To outsiders, the well-heeled village of Bramhall might be best known for its Tudor manor house, beautiful parks and raft of trendy bars, restaurants and boutiques, but for those who live and work there, it’s all about the people. In 2016, the Stockport suburb was named one of the friendliest places to live in the UK, with residents putting it down to the strong sense of ‘community spirit’.
Then, last month, the area made The Telegraph’s annual list of the 50 ‘most desirable’ places in Britain. The publication commissioned Savills to use the latest census data to create a ranking of the most affluent towns based on factors such as the proportion of residents holding managerial jobs, their level of qualifications, the state of their health and the costs of buying a house.
While many were located in the South of England, Greater Manchester towns such as Hale and Altrincham landed in the top 20, and Bramhall and Cheadle Hulme were not far behind. While the latter has long been in its richer neighbour's shadow it landed three places higher in 26th position, with residents praising its excellent schools, services and transport links.
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But while Cheadle Hulme may have been ranked ahead of Bramhall, Bramhall locals are hugely proud of their neighbourhood. When the M.E.N visited to ask residents what they thought of being ranked as one of the country's most desirable places to live, adjectives like 'amazing' and 'perfect' were among the responses - although the suburb hasn't been immune from the cost of living crisis.
“I’m originally from Mexico, so if I’ve moved from there to be here it must be good,” laughs Alejandra Solis, who set up Bramhall Dog Groomers two years ago after a successful career in PR. “For me, Bramhall is perfect. It’s a lovely place and the community is amazing.
“It’s rural, but not too rural, so you have everything you need on your doorstep and you are only 25 minutes from Manchester or the countryside. It's well connected, has a good airport and you can be in London within a couple of hours.
“People are really open to things and supportive of local businesses, everyone is aware the village has a really strong community where everyone mucks in. Tamara, our front-of-house is from Ukraine and fled the war, she lived with me for three months and then when she got her own place the whole village helped furnish it.”
Alejandra’s shop, part of Bramhall precinct, or the ‘Village Square’, is part of a variety of independent stores, food outlets and services like hair salons, opticians and nail bars. While she's proud of the strong cohort of businesses she shares the square with, she says the cost of living crisis, coupled with other factors is making it difficult.
“It is tough having an independent business at the moment, people are watching their pennies and being very conscious of what they spend their money on. So it’s not for the faint hearted but if it’s something people want, people will succeed, and everyone here is so supportive.”
Back in February, Sainsbury’s Local moved from the site it had occupied in Village Square since 2013 and reopened in new premises on Woodford Road, elsewhere in Bramhall. Alejandra and other business owners in the square say they have felt the impact but are hopeful for what comes next.
“Obviously losing Sainsbury’s was a big blow because people would come every day all day into the square,” she adds. “It's frustrating that it’s been empty for so long, but I do think the landlords are trying, and it wasn’t like Sainsbury's was going to leave and other businesses would come straight in. So people have been upset, but you have to invite your own customers in to visit you, we’re just in a period of transition.
Emily Mee, owner of Em’s Easy Co, Bramhall’s refill shop, says she opened her store here in the square in 2020 to provide something new for the village. "I've grown up here and know the area, but it’s also quite affluent and people still shop locally here," she said.
Sadly, in just a couple of weeks, Emily will shutter her shop for good. “It’s a combination of factors, we started to see a dip last year when people started to talk about cost of living, plus the impact of the Ukraine War, and people started saving rather than spending.
“There’s also a preconceived idea that shopping for eco-friendly products is more expensive, so obviously in comparison to Aldi yes, but not with other similar products. We also had the Sainsbury’s close down and that’s affected footfall, not to the village but to the Square, it made the decision easier then.”
Picking up on Alejandra’s comment on transition, Emily also feels that there’s been a shift in recent years in terms of what the village offers. “There are some shops here that you don’t get in Cheadle Hulme, like the craft shop and toy shop, they’re very unique, but I would say Bramhall has become much more of a food and drink destination.
“I know people from all around Greater Manchester who come here because of the restaurants. All the cafes are very busy at the weekend, it clearly is something that people want.”
