What’s going for it? The one good thing about London self-destructing with property price madness and artisan Ovaltine cafes (the next big thing) on every corner is that everyone with a brain cell is leaving for other towns – such as Canterbury. In the 1990s, when I lived here, it was so uncosmopolitan that asking for cappuccino was like asking for emerald-dusted unicorn juice. It wasn’t always thus. Read Chaucer. In the 14th century, when Canterbury was Pilgrimopolis, it must have been livelier than the Wife of Bath’s nightie. Now it’s getting its mojo back, no longer sucked dry by its proximity to London; rather the opposite. The past few years have seen its cultural life and economy get a fillip. With its three universities, fruity history and fabulous streetscapes, nestled deep in the North Downs, 10 minutes from the sea, it’s always had the potential to out-boogie its parochial air. Now its modish coffee bars sell not just cappuccinos but single-estate, fully traceable frappeflappaflippafloppacinos. Beat that, London.
The case against It’s still a small city and, despite legions of tourists, not terrifically diverse.
Well connected? Trains: to Ashford (16 mins), Maidstone (55 mins), St Pancras (56 mins), Victoria (from 1hr 30) or Charing Cross (1hr 40). Driving: 30 mins to Ashford or Folkestone, 90 to London.
Schools Primaries: St Stephen’s, Parkside, St Peter’s Methodist, the Canterbury, Wincheap Foundation are all “good”, Ofsted says, Blean and St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic “outstanding”. Secondaries: the Archbishop’s and Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar are “good”, Barton Court Grammar and Simon Langton’s Boys’ Grammar are “outstanding”.
Hang out at… The Goods Shed, with its wonderful stalls and cafes. Water Lane Coffeehouse and Micro Roastery for the burgeoning coffee scene.
Where to buy Cathedral cities, with centuries of history, gather diverse homes, from a 15th-century cottage to a Georgian town house. Around the walls are huggermugger lanes such as the Friars; main roads out of town, including Wincheap, have cheaper cottages and town houses. For suburbans, around New and Old Dover Roads (such as the Victorians on Cromwell Road), Whitstable Road or St Stephen’s. Detacheds and town houses, £300,000-£1.2m. Semis, £250,000-£600,000. Terraces and cottages, £220,000-£425,000. Flats, £150,000-£400,000. Rentals: one-bed flat, £700-£1,100pcm; three-bed house, £900-£1,400pcm.
Bargain of the week It needs modernisation, but this three-bed postwar semi is a steal at £150,000, with milesandbarr.co.uk.
From the streets
Chris Prior “HS1 has been a gamechanger: 50 minutes to London, with new trains that run on time. A downside: the high proportion of students to locals creates tension.”
Charlotte Cornell “Only 15 minutes to the coast by bus or car to foodie Whitstable, or Herne Bay, which is beginning its Margate-style renaissance.”
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Do you live in Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway? Do you have a favourite haunt or a pet hate? If so, email lets.move@theguardian.com by Tuesday 11 October.
