Bury St Edmunds is regularly voted the happiest place to live. “People who come here stay here,” says Valerie, a local of twenty years, who came as a single girl from London, married a local boy, and brought up a family of two children. “We have great friends, great schools, and plenty to do and see. We love it. And it’s real old England.”
Which is why Weston Homes Tayfen Court is proving so successful. This small development, just 171 apartments, is a few minutes from the delightful, medieval market town of Bury St Edmunds, known by all as a gem in the crown of Suffolk.
Bury became a favorite with the Covid exit from London four years ago. Once people were able to work at home, buyers wanting to feel safe and away from high-density living, and also fed up with high prices and small properties in grim parts of London, went further afield for real value for money and a better lifestyle. And they found it at Weston Homes, who, with their sophisticated building style, passionate emphasis on sustainability, and generous package of high-quality facilities and interior design choices included in the low prices, were a popular choice.
One newly married couple who came out to Suffolk in 2019 at the beginning of the outbreak, James Nicholson and his wife Macarena, found the perfect two-bedroom apartment in Weston Homes development Millers Quarter, a stone’s throw away from Tayfen Court. They said the advanced technology gave them the opportunity to work from home. And with the station five minutes away, their journeys to London twice a week were easy. James said, “I worked on the train. A two-hour journey can be relaxing. We do not regret a moment of our move.”
The area offers newcomers a wide range of opportunities. Valerie says, “Local people are very kind and welcoming, and there is plenty going on. Bury is a busy town with markets, a lot of individual shops, and fabulous restaurants of every kind. And in the summer, there is always a fair, festival, or country celebration going on. We have just had the beer and cider festival in the Cathedral courtyard.”
With the Edwardian theatre, gastro pubs, and lively local concerts, there is always something to join. Clubs for every age group abound, and with miles of lush countryside around, there is plenty of picnicking, cycling, and camping going on all year round.
Suffolk is a seriously medieval part of England, with many grand country homes to visit. Stunning Ickworth House, an 18th-century showcase with its breathtaking rotunda, Melford Hall, frequently visited by children’s author Beatrix Potter, and the treasured Tudor mansion of Christchurch are among them. And Lavenham, a whole village of gorgeousness, is the best-preserved medieval village in the UK.
Families integrate quickly in and around Tayfen Court, where Weston has adjoining homes in landscaped areas. Johanna, a single mother to daughter Chloe, bought at an earlier Weston Homes development nearby and told of how secure and comforting their area was. They joined a friendship group with all the neighbors, and there was always someone to babysit or enjoy a coffee with.
Schools play a big part in people’s choice to come to Bury. Many are voted outstanding, and there is the full range, from toddler groups to primary schools, private schools, and comprehensives with great exam results.
Employment opportunities are endless in the local area and a small journey away in Ipswich (28 minutes) and Cambridge (41 minutes), with its international reputation for advanced technological companies and the world’s best educational choices. With Cambridge, this ever-expanding city, on your doorstep, there is no need to go to London ever again.