It’s a theme that fellow business owner, Sue Day, who owns fashion boutique Modiste has also picked up on. “Obviously being in retail it would have been nice to see a few more shops as I think it’s nice when you can go out and browse. There’s plenty of places to eat already in Bramhall, we’re really not short of that, so a few more retail outlets would be nice.
“Footfall has dropped recently, I knew it would be quieter because I was here when Co-op shut, and Sainsbury’s moved in, but I’ve noticed a significant difference with this, so it is a reflection of what’s happening in the world as well, such as interest rates and cost of living.”
It's not all doom and gloom though, as Sue says, the community spirit and collective effort to put on events for residents and businesses brings lots of people into the village. “I’m very involved in Bramhall Together Trust, it is about the free events being put on for the community, and people do come down and really enjoy them, and it provides such a nice, community atmosphere.”
Meena Sheth, owner of card and gift shop Greetings, is celebrating 20 years in the precinct and also nods to the regular community events and strong business community as reasons people like to live and shop in Bramhall. “I’ve always found the precinct is buzzing when it’s full.
“Sainsbury’s moving out was bad for us because it’s made the precinct go very quiet, but other than that, it’s still buzzing. It just depends on the weather, if it’s brilliant we still have kids using the playground and the little library.”
Angela, who works alongside Meena, credits the strong community as a reason for the village’s desirability. “It’s a great community, customers that come in all know each other, and if someone comes in that hasn’t been before we know straight away, and everyone is chatty. And all the business owners are on a WhatsApp group together and are regularly in touch planning community events, so it feels like one big family.”
Over at the Junction of Bramhall Lane South, Ack Lane and Woodford Road, self-professed “ladies who lunch” Tiffany, Cassie and Zoe are heading to popular breakfast and brunch spot, Juniper. They’re very surprised that Cheadle Hulme beat Bramhall in the rankings, but put it down to house prices.
According to Zoopla, the average sold price for a property in Bramhall in the last 12 months was £573,671, considerably higher than Cheadle Hulme, which was £399,851. The average sold price for a detached property was £720,080 and in Cheadle Hulme it was £564,774, while semi-detached was £502,602 and £395,524 respectively.
Tiffany, who has lived in Bramhall for twenty years, believes Bramhall is still more desirable. “I am very surprised about Cheadle Hulme but I think that’s because it’s down to accessibility and affordability. The park here is brilliant, the people here are brilliant and there’s lots of eateries which I think makes it attractive and brings lots of people in. We've also got good transport links and you can get to surrounding areas like Manchester and the airport easily.”
Joe Montgomery, who runs a butchers in the village agrees, and adds that it’s the blend of shops and restaurants, along with great schools that makes it work. “I think Bramhall actually benefits from having lots of different businesses, people might come out on the weekends for a bite to eat and then go shopping,” he says.
“There might be a slight over-saturation of restaurants, but it does help bring people in,” he laughs. “From a retail point of view, there’s a good blend of different shops, restaurants and bars, and it’s also a fairly affluent area and people want to eat good food but also know where it’s from, good quality products and innovation.”
Salvatore Fattoruso, who has owned the much-loved Italian restaurant, Romulus, in the centre of Bramhall for 27 years, believes the uptick in food and drink units is down to “knowledgeable” and “well travelled” residents. “Bramhall is a very nice place to live and a great place to run a business,” he says.
“As far as I am concerned, more restaurants and bars in the village is good as long as we keep a high standard so people can enjoy good quality. It’s very comfortable here, and people have been telling me for decades that it’s a really desirable place to live.”
Wain Estates property director Paul Wrigglesworth who look after Bramhall Village Square said said: “The Square is an integral part of the community providing a wide mix of local independent retailers, cafes and restaurants, loved by customers.
"We work proactively to ensure a high occupancy level. Recent investment in new branding and a new website will help all occupiers promote their offer and we continue to organise a wide variety of events to attract customers. There has been significant interest in the newly vacant units. We are keen to select occupiers who will add to the mix of facilities on offer to enhance the amenity of the square and we hope to be in a position to make an announcement shortly.”
Sainsbury's were approached for comment.
