The village of Barton-on-Sea was this week revealed to have extra older individuals than anyplace in Britain and it’s a bustling, thriving and exquisite place, based on locals.
Residents of the Hampshire coastal village have a median common age of 65, which is the very best in England amongst all constructed up areas outdoors London, knowledge from the Workplace for Nationwide Statistics reveals.
A part of the civil parish of New Milton, Barton-on-Sea boasts “very good” coastal walks, “magnificent” cliffs, “sweeping” coastal surroundings, “fairly” water meadows and is ideal for out of doors explorers, based on the Go to Hampshire web site.
A row of Coast Guard Cottages in Barton Lane is without doubt one of the village’s most distinctive options. They have been constructed on the finish of the 19th century by the Authorities as properties for armed guards attempting to cease the smuggling which was rife within the space on the time.
The smugglers have gone now, however as New Milton Residents Affiliation chairman Sue Larking explains, Barton-on-Sea is now an incredible place for retirees.
Mrs Larking, who has lived in Barton-on-Sea since 1991, informed Specific.co.uk: “From a geographical perspective, you are close to the ocean and New Forest and close to some very beautiful locations to go to. It makes it a very nice, central place to do heaps in your spare time.
“It is a good place to retire… It is comparatively cool down right here. It is a hidden space as a result of roads are inclined to go throughout the north of the New Forest. It’s kind of quieter as a result of there isn’t any by means of site visitors.
“However there’s heaps to do. We’ve a beautiful, lively neighborhood from an historic society, to the WI, to a bridge membership. Regionally, we’ve heaps to do. I feel that is why individuals prefer it.”
Retired herself, Mrs Larking mentioned the inhabitants has modified since she moved into the village along with her younger household greater than 30 years in the past.
She defined that again within the 90s, the inhabitants was a lot older than it’s now with the village boasting just a few tea outlets and a pub, however now the older era is definitely youthful and its members need to take pleasure in dwell music and participate in pub quizzes.
However Barton-on-Sea, which based on the final census has a inhabitants of 6,756, continues to be house to centegenarians and nonagenarians, as Mrs Larking mentioned: “They are a match bunch down right here, and dwell lengthy.”
Barton-on-Sea’s place between Bournemouth and Southampton additionally make it a really perfect place to dwell for individuals who need to journey abroad from close by Bournemouth Airport or to take a cruise from Southampton’s docks, which is lower than an hour’s drive away.
Cllr Geoff Blunden, who represents Barton on New Milton City Council, mentioned Barton-on-Sea enjoys the most effective of each worlds.
He informed Specific.co.uk: “It is a very good place to dwell. It’s on the coast with hyperlinks to Christchurch, Milford on Sea and Lymington.
“There are completely very good transport hyperlinks to Waterloo and London. It advantages from being close to the New Forest and on the coast in a gorgeous space. It is bought the most effective of each worlds. That is what makes it a gorgeous place.”
And it’s London the place lots of Barton-on-Sea’s residents initially hail from.
However with residents of the capital transferring to the world, home costs are comparatively excessive, that means it may be laborious for youthful individuals to get a toehold on the property ladder, a problem affecting many rural communities in southern England.
Properties in Barton-on-Sea have a tendency to carry their value, based on native property and lettings agent Michael Ellis.
Mr Ellis, franchise holder of Martin & Co in New Milton, informed Specific.co.uk: “Barton has all the time held its value. Individuals from the House Counties come down and purchase within the space. The market is dipping as it’s anyplace, however possibly not a lot in Barton.”
Simon Barnes, proprietor of Winkworth Property Brokers’ places of work in Mudeford and Highcliffe, informed Specific.co.uk mid-market properties have seen some falls in Barton-on-Sea, however the high finish continues to be operating very effectively.
On the village’s enchantment, he mentioned: “You are minutes away from the New Forest. You are proper on Christchuch Bay with views of The Needles on one aspect and of Previous Harry Rocks on the opposite. The place is extraordinarily well-connected.”
Mr Barnes, who additionally lives in Barton-on-Sea, mentioned the world is served by good colleges, together with impartial day faculty Durlston Court docket.
Whereas common with retirees, he added households are additionally drawn to the world due to how straightforward it’s to benefit from the nice outdoor and its transport connections.
In accordance with Rightmove, properties in Barton-On-Sea have seen an total common value of £619,648 over the past yr with nearly all of gross sales being indifferent properties promoting for a median £772,382. Properties can, nonetheless, fetch over 1,000,000 kilos.
Bungalows make up a lot of Barton-on-Sea’s properties whereas New Milton has extra of a combination with the coastal village affectionately dubbed “bungalow land” by one native.
A well-liked vacation spot for retirees and summer season guests, Barton-on-Sea is a comparatively new village, having grown up from 1885 with the arrival of the railway.
Personal farmland was additionally snapped up when it was put up on the market within the 1930s and 50s, a lot of it by individuals from London who wished a spot within the nation.
Within the First World Conflict, Barton Court docket Lodge was used as a convalescent house for Indian troopers. An obelisk in Barton-on-Sea marks this and nonetheless stands to this present day.
Close by New Milton throughout the Second World Conflict additionally took in evacuees and was a transit station for troopers who have been heading to the battlefields.
Mrs Larking mentioned of her hometown: “It is an interesting place with a lot of historical past to it.”