Happy in Hexham
The Northumberland town has been voted the jolliest place to live. So would you be . . .
DrIVIng into hexham, I cross a sturdy stone bridge spanning the Tyne. The satnav is set for the Market Place, but forget about parking there or in the short-stay. In fact, I’m forced back down the hill to the huge car park by Waitrose. not many spaces here either. Maybe everyone is flocking to hexham after the property website rightmove announced this week that it’s the happiest Town in Britain.
or maybe, it’s just a normal weekday: northumberland is a huge county and this is the only realistic place to do your shopping if you live between newcastle and Carlisle. Fortunately, it’s only a short walk uphill on hallgate from the car park to the Market Place, enough to establish the demographics of this northern market town. hallgate is a winding row of fine georgian houses — there’s a memorial mason, chic hairdresser’s, three cafes, four art galleries. And Waitrose.
The huge, impregnable cube of the old gaol in the centre of town is a reminder of a more turbulent history.
This was a frontline settlement in the medieval skirmishes and wars between Scotland and england. That noble, heroic William ‘Braveheart’ Wallace terrorised northumbria in 1297 — something Mel gibson managed to leave out of his movie — though the monks of hexham Abbey struck a deal to save the town.
If today’s residents are ecstatic at their rightmove award, they are hiding it well. The newsagent hasn’t read the newspapers describing hexham’s triumph.
But at the grateful Bread artisan baker in Market Street, I’m told: ‘Aye, they’re happy enough around here.’
I buy one of the shop’s fine sourdough loaves, noting that the £4 price tag wouldn’t be out of place in the second happiest town on rightmove’s list, swanky richmond in South-West london.
The story that made the biggest difference to the town isn’t the two rightmove wins (they also won the happy gong in 2019), but Country life’s description of hexham as ‘the best market town in Britain’. That was in 2005.
Some residents describe the property market here as BCl and ACl — Before and After Country life. And the houses on offer are a far cry from the ‘small, spare, dour’ cottage the writer Joan Aiken encountered when she first came here in the 1930s. But like many southerners, she stayed.
I do find some people who aren’t overly happy: estate agents. That might seem odd. After all, a major property website has just given their town a big shot in the arm. At Pattinson estate agents, situated on the wonderfully named Priestpopple, manager and senior valuer Marc hydelman tells me prices ‘have shot up. And as an estate agent I ought to be pleased — we’re up 60 per cent on last year. Crazy.’ he is also happy he moved here from rickmansworth, in hertfordshire, 29 years ago.
So why the unhappiness? ‘Supply can’t keep up with demand,’ says Mr hydelman. As a result, you will struggle to find any properties for sale in hexham town centre.
‘lack of supply is hitting both rentals and sales,’ agrees ed Seymour of Foster Maddison. ‘Some vendors are being aspirational with prices, but good stock is selling
fast — often over the asking price. We have had more best and final offers at closing dates than we have ever had — it sounds great, but the volume of sales is still down hugely’.
hexham is handsome and agreeable. That said, I can name half a dozen english market towns I’ve visited in the past three years alone that can rival it: Malvern, Tetbury, Shaftesbury, uppingham, Diss, Market harborough.
What you don’t get in those towns is an average price of under £300,000 for a house. And you also don’t get the ancient kingdom of northumbria on your doorstep. As the winter light fades, I drive north to a section of hadrian’s Wall at Carrawburgh. here, sunken in a farmer’s field, are the remains of a temple dedicated to the roman god Mithras.
It’s not the most impressive roman ruin. But then I gaze north and south and see england’s most magnificent county stretching as far as the eye can see. There’s not a soul in sight. And that makes a lot of people happy.
AS CHRISTMAS last year was a muted affair, it’s no wonder we’re going all out this festive period. research shows that we’re preparing for Christmas earlier than ever, with sales of decorations increasing by almost a fifth compared to 2019, according to notonthehighstreet.com.
Handmade items, in particular, are firing us up.
DIY site manomano says searches for how to create wreaths and baubles have increased by 350 per cent and 222 per cent respectively, while online craft retailer Hobbycraft reports visits up by 108 per cent on some festive ranges.
‘Christmas is the perfect time to be creative,’ says crafter Poppy Treffry. ‘Handmade decorations are a chance to make some new family heirlooms and to feel festive in the process.’
Of course, we want to keep it chic rather than like a child’s handiwork, which is where the experts come in.
‘When conjuring up a beautiful Christmas setting, the key is to keep it simple and seasonal,’ says Judith Harris, head of house & home at TOAsT. The retailer runs workshops, including bauble and wreath making, in some of its stores, while Hobbycraft has more than 4,000 festive craft workshops making hats, crackers and other decorations (classbento.co.uk/hobbycraft/home).
Here are some useful tips...
SEW YOUR STOCKINGS
THe sight of a stocking hanging over the fireplace gives an instant nostalgic hit. You can choose to buy a posh, ready-made stocking, but they are also simple to make at home.
One option is to make a knitted sock: the knitting kit company Wool And The Gang has a free pattern on its website, along with howto videos, meaning all you have to buy is the wool (wool andthegang.com).
For a fabric version, Etsy. com is awash with sew-yourown kits, but you can also just buy some fabric and design your own pattern.
For designer fabrics at a fraction of the price, try the surplus stock website hainescollection.co.uk.
Tilly And The Buttons has an online refresher if you need reminding how to use a sewing machine (tillyand thebuttons.com).
FESTIVE FOLIAGE
Trees are the obvious green item, but a wreath also adds some natural charm. Notonthehighstreet’s research found that wreaths are just one of the things we’re buying early, with sales in October up by 289 per cent since 2019.
‘A homemade wreath is a lovely thing to make as a family,’ says Terri Chandler of the florists Worm London.
Worm has a book dedicated to teaching us how to create wreaths at home: Wreaths: Fresh, Foraged & Dried Floral Arrangements (£14.99, weareworm.com).
To up the natural vibe ‘you can even suspend a tree branch above the table which can be decorated with paper stars, copper lights and decorations,’ says Judith Harris. ‘Add a pop of colour with rosehips and hellebores or whatever you find such as deep red pomegranates or bright clementines.’ Try TOAsT’s hand-painted baubles (£8.50, toa.st).
PAPER PROJECTS
PAPer chains are the ultimate in easy decorations — something all the family can get involved with. either buy your own paper and cut it into strips (hobbycraft. co.uk has a selection), or there are kits with pre-cut up paper, including Baker ross, where a pack of 240 strips costs £4.50 (bakerross.co.uk). For a scandi take, try making paper stars. Jo Hill had the idea to make star kits last Christmas. ‘I wanted to design a kit that made it fun and easy to create something beautiful and stylish,’ she says. ‘Getting absorbed in making stuff is such a lovely and relaxing activity,’ she says (from £9, ArtstarLondon on etsy.com).
CHEERY CARDS
HANDmADe notes always bring joy. ‘making cards has been a brilliant way to channel my creativity over the past few months,’ says Heather Curtis, the designer and owner behind the online stationery shop heatherevelyn.com. she encourages others to give it a try or you can buy her handmade cards, £5 for five.
Block printing card designs give a reliable result every time. expert crafter molly mahon sells her block printing kits online, along with a copy of her book.
Try her Bauble kit (£38.50, molly-mahonstore.myshopify.com).