Think of Pershore and plums may spring to mind. However, there is so much more to this market town in the heart of Worcestershire than fruit.
In a recent survey of The Best Places to Live in 2022, this pretty town came 22nd out of 1,372, beating the likes of Stratford-upon-Avon, Worcester, Birmingham, Broadway and Evesham.
The annual survey by Garrington ranks more than 1,300 UK towns, villages and cities to find the best places to buy a property.
As well as showing the average house price, areas are ranked on four criteria: natural beauty, architectural beauty, quality of life and how green it is. This year’s top spot went to Bath in Somerset. Pershore scored better than anywhere else in the West Midlands based on all these factors.
Set in the heart of the Vale of Evesham, Pershore came in at 32 out of 1,372 for its greenness and 139th for its architectural beauty. The cost of an average family home here is between £350,000 and £650,000.
Elsewhere in the survey, Evesham came in at 136 on the list, Stratford-upon-Avon at 60, Broadway was 652, Nuneaton 827, Bedworth 1,081 and Kenilworth 1,135.
So why is Pershore such a plum place to live? Well, there are many reasons, not least its famous fruit which ensured the town was at the forefront of the English plum industry from the mid 19th century until the early 20th. Among the many varieties are the Yellow Egg Plum, Victoria, Pershore Purple and Pershore Emblem and these are shown off each year at its Plum Festival in August.
But it’s not just fruit, Pershore has many things going for it, and boasts a wealth of history and heritage, including its magnificent Abbey which was founded in 689 by King Oswald. Today it is dominated by the tall, pinnacled tower, and on a clear day from the top you get a beautiful view of the Vale and Bredon Hill.
Pershore also has lots of great outdoor space with parks, the river and the beautiful countryside right on its doorstep affording people plenty of opportunities for kayaking, cycling and walking. It has a great high street too with a wealth of independent and specialist shops alongside businesses, a covered market, cafes and pubs.
But one of its main attractions is the wide range of property on offer which is suitable for all budgets.
For those with cash to splash there are large, period and characterful homes on offer, but for those with more modest budgets and requirements there are  plenty of smaller or terraced homes, new builds and flats.
Sheldon Bosley Knight’s Pershore sales manager Amy Lewis said: “We love Pershore. It has so much going for it, I’m not surprised it has scored so highly in this survey.
“It’s a great place to live and work and there really are so many property types and styles to choose from. So, if you are thinking of selling or buying, give our team here in Pershore a call and let’s get you moving!”