Forget the North-South divide – it s all about East versus West now
Rising evidence of an east-west divide is shaking up the property market. Could Norfolk be the new Cornwall? And Essex the new Oxfordshire?
26 June 2021 • 6:00am
Countless Londoners are clamouring for houses in the east and west of the UK, and it’s easy to see why
Credit: Olivia Whitworth
It didn’t surprise me when Karl Manning, head of residential sales at Savills Chelmsford, told me that sales in Essex in the first quarter of this year were up 167 per cent compared with last year.
Combine this with a lack of available properties, then add countless Londoners who are clamouring for houses to the mix and it’s easy to see why the roads and schools out in the east are slowly filling up.
A BIG-HEARTED paddleboarding club is organising monthly river litter picks in a bid to clean up the area’s waterways. The Paddle Company, which is based at the Henny Swan pub in Henny Street, usually rents out paddleboards so people can enjoy the River Stour. But now it is launching a free new experience to get paddleboarders out litter picking. The business, which was formed in late 2019, is inviting residents to take to water and help clear up litter. Boss Richard Jiggins, 44, wants to protect the wildlife on the Stour. With help from trainee instructors Simon Edney and Jordan Snaith, he hopes to eventually clean up the river.
The Duke of Marlborough, Somersham
The community pub at the heart of Somersham village is open Thursday to Sunday serving dinner and Sunday lunch in marquees. Chef Aaron Douglas and his team serve great value, locally sourced meals, all freshly cooked to order. There are pub classics - beer battered fish and chips, sausage and mash, 8oz rump steak, burgers and vegetable curry - as well as specials. Booking is advisable but not essential. thedukeofmarlborough.com
The Marquis at Layham, Hadleigh, has a sizeable terrace.
- Credit: The Marquis
The Marquis, Upper Layham
With a large terrace and lawn sloping down to the river, this is a lovely place to be on a warm, sunny day. If the weather doesn t oblige there are patio heaters and a small covered area. Choose from Cornish crab or Asian duck tacos, seared Scottish scallops or some Josper roasted Dorset snails, deep fried catch of the day, a gourmet burger, chalk stream trout teriyaki, Blythburgh Pork belly, fillet of beef We