/07/Untitled-design-45-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/warks/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2024/07/Untitled-design-45-768x511.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>This <a href="https://www.gingerhomes.co.uk/property/castle-close-fillongley-warwickshire-cv7-8pb/">secluded, detached</a> 4-bed is on the market for £645,000.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">NURSERIES</h2>



<p>There&#8217;s <a href="https://www.littleangelsgroup.co.uk">Little Angel&#8217;s Pre School</a> and also <a href="https://www.bablake.com/754/pre-prep/early-years">early years provision</a> for nearby Bablake and King Henry&#8217;s. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-schools">SCHOOLS</h2>



<p>Poet Philip Larkin was famously a pupil at well-regarded&nbsp;<a href="https://kinghenrys.co.uk/">King Henry VIII School</a>, an independent co-educational&nbsp;school for 3-18s;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bablake.com/">Bablake</a>&nbsp;is another leading UK co-educational independent dating back to 1344 and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.pattisons.co.uk/">Pattison College</a>&nbsp;for children with a talent for the performing arts. Ruckleigh School is also nearby catering for children aged 3 to 11. The majority of state secondaries are rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted with&nbsp;<a href="http://www.arden.solihull.sch.uk/">Arden Academy</a>&nbsp;rated ‘Outstanding’. Most primary schools also received top marks from inspectors, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.berkswellschool.org.uk/">Berkswell Church of England</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.georgefenthamschool.co.uk/">George Fentham Endowed School.&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-best-kept-secret">BEST KEPT SECRET</h2>



<p>The oldest archery club in England was founded in Meriden in 1785 in the local boozer and still exists to this day.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.longbow-archers.com/woodmenofarden.html">The Woodmen of Arden</a>&nbsp;still meet and try to follow the rules set centuries ago. Membership is by invitation only, oh errrr.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-commute">COMMUTE</h2>



<p>London bound? You can jump on at Hampton-in-Arden train station or Birmingham International. If you’re driving it’s about 2.5 hrs.</p>



<p>View the full&nbsp;<a href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Top 260 Best Places to Live</a></p>


Best Places to Live: Meriden

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