Savills Portugal

Cheltenham is the cultural capital of the Cotswolds with a long-standing reputation as a tourist destination. But for those lucky enough to call the town home, it is so much more.

It is hard to pin down the appeal of Cheltenham as a place to live. Its world-famous heritage and unparalleled sporting and cultural scene, along with its impressive schools, are what make the headlines, but the lifestyle on offer to Cheltenham's residents goes beyond this.

Cheltenham has long been an innately stylish place to live, but its credentials have ramped up considerably in recent years as a host of major national and renowned local brands have chosen to invest in the town. It’s worth noting that much of the investment is in previously less popular areas so we are seeing new pockets of regeneration, creating new hot spots in which to live, work and play, such as the vibrant brewery quarter.

Cheltenham is where I have spent most of my life and is the backdrop to many great childhood memories. I moved away for 10 years for work but eventually the pull got the better of me and I returned home six years ago.

When you have lived in and loved an area for so long it is natural to feel somewhat uneasy in the face of change, however what struck me when I returned to Cheltenham after all those years away, was how the town, carrying as it does an incredible heritage, has managed to change and grow without compromise.

I continue to see this in the conversions and new developments that are taking shape within the town centre and to the north and west. It is one of the finest examples of a town where historical and contemporary architecture complement one another.

It wasn’t just me whose heart never left Cheltenham. Almost all of my childhood friends live here. Some never went away and some were drawn back over the years. You only have to look at house price growth to appreciate its popularity – nearly 19 per cent growth since 2007. This is significantly more than any other town in the South.