The Times - UK (2022-04-08)

the times | Friday April 8 2022 3

News

The West Yorkshire town of Ilkley has
been named the best place to live in the
UK by The Sunday Times, topping a list
of 70 locations.
Spread at the foot of Ilkley Moor, the
spa town was praised for its top schools,
varied high street, spectacular scenery
and convenient railway links. Judges
were impressed by its sports clubs and
the opportunities they offer to young
people, and by the energetic communi-
ty spirit. Volunteering is a big part of
local life and the cinema and market-
place were both set up by residents.
The TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh
grew up in the town. Although he now
lives in Hampshire, he remains one of
Ilkley’s keenest ambassadors, visiting
as often as possible and keeping links
with local charities, and the Ilkley
Players drama group.
“The scenery is beautiful,” Titch-
marsh says. “You’ve got the moor on
one side, the river in the middle and the
woods on the other, so when you’re
young you can choose where to go and
play. It has a lovely town centre, and it’s
a town with a heart too. Whenever I

independent shops. Ballycastle in Co

Antrim took the prize in Northern Ire-

land for its friendly atmosphere, home-

grown food culture and attractive

coastal scenery. In Scotland, the Isle of

Bute won the top spot for offering is-

land life within a 90-minute commute

of Glasgow, and for its creative and en-

trepreneurial spirit, exemplified by the

businesses set up by Syrian refugees

who were housed on the island.

Ilkley, in West Yorkshire, is nestled in

Wharfedale. The Best Places to Live

guide praised its scenery and schools

on digital

Find out whether your

area made the cut —

plus the winners in full

thetimes.co.uk

Ilkley crowned UK’s best place to live

visit, I always go straight up the moor,

look down at the town and whisper, ‘I’m

back.’”

This is the tenth Best Places to Live

guide. Its editor, Helen Davies, says that

what people look for in a home has

changed in the past decade.

“When we launched the inaugural

list, it was all about schools and smart

supermarkets. London’s gravitational

pull was strong, the WFH revolution

had not yet reached our doorstep and

high streets were stacked with chains.

“These days there’s more mention of

festivals, bookshops, markets, living

car-free, wild swimming spots and

energetic communities who’ll stop at

nothing to improve where they live.”

Regional winners included the vil-

lage of Trawden in Lancashire, where

locals rallied round to rescue the pub,

shop and community centre; Upping-

ham in Rutland, for its sophisticated

take on rural living, with the Goldmark

art gallery at its heart; and the canalside

mill village of Slaithwaite, also in West

Yorkshire.

In Wales, Llandeilo in Carmarthen-

shire was named as the best place to live

for its thriving town centre packed with

Edinburgh missed out on the list

completely this year because of its over-

heated housing market, in part caused

by a surfeit of short-term holiday lets.

There’s no place, either, for York or

Cambridge, both former overall win-

ners, where the house prices are so high

that other locations offer better value.

The judges also decided not to in-

clude Cornwall, in recognition of the

problems caused in the county’s hous-

ing market by buyers of second homes.

Many of the new entries are smaller

villages, reflecting a change in priorities

since the pandemic, and highlighting

local features such as the newly reno-

vated 1930s heated outdoor swimming

pool in the Peak District village of

Hathersage; free celebratory get-to-

gethers such as the Hanwell Hootie in

the west London suburb; and the Ship-

ston Proms in Warwickshire.

“Celebrating these examples is what

the guide is all about. Space, good

neighbours, the consolations of nature

and initiatives like these can improve

quality of life just as much as an extra

point on the GCSE grade or a speedy

commute to the city,” Davies says.

Best country houses, Bricks & Mortar

Tim Palmer

M

ark

Wahlberg

has had

many roles

during a

30-year career in

Hollywood, beginning as

a rapper before making

the successful jump to

acting (Keiran Southern

writes).

The star of films

including Boogie Nights,

The Departed and Ted

may soon be able to add

another title to his CV:

property mogul, after

placing his 12-bedroom

Los Angeles mega

mansion on the market

for $87.5 million, more

than ten times what he

paid for the 30,500sq ft

home in 2009.

The home comes with

a five-hole golf course,

20 bathrooms, wine

cellar, sprawling lawns, a

skate park, tennis court,

home theatre and guest

house.

Wahlberg, 50,

renowned for his bulky

physique, regularly

shares fitness updates

from the on-site gym.

Pictures reveal an

elaborate double

staircase after entering

the mansion, a pool with

a mini waterfall and a

two-storey panelled

library. The driveway

wraps around a tall

fountain.

The home in the

North Beverly Park

neighbourhood was

designed by Richard

Landry, an architect

called the “king of the

mega mansion”.

The listing describes

the sale as a “once-in-a-

lifetime

opportunity to

acquire one of

the great

estates in Los

Angeles”

and notes

that it

guarantees

“total

privacy”

because of

its secluded

location.

Beverly

Park is in an

area known

as the Beverly

Hills Post Office —

although it carries the

prized Beverly Hills

postcode, it is

technically within the

Los Angeles city limits.

This does not dent its

appeal, however, and the

area is said to be the

most exclusive gated

community on the West

Coast.

“Beverly Park is like

the crème de la crème, it

doesn’t get any better

than that as far as the

gated community goes,”

Rochelle Maize, a

leading Beverly Hills

real estate agent, said.

Whoever buys the

home will find

themselves in a celebrity

enclave with Denzel

Washington, Justin

Bieber, Eddie Murphy

and Dwayne “The Rock”

Johnson among their

neighbours.

Wahlberg may

succeed in selling for his

asking price as the high-

end housing market in

Los Angeles has been

running red hot.

However, a correction

may be on the way,

Maize said, with interest

rates on the rise as the

US attempts to get a grip

on rising inflation. This

may explain why

Wahlberg has decided

now is the right time to

sell, she believed.

Wahlberg lives at the

estate with his wife,

Rhea Durham, and their

four children. Should

they get $87.5 million,

the home will easily

rank among the most

expensive to have sold in

Beverly Park.

In January it emerged

that Adele had agreed to

buy Sylvester Stallone’s

estate in the area for

$58 million.

Wahlberg mansion

works out at $87.5m

THE GROSBY GROUP/BACKGRID

The LA mansion with golf

course and luxury pool is

owned by Mark Wahlberg

and Rhea Durham

5-hole golf course

Basketball court

Main home

30,500 sq ft,

12 bedrooms,

20 bathrooms,

5,000-bottle

wine cellar

Swimming pool

Guest house

in the

rly Park

ood was

Richard

architect

king of the

on”.

g describes

“once-in-a-

to

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