The Times Shines a Light on Barnard Castle as One of The Best Places to Live

Barnard Castle in County Durham, home to our Castle Croft development has been recognised by The Times as one of the best places to live in the North East.

The town has a rich history with the famous castle and the River Tees both captured by artist JMW Turner in watercolour and Charles Dickens staying at the King’s Head pub while researching his novel Nicholas Nickleby.

The Times describes Barnard Castle as a ‘dignified old town’ with the Bowes Museum, a grade I listed château, featuring an art collection that includes works by Van Dyck, Canaletto and Goya. It also has a life-sized mechanical swan and is surrounded by some of England’s grandest yet least-visited countryside.

Barnard Castle is home to major employers, including GlaxoSmithKline, and the government is set to move 750 civil servants to “Treasury North” in Darlington, just 15 miles to the west.

The Times also highlights the tempting mix of independent retailers such as William Peat Butchers, Chocolate Fayre and a farmers’ market on the first Saturday of the month as well as a Morrisons supermarket.

Other attractions cited are the easy proximity to cities such as Newcastle and York, and the local landscape of North Yorkshire and the south Durham Dales.

Barnard Castle offers easy access to the A1(M) in 20 minutes and the M6 in 40 minutes. It’s a 30-minute drive to Teesside International Airport, and Darlington, 25 minutes away, offers direct rail services to Newcastle, York, Edinburgh Waverley and London King’s Cross.

There are good schools locally too. including Teesdale School which is third in The Sunday Times Parent Power League for state secondaries in the Northeast and the independent Barnard Castle School.

Tilia Homes is offering a range of two-, three- and four-bedroom detached homes at Castle Croft priced from £259,995. Make an appointment to find out more.