Wiswell in Ribble Valley among UK’s poshest villages

The Telegraph says many dream about living in a village and Telegraph Money revealed the poshest villages in Britain, broken down by county and using exclusive research from Savills.

It said it combined a few factors to create the list, including “highest house prices, a lively community, a thriving village hall, great pubs, local shops and sporting facilities – aspects that make a great village.”

The newspaper said it also looked into “whether the location sits in a bucolic setting, has an interesting heritage, and whether it ticks the boxes of the classic village, with a green, duck pond and perhaps thatched cottages.”

Lancashire village among poshest in the UK

Villages across the UK feature in the list, with counties having one village highlighted as the poshest in the area.

When it comes to “posh appeal”, The Telegraph notes that Wiswell is “near the Forest of Bowland National Landscape (AONB)”, has a “train connection to Manchester” and boasts an “award-winning gastropub”.

The newspaper’s writers said: “Nestled in the Ribble Valley near Clitheroe, which has a well-preserved traditional town centre, weekly markets and excellent schools, Wiswell sits between breathtaking Pendle Hill, with its fascinating history of witchcraft, and the scenic Forest of Bowland.

“At its heart is an award-winning pub, The Freemasons, in the top three gastropubs nationally this year, according to the Estrella Damm ‘Top 50 Gastropubs’ index.

“The neighbouring village of Whalley has a railway station, which connects to Manchester, Blackburn and Rochdale.”

Wiswell, paired with nearby Whalley, was also recently named among the prettiest villages in the UK by The Telegraph.

What are house prices like in Wiswell?

The Telegraph says the average house price in Wiswell is £687,878.

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What is Wiswell like?

Wiswell is “a small village on the edge of Whalley” and is “said to have taken its name from Old Molly’s Well, later known as the wise woman’s well”, according to Visit Lancashire.

It shared some of the village’s history: “The first record of Wiswell is in a charter of 1193, in the reign of Richard the First.

“The village’s most famous resident was the last Abbot of Whalley, John Paslew, who came to a sticky end in 1537 for providing help to participants in the Pilgrimage of Grace, a northern protest against the policies of Henry VIII.”

What’s your favourite village in Lancashire? Let us know in the comments below.