What’s going for it? This is England. On this, St George’s Day, what better place to visit than Officially The Most English Town in Eng-er-land. A study by University College London a decade ago found that Ripley, smack bang in the middle of the country, had the highest proportion of residents with English ethnic origins – 88.6% – with its neighbour Heanor not far behind. What makes the Amber valley, wedged between Derby and Nottingham, such a hotbed of Englishness is a bit of a mystery, but don’t come expecting ye olde Morris dancers and chocolate box mead drinkers. This is the kind of quintessential England not found in tourist brochures. Think instead of redbrick terraces, suburban piles with pillars and electric gates, smashing chippies, 1920s semis, the odd tearoom, a Premier Inn, Lidl, Wilko and Wetherspoons, and a Friday night out that’s a sight to behold. This is not Downton Abbey (though Newstead Abbey isn’t far away). Ripley is ordinary England, in the best sense of the word.
The case against If want cosmopolitan, you’re in the wrong place, though there is a Chinese.
Well connected? Trains: the nearest station is 10 minutes away at Alfreton: half-hourly to Sheffield (30 mins), or Nottingham (20-30 mins). Driving: 15 mins to the M1, half an hour to the Peak District, Nottingham and Derby.
Schools Primaries: St John’s CofE, Waingroves and Codnor Community CofE are all “good”, says Ofsted. Secondaries: Ripley Academy “requires improvement”, but nearby Swanwick Hall and Belper are “good”.
Hang out at… The Chinese takeaway.
Where to buy Between Nottingham and Derby Roads, you’ll find streets of semis and terraces from the 19th century to postwar; check out around Broadway, Lyncroft Avenue, Ballacraine Drive, Heath Road, Manvers Street, etc. There’s a tight core of the reddest of redbrick Victoriana around Heage Road. South, between Derby Road and Warmwells Lane, there are decent neighbourhoods of mixed housing. On and off Hartshay Hill, out by the A38, for commuter suburbans. Large detacheds and town houses, £200,000-£500,000. Detacheds, £130,000-£200,000. Semis, £110,000-£275,000. Terraces and cottages, £90,000-£150,000. Rentals: a one-bedroom flat, £325-£400pcm; a three-bedroom house, £525-£650pcm.
Bargain of the week Two-bedroom terraced house on the appropriately named Albion Road, £94,950 with Your Property Ladder.
From the streets
Anna Telling “It’s an affordable place to live, with great access to the Peak District’s beautiful, wild scenery. Worst things: social/economical problems due to unemployment and poor opportunities.”
Nigel Hunt “It has always had a rough reputation. But it’s friendly, except on a Friday night when it’s best to keep your children away from the centre.”
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