South West England

South West England is the largest of the country’s nine official regions. It stretches from the Isles of Scilly at the south-westerly tip of the UK up through Cornwall and Devon to Gloucestershire and Wilshire at its easterly border. The largest cities in the region include Bristol, Bournemouth and Exeter. The National Parks of Exmoor and Dartmoor sit within South West England, with other key visitor attractions being Cornwall, with its beautiful beaches and fishing villages, Stonehenge, and the historic city of Bath.

4.50
Average Location Score

Excellent

63%

Very Good

27%

Average

8%

Disappointing

1%

Very Poor

1%

Best places to live in South West England

HomeViews Top Rated Development ranking takes into account the Star Rating and HomeViews Transparency Rating of every development in the area

A harbour with colourful boats in Cornwall, South West England

Where is South West England?

South West England constitutes the region from the south-westerly tip of England (the Scilly Isles and Cornwall) up to Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Dorset and Bournemouth in the east. It has the longest coastline of any English region (700+ miles), which overlooks the Bristol Channel, English Channel and Celtic Sea.

Population of South West England

The population of South West England was estimated at 5.6 million in 2019. Despite being the largest of England’s nine regions at 9,200 square miles, its population is one of the smallest.

South West England regions

South West England is made up of seven counties: Bristol, Cornwall (and the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. We take a look at these below.

Clifton Suspension bridge in Bristol, South West England

Bristol

Bristol is the largest city in South West England and is also one of the seven counties that make up the region. Bristol University and the University of the South West of England bring many students to the city, while media, electronics and aerospace industries are the main economic drivers in the city and surrounding areas.

Cornwall (incl. Isles of Scilly)

With its rich history of mining and fishing, Cornwall attracts thousands of visitors each year. It’s a favourite destination for many Brits holidaying in the UK, thanks to its mild climate and outstanding beaches and countryside. The only city in Cornwall is Truro and the region boasts its own language, which has seen a major revival since interest grew during the early 20th century.

Devon

Neighbour to Cornwall and great rival when it comes to cream teas (scones with jam and clotted cream), Devon is also a tourism hotspot. It boasts a similar landscape of moorlands, rugged coastlines and pretty fishing villages, with Exeter as its principal city. The collection of resort towns along its south coast have become known as the ‘English Riviera’.

Dorset

The ceremonial county of Dorset includes Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, and Dorset. Dorchester is the county town but much of the region has a low population density, with more than half of its area designated an Area of outstanding Natural Beauty.

Bath in South West England

Gloucestershire

Named after its historic principal town Gloucester, Gloucestershire also includes the popular towns of Cheltenham, Cirencester and Stroud. It boasts large areas of outstanding natural beauty, including a large area of The Cotswolds, the Forest of Dean and the Severn Vale.

Somerset

A largely rural county, Somerset includes a wealth of beautiful landscapes, including those of the Mendip Hills, Quantocks and the Exmoor National Park. Somerset’s two cities are Wells and Bath – both of which boast historic cathedrals and the latter of which was granted UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a landlocked county bordered by Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Somerset and Dorset. Trowbridge is the county town but the region is probably best-known for the ancient stone circles at Stonehenge and Avebury, which form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

South West England Cities

Bristol is the largest city in South West England, with a population of around 430,000 people. Other principal cities include Exeter, Bath, Gloucester, Bournemouth, Wells and Plymouth.

Reviews in South West England

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Great if you want to live near a city but not in it

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Mar 2024

Let’s start with the good…There is a retail park on your doorstep with an M&S, The Range, Costa Pets at Home, B&Q and a gym within 2 min walk (the one in the building is very disappointing). The community are really nice (not everyone but for the most part). It is easy to get out to the mendips and is close to the airport. Unfortunately, it is the lack of transport links and then even worse lack of parking that really lets this development down. The apartments themselves are well insulated from outside noise, retain their heat well and are sturdy. When we moved it we were told there would be communal BBQ areas built but there is really only 1 area and it isn’t officially a BBQ area, the residents just use it as one. There is petty vandalism of cars around the area which links me back to the lack of parking.. Unless you are lucky enough to be able to rent or buy a space under the building there is no where safe to park your vehicle at night. Also the bike storage is a joke as many bikes get stolen or you go to find you are missing a tyre in the morning.

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I think the design is interesting, functional and safe but they didn’t quite finish off the building and the carpets could definitely do with being changed. The outside area of the complex is great and was perfect during lockdown as it felt like our own personal park. We are lucky enough to look out on the pond/lake and seeing the ducks, annual heron and even the odd otter has been delightful. The apartments themselves are basic and allow you to put your spin on the place quite easily which we liked. The management company are useless (that is probably still being too kind) but the staff that work in the grounds are really nice and polite and try help as much as they can.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I wish id know just how terrible Urban Splash were going to be at getting back to me about fixes (we have been living with non-working bedroom lights, a leaky shower and a dented front door for 4 years).

What is the best feature of your home:

We live in one of the “penthouse” apartments and we save a ton on heating. The insulation ensures we never need to put the heating on and in the summer we can open our massive sliding door and keep ourselves cool.

2
Facilities
4
Design
3
Location
4
Value
1
Management
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Nice place to live with friendly staff and residents

Review Date Mar 2024

Good area of town to be in and close to temple meads station. Anti-social behavior is evident but as it would be anywhere.

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Building management are a fantastic team and always there to help. Facilities (gym equipment) more recently has been needing maintenance and fixing but hasn’t yet been done.

The building is in a great location surrounded by coffee shops and not in the middle of the hustle and bustle of town

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

The continuous rising of costs (rent & car parking)

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

All the in house staff have been fantastic and faultless

4
Facilities
3
Design
5
Location
4
Value
4
Management
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Building / facilities front of house team are fantastic

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Mar 2024

It’s a great location, very central. Can be a bit noisy, mostly due to construction in the area.
Having a Mokoko coffee shop in the block is a real perk, really great coffee and made on prem pastries / sandwiches. Very helpful having a reception area too, when you have visitors or parcels.

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Building / facilities front of house team are fantastic, very helpful. Particulalry Michael and Vilius. Makes a big difference knowing things get done quickly. The complex design is good, I like the fact we have a rooftop garden, underground parking and a good gym all under one roof.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

How intense the local area can be, especially outside the Sainsbury’s.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Very quickly, wait times are short and helpful from FOH team.

5
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
5
Value
5
Management
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Great for people prefer modern apartment

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Feb 2024

Located near the city center. Super convenient for shopping and commuting to work. Clean and safe community. I’m very sensitive to noise but I feel totally fine here.

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Modern design with great facilities such as gym and terrace. Bike store is convenient and safe. Management and maintenance team here are very helpful and responsive. The building can keep really warm inside during winter, which helps saving utility fees.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

The team gave quite comprehensive information before moving in, but I wish they can introduce more about the possible future changes on rent and utility fees

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

The management team is very helpful and responsive. Once there was a problem with the window in my apartment, they fixed it in 2 days.

4
Facilities
5
Design
4
Location
5
Value
5
Management
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