TWO Sussex towns have been named on a list of the top 15 places in the UK to live in 2021.
The accolade was bestowed by property experts Garrington, who analysed factors such as natural beauty, architectural beauty and quality of life to decide which places in Britain were the best to set up shop.
And, when the dust settled and the equations were completed, two Sussex sites emerged among the top in the country.
Rye was the best-performing Sussex town in the list, finishing in sixth.
The picturesque settlement rated top in the country for natural beauty, which was calculated by its proximity to open water, National Parks and Areas Of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
And it is no wonder, with Rye residents enjoying easy access to beaches such as Camber Sands and Winchelsea, as well as having the the High Wield AONB on their doorstep and the South Downs National Park not far beyond.
The town came 68th in the UK for its architectural beauty, with a number of listed and period homes, and 205th for quality of life.
The final point was decided by considering a matrix of crime figures, air quality and how many farm shops their were in the area.
The average price of a house in Rye, according to land registry data for the 12 months leading up to September 2020, was £480,000.
The other Sussex town to score highly in the Garrington study was Lewes, which was named the 14th best place to live in the UK in 2021.
The historical county town picked up major plaudits for its architectural beauty, finishing 8th in the UK in this field.
It also earned the 98th spot in the natural beauty rankings, with Lewes surrounded by the South Downs National Park.
But it finished 634th in the quality of life factor, and also had the highest average house price in the top 15 - £700,000.
Bath took the top spot, with Tenby, Bradford on Avon, Ilfracombe and Canterbury rounding out the top five.
St Ives, Settle, Wilton, Aldeburgh, Faversham, Langport, Hay-On-Wye and Lyme Regis also featured in the top 15.
Brighton and Hove performed respectably in the rankings, finishing 146th out of the 1,372 towns and cities considered.
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