The best places to live near Birmingham – and what you can get for your money
The city in the very heart of England is within easy reach of dozens of beautiful towns and villages convenient for commuters. Eleanor Doughty picks out some of the best.


Given that Birmingham is pretty much right in the middle of the country, you can commute to it within an hour from almost anywhere.
Let’s take Warwick for starters, just 31 minutes from Moor Street station. This quiet, elegant and almost impossibly well-connected city has its own castle and public school.
The schools, too, are excellent: Rugby is 20 miles from Warwick town, there’s Warwick School itself and Bilton Grange, also in Rugby. It’s also pretty. Local developer Ash Mill has recently redeveloped Northgate Street, turning it into one of the most desirable streets in Warwickshire.
Leamington Spa, too, offers a serious supply of desirable streets. Knight Frank are currently marketing a seven-bedroom Victorian townhouse for £1. 5m, a hop and a skip to the train station, from where you can catch a train to Moor Street in under half an hour.
To the east is the popular village of Long Buckby, one of Northamptonshire’s most sought-after spots and only 55 minutes from New Street station. Strutt & Parker have a six-bedroom house with three rental apartments and 25 acres for £2.25m.
On the other side of the city, look to Malvern, just 56 minutes from Malvern Link to New Street station. Nearby in the hills is Eastnor Castle, where the Hervey-Bathursts live, plus the rarely open (but no less charming) Madresfield Court, for keen Evelyn Waugh fans.
Knight Frank are marketing a seven-bedroom manor house a mile from Malvern Link station for £795,000, within easy reach of excellent schools: Malvern College, Hereford Cathedral School and King’s Worcester.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Leamington Spa – £1,500,000
This Victorian villa dates from the late 19th century, but has been updated with real panache. The open plan dining/kitchen/family room will be the hub of the house – it has a range of American diner-style vintage 1950s kitchen units. The games room in the basement is equally enchanting, with a chequerboard floor, jukebox, pool table and Space Invaders machine.
For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details about this property.
Long Buckby – £2,250,000
This 25-acre estate includes a six-bedroom main house with fabulous views, plus a leisure complex that boasts a pool, gym and sauna. There are paddocks, stables and areas of parkland too, plus three discrete one-bedroom apartments and a separate two-bedroom cottage with its own half acre of gardens.
For sale with Strutt & Parker. See more pictures and details about this property.
Malvern – £795,000
Pale Manor is a fascinating house within stunning mature gardens to the north of Great Malvern beneath the hills. There are at least five bedrooms and five reception rooms, plus two rooms which could each be used as either. A separate coach house is also part of the sale.
For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details about this property.
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
Graham Norton's elegant East London home hits the market, and it's just as wonderful as you would expect
The four-bedroom home in Wapping should be studied for how well it uses two separate spaces to create a home of immense character and utility.
By James Fisher Published
-
Sign of the times: In the age of the selfie, what’s happening to the humble autograph?
When Ringo Starr announced that he was no longer going to sign anything, he kickstarted a celebrity movement that coincided with the advent of the camera phone and selfie. Rob Crossan asks whether, in today’s world, the selfie holds more clout than an autograph?
By Rob Crossan Published
-
Graham Norton's elegant East London home hits the market, and it's just as wonderful as you would expect
The four-bedroom home in Wapping should be studied for how well it uses two separate spaces to create a home of immense character and utility.
By James Fisher Published
-
About time: The fastest and slowest moving housing markets revealed
New research by Zoopla has shown where it's easy to sell and where it will take quite a while to find a buyer.
By Annabel Dixon Last updated
-
A wisteria clad hall built by one of the founders of the Bank of England
Come for the history of Old Hall. Stay for the interesting interiors.
By Annabel Dixon Published
-
A gorgeous Scottish cottage with contemporary interiors on the bonny banks of the River Tay
Carnliath on the edge of Strathtay is a delightful family home set in sensational scenery.
By James Fisher Published
-
Six rural properties with space, charm and endless views, as seen in Country Life
We take a look at some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life in the past week.
By Toby Keel Published
-
380 acres and 90 bedrooms on the £25m private island being sold by one of Britain's top music producers
Stormzy, Rihanna and the Rolling Stones are just a part of the story at Osea Island, a dot on the map in the seas off Essex.
By Lotte Brundle Published
-
A home cinema, tasteful interiors and 65 acres of private parkland hidden in an unassuming lodge in Kent
North Lodge near Tonbridge may seem relatively simple, but there is a lot more than what meets the eye.
By James Fisher Published
-
A rare opportunity to own a family home on Vanbrugh Terrace, one of London's finest streets
This six-bedroom Victorian home sits right on the start line of the London Marathon, with easy access to Blackheath and Greenwich Park.
By James Fisher Published